How to Deal with clients who don't pay
If you’re in business long enough, you’ll eventually run across those clients who never PAY ON TIME. If you have to deal with customers who don’t pay on time all the time, this post and youTube Video will help you.
In certain industries, you’ll find that you have multiple clients who are consistently tardy with PAYMENTS. Understanding how to deal with these situations without alienating your customers and making them feel unwanted is a sensitive issue.
Reasons Why Customers Pay Late
Trying to understand your customers and why they do certain things is a lot like attempting to understand the opposite sex. Sure, you can get advice, read books, and have firsthand experiences, but you’re never fully going to understand how they operate. You’re wired differently and have an entirely unique way of viewing issues, circumstances, and events.
With that being said, customers can be predictable at times. While you might not always be capable of understanding where they’re coming from, there are plenty of times when you can decipher what’s going on behind the scenes.
In terms of late payments, it’s usually not super complicated. In the majority of situations, one of the following factors is involved:
Low priority
You probably don’t want to hear it, but you might not be a major priority for your customers. Just as you do with your business, your customers rank their debts according to how critical they are to their operations. If your product/service is low on the totem pole, you’re going to get paid last.
Sometimes there’s a simple explanation for late payments – like a disorganised accounting department. Despite your repeated efforts to collect, they simply don’t know how much they owe, when it’s due, or where it’s supposed to go. While frustrating, you can overcome this issue with sustained pressure and frequent follow-up.
Lack of urgency
Have you been extremely lenient with a customer in the past? If so, they might feel like they can get away with late payments in the future. They know that the repercussions are minor and would rather pay off other debts that have negative consequences.
Tough times
It’s entirely possible that your customer is going through a difficult stretch where sales have tailed off and they don’t have the financial means to pay you. This is one of the scariest situations, as there’s very little you can do to coax them into paying.
Understanding what’s happening at the root of the problem is half the battle. As you study your late-paying clients, consider these possible culprits and try to identify what’s going on beneath the surface.