[bobby p]

ive about 20 slow payers on my round.at first these were normal payers,very grateful for a windie but then they slid into   never having any money on them when i call  to collect so whats best to do?    i always get it in the very  end,and theyre friendly talkers but this means several visits ,dribs n drabs being paid .ive even gone along with the suggestion that theyll post me it,but then they forget that too

. i had a cock and bull story off one woman who said she had posted,heres me checkin the post every day and in the end she posted cash to sweeten me and told me she would cancel the lost cheque. next visit tells me she hasnt even got a cheque account
  im on the point of just saying  fookit and  dropping the lot  . 

[Tom White]

If you still collect, visit ONCE, and if they don't have cash, ask for a cheque.  If they're not in leave a SAE with payment instructions.

Only visit once!  If you don't get paid, just add it onto the next clean and leave it upto three cleans.  If after three cleans you still have to chase payment; drop 'em once you're paid.

For drive betweens or rural accounts, don't collect, just leave an SAE with payment instructions.  If you don't get paid, just add it to the next months clean.

In about 9 years of window cleaning, it is very rarely I've ever been 'knocked' for a payment from a customer; the vast majority are fine; even the 'add it onto the next month' ones.

[TLC]

Well said Tosh. Also you could try and take their phone number if you don't have it already and arrange a time to go and collect it, then they have no excuse.

[bobby p]

good suggestions,cheers .   but i get the gut feeling im  then chasing the money by starting this phoning to make sure the moneys ready. 

 do any of you guys manage to "turn " these  draggers into becoming  fast payers?  or is it  ONCE A FOOT DRAGGER ,ALWAYS A DRAGGER ?   

 maybe its me , ive quite a softly sounding voice ,they know im easy going .  hard to explain,but im like that T.REX toy in Toy story film, look a bit fearsome,but not actually fearsome

[G Griffin]

Don`t take it personally, Bobby. You are just another bill to be paid. Do you always pay your bills promptly? I don`t.
That`s not to say you shouldn`t dump someone. You have to decide whether you need or want them as a customer.

[Paul Coleman]

good suggestions,cheers .   but i get the gut feeling im  then chasing the money by starting this phoning to make sure the moneys ready. 

 do any of you guys manage to "turn " these  draggers into becoming  fast payers?  or is it  ONCE A FOOT DRAGGER ,ALWAYS A DRAGGER ?   

 maybe its me , ive quite a softly sounding voice ,they know im easy going .  hard to explain,but im like that T.REX toy in Toy story film, look a bit fearsome,but not actually fearsome

I stopped collecting years ago.  It's a drain on resources.  I lost some customers over it.  I always have more money outstanding than when I collected.  I offer bank transfer as a method of payment too.
I only have a very few bad payers now but even they cough up eventually.  Three cleans is the most it goes to, though I would prefer two to be the maximum. 
I'm OK with it so long as not too many do it and that I feel the money is safe.  I wouldn't give new customers the same scope though.

[Ian101]

 do any of you guys manage to "turn " these  draggers into becoming  fast payers?  or is it  ONCE A FOOT DRAGGER ,ALWAYS A DRAGGER ?   

depend if they really want a window cleaner .. ive converted a few as when I eventually catch them at home and got the money by just saying "do you want me to call anymore?" if they say yes then I told them they gotta pay quicker and in fairness the few ive done only need this 1 prompt and cheques come with a few days now or online if they prefer that.

Just took a new customer on who the old windie told me was a crap payer so she is my new project ... cleaned them wed last week so cheque should be here this week ... lets see 

[dazmond]

we all have our fair share of slow payers but if they keep dragging their feet after a few cleans have built up and never send cheques when they say they will i just dump em once im paid.


im very much like tosh in that i only collect once. if not in i leave a sae or double it next clean.i normally only go to 2 cleans without payment but it depends on the customer.

some pay me 4 months in advance!some 1 clean in front plus when cleaning im getting previous cleans money in as well from some customers so it all balances out well.

cant imagine not collecting once a week though!relying on customers to pay you would not be good for getting my debt list down!!i have to hunt them down!!

[SPE]

never collected
most send cheques, several have asked to pay through internet banking, I'm going to open this up to the whole of my round.
Open a seperate current account just for this.
I've never taken the late payments by cheque too personally, people have busy lives and its seldom these days that people pay their other bills by cheque, finding a stamp, envelope, cheque book and remembering  to post it is old fashioned and just a faff.

[dazmond]

i provide the envelopes and stamps but i only use these on bigger accounts.as for internet banking ive had a few problems with payments into my bank.reference etc.but i suppose this is the way forward.


i dont think ill ever stop collecting.all my work is in a 8 mile radius and i have lots of compact work so easy to collect.

1-2 hours every week is ok plus i get to put a face to my business and iron out any problems and i pick up more work plus keep good relations with my customers.



dazmond

[Ian101]

i provide the envelopes and stamps but i only use these on bigger accounts.as for internet banking ive had a few problems with payments into my bank.reference etc.but i suppose this is the way forward.


i dont think ill ever stop collecting.all my work is in a 8 mile radius and i have lots of compact work so easy to collect.

1-2 hours every week is ok plus i get to put a face to my business and iron out any problems and i pick up more work plus keep good relations with my customers.



dazmond

most of my work is postal chq or online payment but have 1 round of about 70 that I still collect from ... the guy i bought it off had done it like that for years and tbh its nice to meet some of the customers as u say dazmond puts a face to the business so i rekon i will keep this 1 collection only plus great for the cashflow and the odd recommendation

[dazmond]

yep!ian great for cashflow and builds trust and loyalty so when the next start up canvassers come a long you wont lose any work!!

good customer relations is paramount in domestic window cleaning plus i like to see how some of my customers are getting on and catch up on the local gossip!!

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

good suggestions,cheers .   but i get the gut feeling im  then chasing the money by starting this phoning to make sure the moneys ready. 

 do any of you guys manage to "turn " these  draggers into becoming  fast payers?  or is it  ONCE A FOOT DRAGGER ,ALWAYS A DRAGGER ?   

 maybe its me , ive quite a softly sounding voice ,they know im easy going .  hard to explain,but im like that T.REX toy in Toy story film, look a bit fearsome,but not actually fearsome

I use internet banking, I only collect cash if they are in when I clean.
I drop of a windows cleaned ticket stating the date I cleaned, their reference number and my business bank details, some pay straight away some take a week to pay, but the days of going round and collecting are long gone, especially with fuel prices as they are.


Matt

[Paul Coleman]

we all have our fair share of slow payers but if they keep dragging their feet after a few cleans have built up and never send cheques when they say they will i just dump em once im paid.


im very much like tosh in that i only collect once. if not in i leave a sae or double it next clean.i normally only go to 2 cleans without payment but it depends on the customer.

some pay me 4 months in advance!some 1 clean in front plus when cleaning im getting previous cleans money in as well from some customers so it all balances out well.

cant imagine not collecting once a week though!relying on customers to pay you would not be good for getting my debt list down!!i have to hunt them down!!

Do you use a dart gun or live ammo?