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Subject:Re: Timing Delivery of Source with Payment From:Anne Skinner <anne -at- NETMGRS -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Wed, 1 Oct 1997 16:12:28 -0000
Hi Jon,
Although I can't speak from a freelance contractors point of view, I
have, in my distant past, spent time working in accounts departments,
both chasing late payers and being chased by people we were late to pay.
Based on my experiences, I think you might, perhaps, be taking your
customers late payments as a personal reflection of you rather than just
the standard business practices adopted by many companies in these
"financially-tight" times. In many companies I dealt with (particularly
the smaller ones), it is standard accounting practice not to even
CONSIDER paying the bill until the standard payment terms are up and,
particularly if cash is tight, a bill will not quickly reach the top of
the payment pile unless someone chases it (either the supplier or the
person within the company who ordered the goods or services from the
supplier and wants to keep on good terms with them).
One trick I found tended to work well when I was chasing for payment was
to make a very polite telephone call to Accounts Payable a week or two
after the my company's bill had be sent. I would say that I was just
calling to make sure that our bill had reached them and checking that
there were no problems. Assuming everything was OK, I would then ask
when I was due to receive payment, then follow up my call a few days
after the "due" date it if nothing had arrived. I hated doing this the
first few times, but, providing I was polite and friendly, no one seemed
to mind, and I soon got used to it. More importantly, it made sure our
bills made it to the top of the payment pile quickly and certainly
helped cashflow!
Just a thought from the "other side" so to speak! Hope this helps.
Anne
..................................................
Anne Skinner
Technical Author
Network Managers (UK) Ltd. http://www.netmgrs.co.uk
Email: anne -at- netmgrs -dot- co -dot- uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1483 303223
Fax: +44 (0) 1483 303997
..................................................
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