During communication with a creditor, the debtor always (whether realizing it or not) tries to influence the creditor. Even if the debtor shows a constructive reaction, he is still trying (albeit unconsciously) to impress the creditor and tell him “between the lines” with his reaction that he is a decent, good and conscientious counterparty with whom it is worth doing business in the future .

By talking about the existing difficulties and hardships, the debtor tries to touch such a string of the human soul of the creditor - an individual or an employee of the creditor company - as “pity and sympathy.” The purpose of such a game “on strings” is to obtain a deferment of debt repayment. Showing aggression, the debtor tries to influence the creditor through the strings of “fear” and “comfort”, ensuring that the creditor (not wanting to have negativity from communicating with the debtor and collecting the debt) completely forgets about the debtor, or communicates with him as little as possible.

Likewise, whether he realizes it or not, the creditor tries to influence the debtor. In order for the effectiveness of influence on the debtor to be greater, and the dependence on his psychological manipulations to be less, it is important for the creditor to adhere to the rules of communication with the debtor described above, as well as to be able to play on the debtor’s “strings” and monitor attempts at a similar game on the part of the debtor.

For convenience, I have compiled information on playing the “strings” into a table. The given options for psychological manipulation are, of course, not the only possible ones. The examples given in the table only illustrate one of the possibilities for using each “string”.

The string of the human soul Possible options for manipulation on the part of the debtor in relation to the owner, manager or employee of the creditor company (depending on the situation) A possible variant of manipulation on the part of the creditor in relation to the owner, manager or employee of the debtor company (depending on the situation)
Fear There is a serious force behind us... Do you know who you contacted? ... If you do not repay the debt on time, you will face liability, including possibly criminal...
Greed If you wait, we'll pay everything. And if you go to court, you will lose more. The state fee must be paid, the lawyer must be paid, etc. Late payment and you will have to pay a penalty. In addition, you will be charged legal costs, i.e. state duty, expenses for lawyers, attorneys, etc. Do you need it? Better pay on time.
Guilt (from actions, inactions, and consequences) We have such serious problems here, and you still demand to pay off the debt. If our company goes bankrupt, it will be on your conscience... If you do not pay off the debt, then we will not be able to pay wages to our employees, and they have families, children... The fact that they will be left without money will be your fault. It will all be on your conscience...
Comfort Wait a little and we'll pay. Do you need these courts? It's all running around, worrying and bureaucracy. Why do you need all this complexity? You just need to wait a month or two... If you do not pay by the due date, we will go to court. You will lose energy and time going to court, and then the bailiffs will come to you, describe everything and take it away. The quiet life is over. Do you need it? Pay on time.
Exceptionality You and I have developed a partnership like no other. Your company is our best counterparty. Wait a little longer and we will definitely pay. You are our best counterparty, we provide you with favorable discounts, a wide range, etc. And as you understand, the best counterparty, by definition, cannot violate its obligations. Pay by the due date.
Justice It is unfair to demand that we pay the debt and such a large penalty. You have forced yourself on us. It is fair to pay you only the amount of the debt. Is it fair that you use our money, and at this time we are forced to take out loans from the bank at a “crazy” interest rate? This is completely unfair! Pay back the debt!
Pride Give us a little more time to pay off the debt. We'll pay, but a little later. Show understanding and you will have a reason to be proud that you found the strength to support your counterparty in difficult times. Many of our contractors and partners are proud that they fulfill their financial obligations on time. Pay off your debt and you too will have something to be proud of.
Decency You remind us of our duty every day. Such obsession is simply dishonest. Wait a little and we will pay everything. Be a decent person - stop being annoying! Taking so long to pay off your debt is simply dishonest. And we thought that your company, its managers and employees, were decent people. If so, then pay by the due date.
Attractiveness You are such an attractive person, and so obsessive with your debt issue. Wait a little and we will pay. You are such an attractive person, but you are so awkwardly delaying the repayment of your debt... I. Pay by the due date! This will only be a plus for you!
Pity (sympathy) We have a tax audit here, the client doesn’t pay, the accountant quit.... It’s so difficult for us now... Give us a little reprieve... You didn’t pay us on time, and we couldn’t pay our employees salaries. And there is nothing to buy raw materials with... It’s so difficult for us without your payment. Please pay by the due date!
Masculinity/femininity You are such a feminine girl, but you demand repayment of the debt like a rude lout. It doesn't suit you. Be nice, be patient, and we'll pay... You are such a strong man, but you act like a little girl. You have one thing, then another. And you still don't keep your promises. Finally, be a man - pay off the debt by the due date.
Weak Is it too hard for you to wait? You are such a big company... Can't you wait a little longer? Are you weak? Is it difficult for you to pay on time? You are such a big company. Are you really unable to fulfill your financial obligations on time? Is it really weak?

Monitoring by the creditor of the “game” used against him and recognizing the debtor’s manipulations reduces their “harmfulness” by an order of magnitude, since it allows the creditor to assess the real state of affairs using reason, not emotions.

The creditor, for his part, can play on the “strings” either by searching one “string” at a time (starting from any one), or by using the “chord execution” method, when several “strings” are affected at once during one message. For example, telling the debtor “Pay by the due date, otherwise, in addition to the amount of the debt, you will have to pay a penalty and reimburse legal expenses. In addition, delaying payment for so long is extremely dishonorable and unmanly. Therefore, pay by the due date!” the creditor thereby touches such “strings” as “greed”, “decency”, “masculinity”.

Messages addressed to the debtor while playing the “strings” can be both direct (literal) and metaphorical. By uttering the phrase “... if you delay the payment date agreed upon by us, then...” we openly and literally tell the debtor what actions we will take in relation to him. In the same case, when, in the course of communicating with a debtor, we casually mention a certain negligent debtor who delayed payment, who was recently brought to criminal responsibility, then we use metaphorical language. In some cases, the use of metaphorical stories about bad debtors has a greater effect on the debtor than an open message about the negative legal consequences of late payment.

It is important to note that none of the strings is a “magic pipe” that will help the creditor make any debtor “dance”. Each debtor has his own individual set of “strings”. One debtor reacts strongly and demonstrates a willingness to pay to emphasizing his exclusivity, another to accusations of dishonesty, a third to threats of financial loss as a result of paying penalties and legal costs, and a fourth to something else. Therefore, only a flexible and variable “game” provides efficiency to the lender.

* This text is a fragment of the article “Graters” with debtors,” published in the magazine “PRODENGI”, No. 2 (15), 06-07.2012, pp. 28-32


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This is an official letter that states the approaching or expiration of certain tasks, obligations, or events.

The reminder must certainly be friendly and unobtrusive: in no case should you blame the addressee, since the reason for the delay in payment or non-payment, for example, may be the very difficult financial situation in which he finds himself.

The content of the reminder letter primarily depends on whether it is the first, second or third time you are reminding your partner to fulfill his obligations, failure to meet the deadline for paying Tosho bills. If the client does not respond to your reminders, then, of course, you will be forced to inform him of your intention to go to court and terminate the contract. However, even in this case, the writing style should be polite and restrained.

For example:

. Dear!

. Let me take this opportunity to remind you. You, what is the due date for paying bills? Your order no. from(date) expired

. We will. Thank you if you(date of). You will send the translation. Your debt in the amount

Apologies for having to disturb you. you about this

. We remain with respect

. Dear Sir!

. Walking. To meet you, we extend the payment deadline until(date) / we execute at the same time. Your new orders. If you do not pay the balance by (date) and do not send a check showing payment, we will be forced to temporarily suspend all executions. Your deputy broadcasters are ovlen.

. We wait. Your answer

. Sincerely

. Dear Sirs!

. Sorry to disturb you again. You, but unfortunately we have not received any response to our previous reminders sorry that. Your company treated our requests so carelessly, although we, for our part, always strictly adhered to the terms of the contract and carried out all your orders with high quality.

. Despite repeated reminders and measures taken... Your debt not only remains outstanding, but continues to grow, so we feel it necessary to report. You about your intention to terminate and the contract.

. It's a shame, but we don't see any other way out of this unfortunate situation.

. Dear Sirs!

. Sorry, please, but we have to remind you again. Tell us about the large debt to our company, which continues to grow. We always tried to understand. You are in financial difficulties, but this time the debt exceeds all previous ones, and the payment deadline has long passed.

. We hope. You understand that we can no longer neglect the interests of the company, and therefore are forced to file a lawsuit

. It's a pity that our cooperation was unsuccessful

TYPICAL turnover

First mention

1 will allow. remind you about

2. Taking this opportunity, let me remind you that. You are in debt

3. Please. You should pay special attention to the fact that... You have a debt in the amount

4. We would like to remind you. To you about

5. We remind you. To you that the deadline for submitting reports has expired (date)

6. We consider it necessary to remind. You that according to the contract the commission must be paid by (date)

7. We are forced to remind you. You that the deadline for payment of invoices for the printing ordered. Printing products passed by you (date)

8. Q. By the way, we remind you. You that shipment. You have run out of goods from the warehouse yet (date)

9. It would be appropriate to recall that

10. We believe that this non-payment is only an omission, and we hope that. You will eliminate it within

11. To. You were able to quickly navigate the situation, we send it. You will receive copies of invoices that have already expired

12. Our accounting department reported that. You haven't paid several bills on time

13. We hope that this non-payment is just an annoying mistake that will be corrected in the near future

14. Sorry (we are offended) that we have to disturb you. you about this

Repeat Reminders

1. It’s very inconvenient for us that we have to remind you again. To you about

2. Unfortunately, we have to remind you again. To you that you still haven't received from. You paid bills

3 we are very sorry that we have to remind you again about the presence of several still unpaid bills

4. Delay. Your payment is contrary to our previous agreements on the terms of trade. We reserve the right to proceed further

5. Your reluctance to strictly adhere to payment deadlines is a violation of the terms of the contract

6. It’s a pity, but we have to inform you. You about changes in the order payment system, which are caused by the fact that. You did not pay the previous ones on time

7. We would never bother. You with such reminders, if. You met your payment obligations on time

8. We remind you. You that. You agreed to payment within the term determined by us. Late payment forces us to charge monthly. Your account% of outstanding amount

9. Sorry, but we have to remind you once already. You that the debt is very large (significant)

10 consider it their duty (we consider it necessary) to remind again. To you about a debt that has expired on (date)

11 over the past weeks. Three official reminders have been sent to you regarding our company's significant debt. Unfortunately we didn't receive from. no answer from you

12. It is unpleasant for us to contact you again. In this regard, however, all our reminders about the need to ship the goods to our company have still remained unanswered

13. We continue again. You have a deadline to pay the invoice

14. Please pay the debt within days

15. We have been waiting for our bills to be paid for months. Please transfer the appropriate amount to our bank account by the end of this week

16. Our cooperation has been quite fruitful, and its continuation will be possible only if the debt is repaid by (date)

17 We have already written to you several times (repeatedly) asking you to explain why. You will not pay the invoices, but, unfortunately, you have not received a response

18. You are already months late in submitting your annual report, so we are forced

19. Your dismissive attitude towards our requests harms our cooperation, which was once fruitful

Final reminder and warning regarding the following legal actions

If delicate reminders and demands do not produce the desired results, you will be forced to go to court or terminate the contract. You should inform the addressee about this, but do everything possible so that the tone and style of the letter finally convince him that this is extremely unpleasant for you, but the only possible way out of the situation 34:

1. Your delay in paying your bills is a serious breach of contract and we are forced to refer this matter to our legal department

2. Because. You have not responded to our repeated reminders, we have referred the matter to our lawyer

3 We are very sorry to inform you that due to a large debt. Your loan is temporarily closed

4. Unfortunately, long-term non-payment. You accounts forced us to refer this matter to a lawyer.

5. Due to the fact that. You, despite our urgent request to repay the debt, have still not sent a check certifying payment, we are forced to suspend all executions. Your orders

63 given the situation are forced to take drastic measures

7. Your debt has exceeded all previous ones and is still due (date). We can no longer neglect the interests of the company and are forced to file a lawsuit

8. Considering the current situation, we are forced to announce our intention to terminate the contract. You have a contract

9. Delay. Your payment of bills forced us to go to court. We were upset. Your careless attitude towards our requests

10. We cannot wait any longer for payment. Your bills at the end of the week are forced to ask our legal department to arrange debt repayment

11. Due to systematic and long delays in the delivery of goods, we are forced to terminate the contract. You have a contract

12. We warn you. You about your intention to terminate the contract

13. All our requests for repayment. Your debts were in vain, so we are forced to file a lawsuit. Believe me, we are very upset, but now we see no other way out of this situation

14. It’s a pity that our cooperation was unsuccessful

Lessons.

So, today we will talk again about freelancing and the difficult fate of those who choose remote work.

If you have never worked with clients who are seriously late in payments, or with those who do not pay at all, then you can only be envied. In reality, freelancing often comes with similar problems. We can say that paying for freelance work is almost the Achilles heel of the entire concept of remote work.

This happens and there is nothing worse for a professional than putting your soul into a project, and as a result receiving only an apology or a banal “frost”. And while banks do not accept “sorry” and “thank you” as payment, you need to do something to reduce the number of such incidents to 0.

In reality, you can stumble upon unscrupulous customers almost everywhere, and the size of the companies is not the main thing. Unscrupulous clients come across both small local businesses and large companies with offices throughout the country. The only similarity between them is that they start fooling you with promises to pay you “as soon as you do this.” They will praise your design and feed you promises of future projects and recommendations to their partners, but the fact will remain a fact - you will sit without pay until you stop working for them.

Such incidents seriously hurt both your pride and your bank account. Fortunately, there are several ways to organize payment for freelancing services that will allow you to significantly reduce the number of dummy clients, especially when you don’t have a lawyer you know to sue the hell out of such companies or individual clients.

Most large companies prefer to pay for freelancing with some delay. Some because of deferred payments on the part of their clients, others - after coordinating the work with three directors, neighbors in the corridor and the cleaning lady Aunt Glasha, and others - because Jupiter is in the Saturn zone. And many freelancers agree to these enslaving conditions.

And this is great, but it’s great only for customer companies. This causes you a lot of problems and days of empty waiting. If you are hired for a project, the work must be paid immediately after the actual work is completed. If there are no delays in your work, then there should be no delays in payment - start respecting yourself as a professional.

But how can you get customers to pay on time for your services? Let's understand this with simple examples and steps. To reduce the number of insolvent clients, you just need to follow a simple rule - you don't do the work until you receive payment for the previous stage.

For better control over your finances, create an account in a common payment system, and also make some kind of widget with the ability to pay online directly to your bank card. Yes, this will cost you a few extra percentages, but it will greatly simplify the process for customers and allow you to better control a large number of small transactions.

« No payment, no further work“- this principle should be fundamental in working with clients. Don't be afraid to mention this in negotiations with clients. For the vast majority, it will be easier to pay you in small tranches for each successfully completed stage.

If your work does not involve constant costs for anything, then here is an approximate list of how you can organize payment for a project so that, on the one hand, you can see the client’s interest in working with you, and on the other hand, remain motivated until the end of the project:

  • Prepayment - 10%
  • Prototyping - 20%
  • Design/coding of main elements - 30%
  • Creation of remaining elements - 30%
  • Testing + some final edits - 10%

Of course, this list is not a rule and you can move the percentages back and forth depending on the specifics of your industry. But practice shows that the more you worry about dividing the project into so-called milestones, the less risk there will be to complete a whole project and receive a “BIG thank you” for it.

And there is nothing wrong with asking for advance payment even for small projects. Remember that by agreeing to them, you are reserving some time in your schedule to complete. And by staking out time on such a project, you may lose the opportunity to take on another, larger project. These are all risks that should always be taken into account.

Your clients need to understand that work doesn't start until:

  • You will not receive payment. If a client complains about having to pay before the work actually starts, he will most likely be a pretty bad client and cause you a lot of problems. Remember, if you refuse other projects and wait for progress on this one, you should receive a deposit to insure yourself against wasting time waiting.
  • You and the client will read, understand and sign all points of the offer. A proposal will not become a working plan until both parties agree to every point of the plan. Only in this case will the document begin to reflect the point of view of both sides.
  • Client will not start work on homework. Waiting for data, photos, graphics, presentations and Word files with texts not only causes your nerve cells to burn out faster, but also introduces significant shifts in deadlines. Do not start work until you have a complete list of necessary information - this will only motivate and discipline the customer.

The approaches described here may in some cases seem a little awkward to discuss with a new customer, who could easily get off the hook. But is the level of discomfort comparable to those cases when you did the work and didn’t get paid? No? That's the same!

A common problem for many IT consultants is that clients who require urgent service are slow to pay the bills themselves. It would seem that the easiest way to solve this problem is to work only with those clients who pay. But what to do with those clients who constantly delay payment. Failure to receive funds on time can spell disaster for your business. Here are some tips on how to make sure your clients pay and do so on time.

Make inquiries about the client. You need to know who you are going to deal with. Evaluate the client carefully before accepting a job. Arrange to meet in his office. Your first impression will not deceive you. Even if it is impossible to determine the client’s solvency, it is possible to assess the level and scale of the company. If it's a startup that doesn't have a website, a phone number, or any real way to prove its worth, it's likely to be difficult to pay. But even if it is a stable company, it is worth considering a small upfront payment.

Issue invoices on time. Make sure you send invoices within the required deadlines. Generate an invoice and send it to the client within 12 hours after successful completion of the work. Many invoices are returned due to incorrect processing. Each invoice must have a unique number and accurately describe the work performed. The invoice must contain all the necessary information: your legal address, tax identification number and bank details. Get to know the person who handles payments at the client's company so you know who you're sending invoices to and who you can contact for payment information.

Don't jump to conclusions. If the invoice is not paid on time, wait a few days and contact the client's accounting department. Politely ask them about their account status. Your anger will not speed up payment, but will only escalate the situation. If after this the money has not arrived, call the client himself. If you are working with a client who does not have an accountant, you should wait at least two weeks and only then contact the client to discreetly remind him of the debt. Usually the money arrives within two days after such a phone call.

Establish penalties and fines for late payment. When concluding a contract, make sure that the client understands the consequences of late payments. Include a clause in the service agreement stating that in case of late payment a penalty will be charged in the amount of X% for each month of delay. This should also be reflected in all your accounts.

Do not provide technical support. When a defaulting client comes to you with another problem, you should refuse to help him until the debt is fully repaid. It may be unethical to remind a client of his debts in a time of need, but you can't work if you don't get paid. Remind the client about outstanding invoices and then discuss how you can resolve their problem. Maybe he will agree to pay off his debts if you agree to solve his current problem.

Stop ordering equipment. If a client who owes you money offers you a new project that requires the purchase of new servers, workstations and other equipment, you should not order the equipment until it has been paid in full, or at least in part.

Threaten to shut down equipment. Some IT consultants reserve the right to remotely shut down information systems, servers and routers, and even physically seize equipment if payment is not made within a certain period of time. The problem is that the customer must be persuaded to sign an agreement providing for this right before equipment or services are provided.

Deal with non-paying clients. If, despite everything, the client refuses to pay, sue him or contact a collection agency. Remember that you must act strictly within the law, so you should not threaten the client with physical violence or damage to their property. In any case, it is worth consulting with lawyers.

For many IT consultants, invoicing is a boring and tedious task, but it is part of the business and cannot be avoided. If you do everything right from the beginning, this is not such a heavy burden.

Based on materials

By increasing sales, we will inevitably come to credit the buyer, allowing him to defer payments. For some companies, accounts receivable becomes a headache - it is not clear how to collect it. To others, buyers bring money joyfully and on time. Today in our blog we’ll talk about how to motivate a client to pay on time.

Every business has receivables, but successful companies are distinguished by the fact that they know how to manage them. Frantically calling or visiting clients at the end of each quarter in order to collect at least something is not our method. We are not calling for a complete abandonment of deferred payments. You just need to know who, when and how much to give. We have already dealt with the question of WHO, today we will talk about WHEN and HOW MUCH.

  • Divide and rule

If you work according to the factoring scheme, then it is she who will check your buyer, evaluate him, and set a financing limit. Consider for yourself whether all this work is worth the commission you will pay to the factor.