Keeping It Simple: What’s The Best Way to Ask For Your Money?

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Keeping It Simple: What’s The Best Way to Ask For Your Money?

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By Gerald Wheelus
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With the economy the way it is, we’ve been seeing more and more customers struggling to pay their parts bills. So, what’s the best way to ask for your money?

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First, there’s no cookie cutter way to deal with customers and their money woes. Because, of this you have to know your customers and how to communicate with them. Most of us at one time or another have been unable to pay a bill and wished that the person on the other end of the phone had a little understanding and even some compassion for our situation.

Much to the frustration of many a parts person, some customers will run up their bills to a point where you can’t allow them to charge any more. Usually when it gets to this point, the customer will be asked to pay for the product you send to them cash on delivery or (COD), assuming someone in the organization has contacted the customer in question to inform them that they will be asked to pay (COD).

This will create one of two situations:

Scenario One: Sending a product out COD to a customer who has previously charged the product will be an indicator for the customer that they should pay the bill they owe you. However, before you do this, you should be sure to have done the due diligence in communicating with the customer, making them aware that you are no longer able to allow them to charge anymore product. The customer will pay and continue to pay down their bill until you’re able to accommodate the extension of credit once again.

Scenario Two: (The most likely, by the way): Sending the product out (COD) will upset the customer to the point that they will quit buying product from you and go to the competition to buy products and most likely pay them (COD) in order to do so.

No one in my past 25 years of experience has been able to explain the psyche of the latter event and why a customer who owes you money will quit buying from you and pay cash down the road simply because you have asked them to pay you what they owe to you. So, what’s the appropriate way to ask for your money?

Be kind: Ask as compassionately as possible. “I know times are tough. Is there any way you could pay for this today until we can get a payment in on your account?”

Be understanding: Understand that customers are people, too. “Man, I am having trouble paying my $600 light bill this month, too. It’s hard but is there anyway you can pay something on your bill today so we can send this part down to you?”

Be the leader: Ask as the leader of the group, but don’t demand. “Hey, we would like to keep your business and I will do everything I can to work with you on this account. Can you meet me in the middle?”
As always, consult your company’s guidelines on this issue. They may already offer suggestions for how to handle situations like these.

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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