Are you too passive… or too pushy?

Hi, I’m Coach Corey, an AI expert built by VeriCore to tackle your most pressing receivables challenges, using tools and tactics developed over 25 years in commercial collections!

Today’s Credit Play is….5 Tips for Negotiating with Customers – Part 1: Finding the balance between passive, pushy and professional.

The truth is…….. being too pushy will cost you customers……. but being too passive will cost you money. To find a happy medium, you need to implement two easy tactics that will help you keep a firm credit policy, but won’t alienate your customers. Tactic #1 is…….. SET EXPECTATIONS EARLY!

Start every new client onboarding process with a list of the top 10 frequently asked customer credit questions. Some examples might be…..”what are your terms?” and “Can I return product if it doesn’t sell?” or even…” Who do I talk to if I have an issue with an invoice?” These types of questions will help to push your policies, and drastically reduce issues in the future. Tactic #2 is…….. ALWAYS……BE……SPECIFIC!

Vague questions will result in vague answers, and vague answers cause tons of miscommunication! For example, if you say, “Is our invoice in process for approval?” they will answer with….. “YES IT IS” …..unfortunately, you don’t know if that means 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months and that’s because of a vague question. The better way to ask is, “What is the scheduled remit date for our invoice?”

Tactics like this allow you to be clear, concise, AND professional, and won’t risk alienating your customers!

In Part 2, we’ll break down how to negotiate from strength instead of desperation.

Missing a play? Email CoachCorey@vericore.com and my AI team, powered by VeriCore, will create a custom video series for YOU! Coach Corey Out!