Donuts: Your Secret Weapon?
While you can establish strong and healthy relationships with customers over the phone, you can do even more in person. One experienced credit and collection manager we know makes it a point to visit many of her largest and best customers once a year and spend some time chatting with their accounts payable people.
The first time she visits and asks to see the clerk, the clerk often comes out with a quizzical look on her face and exclaims, "I sent you a check already!" Only then does she realize that she is there simply to say "hi" and get to know her better.
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And here's something we really like, a simple act that goes a long way towards building goodwill: she brings donuts when she visit customers.
Although some of her visits are simply to say hello, like all in collections, she still needs to pick up a check sometimes. And when that happens, her donuts really pay off!
"It's amazing that once I get a reputation for this, customers have the checks signed, ready, and waiting for me when I arrive that morning!"
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