By Kevin Gephart
Part of being a good out of home sales rep is knowing when and how to turn up the heat on an account. Here’s a sequence of collection letters which does that in a thorough and direct way.
AFTER 45 DAYS:
Dear (client):
Thank you very much for your ongoing partnership!
Our records indicate that your account with us is past due. Payment for the following invoices hasn’t been received:
Invoice Date: XXXXXXX
Invoice Number: XXXXXXXX
Amount Due: $XXXXXX
If you have sent a payment, thank you! If you have not, please do so now. For your convenience, you can make payments via (payment methods you accept)
If someone else in your organization handles the advertising accounts payable, please provide their contact information.
If you have questions/concerns, please contact me directly at XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Thank you for trusting us with your OOH business.
Sincerely,
AFTER 60 DAYS:
Dear (client),
Because you are a valued partner, we are concerned. We have notified you of the past-due status of your account in regard to the outstanding invoices(s) listed below and have not heard from you.
Invoice Date: XXXXXXX
Invoice Number: XXXXXXXX
Amount Due: $XXXXXX
As you are aware, our payment terms are NET 30 days from the date of the invoice. A late fee of 4% is charged to your account if the payment is not received within 45 days of the date of invoice.
If you have sent a payment, thank you! If not, please do so now. For your convenience, you can make payments via (payment methods you accept)
If someone else in your organization handles the advertising accounts payable, please provide their contact information.
If you have questions/concerns, please contact me directly at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued partnership.
Sincerely,
AFTER 90 DAYS:
MUST COME FROM AND BE SIGNED BY THE GENERAL MANAGER
Dear (client),
We are very concerned as we have not received any response or payment from you regarding your past due balance(s) listed below. If your payment is already in process, we thank you and ask that you please disregard this notice.
Our records indicate the following invoices are past due:
Invoice Date: XXXXXXX
Invoice Number: XXXXXXXX
Amount Due: $XXXXXX
Your account is in jeopardy of being escalated to an outside collection agency. To prevent further collection action and negative reports to your credit history, please make payment within 15 days. For your convenience, you can make payments via (payment methods you accept)
If you are unable to make payment in full, we want to discuss workable solutions for you. Please contact me (General Manager) directly at XXX-XXX-XXX.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely
GENERAL MANAGER
(If it’s a paper letter it should also contain a short-handwritten note at the bottom from the GM: “Thanks for taking care of this.”
AFTER 120 DAYS:
MUST COME FROM AND BE SIGNED BY THE GENERAL MANAGER
Dear client,
I am puzzled. We have contacted you on multiple occasions attempting to get an appropriate response or payment for your overdue invoice(s) and yet we haven’t received response or payment.
We hereby demand payment for the following open invoices no later than (date), or we are required to take further action.
Invoice Date: XXXXXXX
Invoice Number: XXXXXXXX
Amount Due: $XXXXXX
We service your account with diligence, integrity, and great follow-through and we ask that you pay your invoices in a timely manner.
If you are unable to make payment in full, we would like to discuss workable solutions for you. Please contact me (General Manager) directly at XXX-XXX-XXX. If someone else in your organization handles the advertising accounts payable, please provide their contact information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
GENERAL MANAGER
(If it’s a paper letter it should also contain a short-handwritten note at the bottom from the GM: “Help us resolve this.”
[wpforms id=”9787″]
Paid Advertisement
