Answer the following questions:-
1. To whom is this letter sent?
2. Why did Mr. Robert Marshal write this letter?
3. Is the letter personal? How do you know that?
4. Why is it so?
5. Is the letter courteous?
Selling goods and services is meaningless unless you make a profit. And making profits requires collecting overdue bills from credit customers. In order to safeguard himself against losses, the supplier must screen his credit customers well by investigating into their financial status. However, there are times when some customers do not pay promptly. Reasons for customers not paying are usually one or more of the following: they'stemporarily short of funds; they are dissatisfied with merchandise; they've over-looked the invoice or statement. There is, of course, always the customer who is too ready to invent excuses and who needs to be watched. So each case must be teated on its merits. The tone of a letter depends on such factors as whether late payment is habitual and how long you have done business with the customer. Since slow payment often leads to bad debts, the supplier must remind them if their payments are overdue. This reminder is called a collection letter.
It is not easy for a credit manager to write a collection letter because he must try to make a negative message a positive one. Collection letters have two purposes-
- To get money which is owed.
- To keep, at the same time, the goodwill and future business of the customer.