If you have a business, like extra revenue or main business, you probably have been through a controversial situation, like charging a customer, for example. Adversities are more common than you think.
Even though Brazil suffered an economic boom in the middle of 2007, and because of this it’s easy the access to loans, many people still don’t have a credit card, and until recently some people didn’t have a bank account.
Now, when selling a product or providing some service, the seller must have the tact to define the most adequate method of payment.
In this post, we will learn how to charge a customer without being ignored.
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What is the best way to charge a customer?
Delinquency is one of the risks that can affect the Brazilian entrepreneur, and with the pandemic, this rate is increasing more and more. In August of 2020, the CNC (National Confederation of Commerce and Goods, Services and Tourism) registered the highest rate of delinquency in the last 10 years.
With all this increase, it’s natural to have some bills overdue, but you as an entrepreneur must have the skill to charge a customer efficiently, so you can recover this overdue value. What is the best way to charge a customer?
The charge is an embarrassing moment sometimes, but the person who will charge must have a non-abusive attitude. This means that, even if a person is owing, the approach must always be friendly.
The premise behind this approach is to recover the value, without jeopardizing the relationship with the customer, because the customer may buy many times after this situation.
Many times, the debt must have happened by some financial difficulty, and everything is reestablished, the customer will honor with all his/her debts.
How to make a charge politely?
Making a charge in a polite or friendly way is essential to keep the relationship with the customer intact, so that in the future you can make solid negotiations.
In that case is necessary to follow some steps to the negotiation goes well. The steps are:
Watch your language
Pay attention to the way you communicate, keep a polite attitude, however, be firm all the time, to not show tension.
Transmit a peaceful message and show that the situation is under control. Be friendly. It’s not only because the customer is owning money that he/she became your enemy. Always stay calm.
Never depreciate the person
Many people don’t know how to deal with a customer, and at the time of the charge, they depreciate the person. Be it in a moment of anger or because it is believed this is the right way to treat a debtor. Some start to reveal to other people the customer’s situation.
When the debtor receives this information, he/she may feel offended, be upset with you, and even prosecute you. So, if you don’t want to have a headache, do not depreciate the person.
Respect the time
Be careful to not be inconvenient with the debtor. Even if you are needing the value a lot, do not demonstrate desperation seeking the person in inappropriate times. Do not call or send messages late at night and on weekends.
If you act like that, you take the risk to upset the person and you will be blocked from his/her social networks, complicating your access to him/her.
Do not charge absurd interest
Some people use this tactic to charge absurd interest to push the customer to pay the debts. However, if this interest was not previously agreed, it may sound a little opportunist. And between the two of us, if the customer cannot pay the “X” value, increasing more the interest will only complicate its receipt.
Therefore, if it was not agreed upon before, avoid charging interest on the debts. Be the clearest as possible to the debtor, depending on the person, this tactic may have the opposite effect.
With no threat
Learning how to charge a customer is almost an art, and if you lose your temper and threat, you can make things worse.
Even if it’s an embarrassing and annoying moment, watch your words, because the way the words may be said, can end up putting the debtor away from you, be it for anger or fear. At this moment, this is what we don’t want, right?
Be as patient as you can with a person.
How to make a charge on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a fantastic and free way of communication, why not use it for charging your customers?
All the previous steps must be also followed to the hilt because, in case of the debtor feels a little offended or threatened, he/she can block you and, consequently complicating your access to him/her.
Some simple steps for you to understand how to charge a customer via WhatsApp are:
Compute the number
Before sending a message to the person, do a quick verification and confirm the debtor’s contact, so you won’t be inconvenient with another person.
Politeness and objectiveness
As said before, it’s not because the person has debts that you need to be impolite with him/her. That’s why you need to be polite when talking to the debtor.
Be the most objective and clear as possible, so your customer will be able to understand all the information without having problems with the message.
Seriousness
Avoid being a joker at the time of the charge and avoid sending a lot of emojis. It doesn’t matter how long you know the person. This is a moment for negotiation. If you don’t take the moment seriously, the debtor will understand the moment as a practical joke.
Values and deadlines
Negotiate with the debtor and find a deadline and value that are mutually agreed upon.
Make sure the debtor commits to pay the agreed amount on that agreed deadline.
Conclusion
After contacting the person, conclude the conversation with the same politeness that you used at the beginning of the conversation and say goodbye.
It’s true to say that the entrepreneurship life is not that easy. Learning how to charge a customer is only one of the many skills that an entrepreneur must-have.
Keep in mind that most of the time people don’t want to get into debt, if that happened, it was because of force majeure.
Try to understand your customer, talk to him/her and if it’s possible try to help him/her to make the needed money to pay off the debts, suggesting some alternative income ways, for example. Helping a customer like that, you will also be helping yourself.
Did you like this content? Have you ever been to a debt-charge situation? Leave a comment and share your opinion with us.
Also, enjoy and check out What Rapport is? 7 steps to sell much more.