[Jason Atwell]

Do most people still knock on, and for the guys who dont call to collect anymore, how was the transition and did you lose many customers?

[craig jwc]

I don't collect anymore and i don't leave sae.

I've not lost one customer since i stopped collecting.

All my new customers are told that if they aren't in they are to post payment on or arrange to make payment through Internet banking.

Every new customer i have told this has been fine by it and it's working ok at present.

Craig

[pjulk]

I don't collect anymore i leave a SAE been doing this now for about 10 months.
Never lost any customers and still get the money in fairly quick.

Best thing i have done the SAE as i used to hate going out on a friday evening collecting.

Paul

[S_RICHARDSON]

good old doorknocking you can't go wrong with it. Cause some times customers complain saying they never had a SAE through their door or something!

[windows_chepstow]

For my rural accounts, I always leave a SAE with payment instructions.

For my estate accounts, where I have concentrations of houses in the same area, I leave a 'chit' and collect on a Saturday morning (I'm just about to head out).

If they're not in, hopefully they've left the money hidden somewhere; otherwise they get left an envelope.

My cash flow is good!

[Paul Coleman]

Do most people still knock on, and for the guys who dont call to collect anymore, how was the transition and did you lose many customers?

I did lose a few on the initial transition.  One guy cancelled saying that he wasn't well enough organised to manage it.  I've no problem with that.  Some customers didn't send me a cheque when I first made the change.  If it was a job I wanted to keep, I made sure I got two lots the next time and reminded them that I had changed my payment methods.  If it was one I wanted to dump anyway, I took the loss.  Better to lose a bad account and one payment than to keep going somewhere for years where you're unhappy working.
So, for a short period, my bad debt level was higher but my business is more economical to run in the longer term.  I'm not talking large amounts here.
BTW.  I don't use SAE.  I just leave a bill.

[Ian_Giles]

I occasionally go out and collect in person, but that is only for a couple of customers, mostly I just leave them an invoice and they send a cheque within a few days.
Quite a few I collect from their place of work when I clean the office or the shop they work in.
I really must offer them the option of paying over the internet, it's a really easy way of paying your bills, and it is being increasingly used now...mmm...must word a leaflet and attach to invoices... :

Ian

[LSB]

I collect from some , and ae ( no s ) others , which gives me both a good cashflow and regular chq payments 

[windows_chepstow]

I collect from some , and ae ( no s ) others , which gives me both a good cashflow and regular chq payments 

Just a thought Lloyd, about twenty-something quid pays for 100 2nd class stamps.

Keep the receipt and count it as an expenditure against your tax.

There's also some very good FREE software I use that is class for printing your address on envelopes (a friend of mine still hand-writes his, even though he's got a computer, and I've offered to show him how to print envelopes).

Next year I plan to go 95 percent collection free, but given the wide range of domestics I do, this may cause some problems for some.  For example I've two accounts where my customers are both elderly and blind.  I couldn't drop these because they won't/can't send me a cheque.

In the past week I've also received a postal order and a typed out building society cheque (I guess these customers don't have cheque books), and I think this maybe going a little beyond the call of duty to pay me.

But collections are a real drag; the worst part of the job; especially in the Winter.

[Richy L]

o just ask them to send me a cheque through the post. No SAE. I just leave a slip with the price they all pay for their own stamp and letter.
There are a few i have to collect though, like old people. Some "dont do cheques"

[[GQC] Tim]

Hm...I have no idea what a SAE is, what does it stand for? [/stupid] 

I leave one of these.....works great. Started my company up with telling customers how to pay. NO problem at all, can't pay by cheque, paypal, bank giro credit, Internet banking, phone banking, postal order? Then you don't really want a window cleaner. 

Collecting? nah

What I do is do a pre-printed envelope for them, I come more then half way to them with all that.

[Moderator David@stives]

I dont collect or leave envelopes, I never worry about it.
I always send an Invoice through the post to all my Commercial jobs, even my shops.
I just get paid when i get paid, my debt list nearly broke through the £4k barrier this week.
I concentrate on the work and let the money look after itself.

[[GQC] Tim]

I dont collect or leave envelopes, I never worry about it.
I always send an Invoice through the post to all my Commercial jobs, even my shops.
I just get paid when i get paid, my debt list nearly broke through the £4k barrier this week.
I concentrate on the work and let the money look after itself.

That.....somehow doesn't sound ok.

I hope that was a joke, especially the 4k lol

[S_RICHARDSON]

yes please tell me your joking dave that doesnt sound to healthy to me !!!!!!!!!

[Moderator David@stives]

No I  am not joking.

My debt list fluctuates at around £3k on average, none of my debts are older than 4 months old apart from a couple.

I have picked up so much over the years due to most window cleaners not being prepared to wait 30 days for payment. It sounds a lot but when you consider i have a lot of commercial it is not a lot, I tell my domestics not to worry , they can send a cheque if they want or just wait until they catch up with me.
Most of them send a cheque if i havent seen them for a few months.

Dave

[S_RICHARDSON]

SAE = signed address envelope!!

[Moderator David@stives]

Self addressed envelope

[pjulk]

Stamped addressed Envelope

Or has Dave said

[jeff1]

Self addressed envelope

I agree with dave

self addressed envelope

[S_RICHARDSON]

0

Self addressed envelope

I agree with dave

self addressed envelope

I agree to sorry for the little misunderstanding their people i don't know why i said that.