Overdue Stickers

Collection Stickers or stamps aren't really effective!

Let’s be honest—would a collection sticker or stamp prompt you to pay an overdue bill? They're both just a quick, impersonal way to draw attention to an unpaid account, but they rarely work. If they’re effective for you, by all means, keep using them but they generally lack any emotional impact on the debtor, so they don’t usually deliver results. Think about it—would they really make a difference for you?

A brief, handwritten note in red ink on the statement (or a copy of the invoice) is much more powerful. When written by someone familiar with the customer, it shows a personal touch, conveying that someone took the time to reach out directly. 

A simple message like, “Hi John, Any problems with the account?" or a simple "Please contact me"  can be very effective—much more so than a sticker.

Once, I came across a humorous collection sticker (with a crocodile on it!) that a Partner at a Patent Attorney firm found so amusing he took it home to show his wife, and we never saw it again! Did it work? Absolutely not.

Would a handwritten note on the statement have been taken home? Not likely. But would it have been routed to the firm’s Head Office for payment? Probably.

Certainly something to consider, wouldn’t you say?