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"No."
For three days I've been dealing with a particular customer, who, wouldn't you know it gosh-darn it, was running real low on material and needed to get an urgent order sent out. Urgently. Via air freight. Money is no object! I need it now. Also places a slightly less urgent order, to be sent via the slower method known as via the water.
Heh, okay. Here's the best air freight cost you can get for this, and here's the date we can send it. And can you please let us know when you're sending the money for it, because you no longer have terms. I don't say "that's what happens when you pay late," but, I like to think it was implied.
Oh, it's far too expensive. Cuts the order in half. Doesn't want it on a pallet. That'll be much cheaper, actually, and we can still do it safely enough for the amount ordered. Oh, and of course. He needs it earlier.
First issue gets dealt with pretty quick. Got a cheaper air freight cost, sent it off. Even though a lack of planning on his part really doesn't constitute an emergency on ours, I tried to get an earlier date. Just wasn't going to happen, and he seemed strangely okay with that. Also now wants to update the ocean order. Cool, we can do that. Freight will be a little more expensive, but not by too much. He's fine with that.
I ask again, when sending the orders over, when we can expect the money for both? After all, they'll be ready to go out in a few days, and if he can send it now, we can -
Ah, no, he noticed something before I finished the email with the updated prices. Suddenly he noticed the big "Cash in Advance" that was listed there, right above the prices. This isn't good enough.
They're a good customer, after all, and have ordered a lot of material from us and been loyal to our brand for years, and always paid on time. They need us to send the goods and trust they'll pay down the line. Since they have always had terms, he argues, they need to keep these terms. And if we could please increase the terms on the ocean order so they don't have to pay that as soon as the ocean order?
They're small fry, of course, almost too small for us to bother with, but they're one of the few from that area that order. They also, of course, were months late on each of their three last orders. Hence why I mentioned that they lost terms above.
So, go around, talk to the sales person, our accounting person, and, in what has been the highlight of my week... I got to type up a nice little email, which, in essence said.
"No."
Like I said, my new favorite word. Life be good.
Now I get to send them a longer email explaining exactly why I told them no. In great detail, about how late they were on the last few orders, and how much patience our accounting had had with them considering they ordered so rarely.
Celebratory drink tonight, I think.
For three days I've been dealing with a particular customer, who, wouldn't you know it gosh-darn it, was running real low on material and needed to get an urgent order sent out. Urgently. Via air freight. Money is no object! I need it now. Also places a slightly less urgent order, to be sent via the slower method known as via the water.
Heh, okay. Here's the best air freight cost you can get for this, and here's the date we can send it. And can you please let us know when you're sending the money for it, because you no longer have terms. I don't say "that's what happens when you pay late," but, I like to think it was implied.
Oh, it's far too expensive. Cuts the order in half. Doesn't want it on a pallet. That'll be much cheaper, actually, and we can still do it safely enough for the amount ordered. Oh, and of course. He needs it earlier.
First issue gets dealt with pretty quick. Got a cheaper air freight cost, sent it off. Even though a lack of planning on his part really doesn't constitute an emergency on ours, I tried to get an earlier date. Just wasn't going to happen, and he seemed strangely okay with that. Also now wants to update the ocean order. Cool, we can do that. Freight will be a little more expensive, but not by too much. He's fine with that.
I ask again, when sending the orders over, when we can expect the money for both? After all, they'll be ready to go out in a few days, and if he can send it now, we can -
Ah, no, he noticed something before I finished the email with the updated prices. Suddenly he noticed the big "Cash in Advance" that was listed there, right above the prices. This isn't good enough.
They're a good customer, after all, and have ordered a lot of material from us and been loyal to our brand for years, and always paid on time. They need us to send the goods and trust they'll pay down the line. Since they have always had terms, he argues, they need to keep these terms. And if we could please increase the terms on the ocean order so they don't have to pay that as soon as the ocean order?
They're small fry, of course, almost too small for us to bother with, but they're one of the few from that area that order. They also, of course, were months late on each of their three last orders. Hence why I mentioned that they lost terms above.
So, go around, talk to the sales person, our accounting person, and, in what has been the highlight of my week... I got to type up a nice little email, which, in essence said.
"No."
Like I said, my new favorite word. Life be good.
Now I get to send them a longer email explaining exactly why I told them no. In great detail, about how late they were on the last few orders, and how much patience our accounting had had with them considering they ordered so rarely.
Celebratory drink tonight, I think.
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