26 



The Florists^ Review 



NOTEMBBB 25. 1920 



bulbs. According to reports that wo 

 liavo lieard rocpiitly, 1 believe that some 

 of the exjiortcrs luuc made more than 

 100 per cent on their Dutch bulbs. The 

 grower, who furnishes llie bulbs to the 

 exporter, does not rejij^ the benefit in 

 comparison with the exporter. 



There are many risks attached to the 

 importing of lily bulbs from Japan. 

 First, payment must he made four to five 



months before the bulbs are delivered; 

 second, they usually travel at the end 

 of the season and sometimes come in 

 contact with cold weather, which causes 

 the bulbs to freeze, and third, ship- 

 ments may be held up on the Pacific 

 coast, where it is warm, and there they 

 sprout. The importer of lily bulbs takes 

 all these chances and suffers all these 

 losses and there is never a year that a 



few cars are not spoiled during the sea- 

 son. The florist buys his Dutch bulbs 

 f. o. b. packing shed, and pays for pack 

 ing, and the Hollander releases himself 

 of all responsibility regardless of when 

 they arrive, as they must be accepted 

 'b^ the purchaser. So, between the two, 

 the greater risk lies with the lily im- 

 porter. 



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HOW TO SAY ' 'PLEASE REMIT." 



Tactful Collecting. 



The best method of collecting is the 

 method that brings in the outstanding 

 accounts without friction between the 

 house and the customer. 



Our experience over a period of many 

 years would indicate that over ninety 

 per cent of all charge accotmts are paid 

 within the month following purchase 

 and ■ that thirty-eight per cent of all 

 accounts )iaid are paid on or before the 

 tenth of the month following purchase. 



The accounts that are not so promjit 

 must be urged to payment by tactful 

 letters requesting remittance. A state- 

 ment of account, giving date and 

 amount, is often the only reminder 

 needed. 



After that, a brief letter calling at- 

 tention to the account brings good re- 

 sults, as many people are merely care- 

 less and a simple request is .just the re- 

 minder they need. 



As a Beminder. 



After the bill, statement and reminder 

 have been mailed without result, a spe- 

 cial letter, written with a knowledge of 

 the character of the individual, is often 

 productive of the desired results, as 

 many will gladly remit when attention 

 is called to their delinquency by a per- 

 sonal appeal. 



When an account becomes ninety days 

 past due. it is well to have some one from 

 your oftice call upon the debtor. This 

 representative must be familiar with 

 the account and the items purchased, and 

 should have with him an itemized bill. 

 By such a personal call, he can learn of 

 any complaint the customer may have, 

 or will find out the reason for the de- 

 lay in payment, which reason the cus- 

 tomer may not have wanted to put in a 

 letter to you. By courteous manner and 

 tactful apjiroach to relieve the debtor 

 of undue embarrassment, explanations 

 are usually forthcoming as to the cause 

 of delay, .and, if not paid at once, as- 

 surance of a definite time of payment 

 may be obtained. Generally the cour- 

 tesy of the representative and the atti- 

 tude of tlic house are appreciated and 

 the honest debtor makes early remit- 

 tance and maintains a friendly feeling 

 towards your establishment. 



But where a debtor is obstinate, pays 

 no attention to statements and is indif- 

 ferent to the requests of your solicitor, 

 your attitude, while yet courteous and 

 tactful, must be firm and decisive. A 



.\n address by Ira C. ITarppr. of tlip A. W. 

 Smith Co.. PittsbiirRh. I'u., entitlfrt "The Rest 

 Mpthod of Collpoting," given at the seventli 

 .nnnu.Tl meetiiiK of the Tennessee State Florists' 

 Association at Mempliis, Tenii., .N'ovemljer IT 



charge account is a shopping conve- 

 nience, a courtesy granted to the public 

 by the dealer, and not a right that may 

 be demanded by any buyer. The obliga- 

 tion in the matter rests entirely on the 

 debtor and morally and legally he is 

 bound to meet that obligation. He is 

 never justified in resenting courteous de- 

 mand for payment for service rendered. 



Specimen Letters. 



The following letters have been used 

 with considerable success in the collec- 

 tion of past due accounts, being sent 

 out in order at about 2-week intervals. 

 This order may be broken in upon at any 

 time when, in your judgment, a visit 

 from your collector might prove advis- 

 able. After all, knowledge of the per- 

 sonal character of your customers must 

 largely determine your attitude towards 

 them and your action regarding their 

 indebtedness. 



LETTER 1. 



Wo desire respectfully to call your attention 

 to the enclosed account. In inaliinK prompt 

 collections we are enabled to make prompt pay- 

 ments, and so help business generally. These 

 are extraordinary times, and we feel sure that 

 everyone is willing to do his part in maintain- 

 ing good business conditions. Would it not lie 

 a pleasure for you to assist by mailing us a 

 (■heels at an early date? 



Your courtesy will be appreciated. 



LETTER 2. 

 Our small account has no doiibt escaped your 

 notire. Will you not kindly I(x)k it up and send 

 us your check? It will be appreciated. 



LETTER 3. 



If there is any reason why our account should 

 not be paid, we should like to know, in order 

 that the matter may l>e adjusted. 



If the account is correct, we would appreciate 

 your clieek in settlement. 



LETTER 4. 



We would appreciate very mucli the receipt 

 of tlie amount due on your account, for goods 

 sold .vou last . 



We believe you will agree with us when 

 we state we have given you good service and 

 every courtesy in our business relations. 



Surely you will consent that we are entitled 

 to our money. Will you not show your aiiprecia- 

 tlon of the fact by sending us your check? 



LETTER 5. 

 We have no desire to embarrass yon. b\it l>c 

 lieve some attention is due our recpiests for pay- 

 ment of your account. 



Will you not kindly give this your attention? 

 LETTER (i. 



We cannot iinderstand your nnuattentinn to our 

 rcfpiests for payment of your account. 



We sliail be compelled to use other means for 

 collection If we do not hear from you at once. 



We regret to take such action and hope to 

 receive your check by return mail. 



Personal Calls. 



You have now, by means f)f state- 

 ments, personal calls and collection let- 

 ters, brought in all accounts except the 

 few which appear to be absolutely bad. 

 The next step is to turn these items 

 over to a professional collector. In 

 selecting such a medium, we believe the 

 best success may be had through the 

 agency that makes collections by per- 

 sonal call. For, after all, the delinquent 

 debtor may be honest. ha\-e good reasons 



for nonpayment, maybe a just cause for 

 a complaint that could be and should be 

 adjusted (and bear in mind always that 

 a satisfactorily adjusted complaint is 

 one of the best advertisements you can 

 possibly have). A tactful collector, by 

 personal interview, can learn (because 

 he is known as a professional collector, 

 and the debtor knows that it is his 

 business to find out such things) from 

 the honest debtor the reasons for non- 

 payment or the causes for complaint. 

 From the viewpoint of an outside party, 

 and because of his experience in han- 

 dling such problems, he can form a fair 

 opinion of the debtor's inclination or 

 ability to pay, and can pass just judg- 

 ment on the case. If the circumstances 

 appear to warrant an extension of time 

 or an adjustment of the account, by 

 tactful handling of the situation he can 

 satisfy both parties and leave the debtor 

 with a friendly feeling towards you. 

 An old customer retained is better than 

 a new customer obtained. Cumulative 

 value of good will is a valuable asset to 

 any store. 



But should solicitation by the collec- 

 tor fail to realize the account, then, if 

 the amount justifies the expense of such 

 action, the further steps to be taken may 

 safely be left to the good judgment and 

 discretion of the collection agency. 

 Debtors Are Human. 



But I would have you always bear in 

 mind this truth: There is a good bit of 

 human nature in all of us, both debtor 

 and creditor. Maybe circumstances are 

 temporarily all against the customer. 

 Being human, he may not want to con- 

 fess his misfortune. And maybe, be- 

 cause he is human and not unlike most 

 of us, he may assume an attitude of in- 

 difference, believing that by so doing he 

 can hide from the public his temporary 

 misfortune. Later on, paying his obli- 

 gations, he believes he has saved himself 

 the embarrassment of having acknowl- 

 edged his insolvency. Isn't that only 

 human nature? If we believe so, we 

 have an opportunity to prove our own 

 greatness. Let him believe that we be- 

 lieve what he would have us believe. 



Let us practice the Golden Kule. 



Ocala, Fla. — John Heintz has been 

 ill for more than six weeks with a touch 

 of southern fever. He is getting around 

 again now and hopes to be altogether 

 recovered in a short time. 



Columbia, Mo. — When the Dramatic 

 Arts Club presented a one-act play en- 

 titled "The Florist Shop," November 

 17, the Columbia Floral Co. took ad- 

 vantage of the event to furnish pro- 

 grams and print on the back thereof 

 notice of its Thanksgiving offerings. 



