PICB's Monthly Digest of Sound Credit And Collections Practices

Volume 12, Jan. 2015   
    
Dear Ahlam,
  

2014 was PICB's most successful year yet. We collected and returned to Printers nearly $1.5 million dollars and provided PIA members with 496 Credit Risk Assessment reports. Of all the reports provided only (3) customers failed to pay and were placed for collection. In each of these 3 instances the Printer was advised that based upon the potential risk the customer posed due to a poor score, the customer should be 'cash only'! The Printer failed to heed the warning thus resulting in their not getting paid! 

 
Do you know where your money is?
 

 

 

Have you been duped into granting credit to the wrong customer or need help collecting from a customer who has not paid?

 

Printing Industry Credit Bureau and Check It Company provides PIA members the  tools and resources that  can make  your 'credit &  collection choices' easier.

 

 

Start the painless process with us HERE.

 

 

With much respect, 

Andrea
       
Original Artwork by Marc. Art, Inc. [email protected]

By Andrea Schlack

 

 

The fabled Man from LaMancha, Don Quixote, lost his mind believing chivalry died. In his delusional imagination he saw only giants and demons who stole bounty from the people he loved and only wished to protect, while his trusted friend knew reality---Don Quixote was chasing windmills.

 

Sound familiar? How many times have you done 'good' by a customer who later laid blame on your company for supposed ills suffered only so he could refuse payment for the services rendered? Do you go insane because of these imaginary obstacles to your profits or do you behave like Panzo and attack the windmill for what it is?

 

When you need to topple windmills, PICB is your Pancho Sanchez who will help you avoid imaginary giants:

 

  • Maintain a good paper trail of all events because that which is in writing will always supersede that which is supposedly remembered.
  • When a customer makes a promise acknowledge it in writing via email or fax and make sure to specify who you spoke with, what was discussed and agreed upon, and state clearly when you expect to receive the promised payment.
  • Never make a demand using negative terms such as 'when will you pay'? or Why have you not paid?" Both of these leave you unresolved because the customer could conceivably answer this with 'never' or 'because'.
  • Make your demand positive by staying focused upon the issue at hand and asking questions that limit the answer to a positive result, such as  'How many days do you need to get this paid?" By limiting the answer to a specific time frame you maintain control over your unpaid receivable.
  • Follow up is key. If an expected payment is not received do not wait to follow up with your customer and again ask the question in a positive fashion, such as "I have not received your payment yet, when was it mailed?' 
  • Never make a statement that you will not follow thru upon. If you repeatedly threaten to hire your outside agency, eventually the customer will just perceive your call as 'noise' and they will ignore your requests or demands...make your words count!
  • Be prepared to take necessary steps to protect your profits.  Non-paying customers cost money and resources and unlike fine wine they do not improve with age...the longer you wait to take  corrective steps  the more likely you will suffer a bad-debt write off.

 

Questions?  
Call us any time at (847) 265-0400
For Collections, visit PICB: www.picb-us.com
For Risk Assessment, visit Check It Co: www.checkitco.com

  

Good Collections Is Not About 

Being a Bully 



 

Hi Andrea,


 

Thank you for all your help resolving the invoice dispute with my customer. I tried for a year to resolve the dispute by myself.


 

It seemed that it would be easy because they had paid all the other invoices. After a year of trying, I finally made the call to PICB.

 

Within 2 weeks the dispute was resolved and I still have a customer! Actually, out of the 2 other times I used you, the only customer I lost was the one that went out of business. You are a great resource for our company.


 

Thanks again

 

Chip Janutol


 

Janutol Printing

 

 

          


Collection Services 

PICB is the printing industry's dedicated commercial collection agency that has helped printers recover unpaid debts for over 35 years.  Our collection expertise, personal service, dedication, and intimate knowledge of the industry produce superior results at rates below industry averages.


√Check It Company

PICB's sister company created an easy to use web portal to government sponsored web-sites that provides real-time, free information you may find helpful in determining a customer's stability or viability. These sites provide you the ability to verify business registrations, civil court records, lien information, and much more.

 

Credit Risk Assessment Reports 

No time to research your customer's background?  PICB's sister company, Check It Co. can help. Check It Co's Credit Risk Assessments compile reports the old-fashioned way with hands-on, extensive research using 21st century tools.  Know your customer before you do the work and you won't get KISSED. 


PICB's free web-based tool, located at www.picb-us.com near the center of the navigation bar, provides free access to our database of customers who haven't paid printers.  Look up your potential customer and see if PICB already knows them.  It may save you some heartache. 
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter!  
Please feel free to forward this to others.

 

Printing Industry Credit Bureau - PICB

(847) 265-0400


Your Staff at 
Printing Industry
 Credit Bureau

Andrea Schlack 
President

 Dennis Adams

Vice President
Collections Manager

 

 

 

 

   

   

KARMA=

"(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. "

(Reference: GOOGLE)

 

 

 

 

Don't let them 

bite twice!

 

A partial list of Uncollected Judgments for JAN. 2015. 

 

 

 

 

 Click here

to view 

the full list.

 

 

 

 

 

Associated Air Products 

(FL)

 

Berg Printing Enterprises, LLC dba Masterprint (WI)

 

Blue Ink

(IL)

 

CCMP dba BerylMartin 

(IN)

 

Christopher Nicholas Campos dba Campos School Portraits 

(AZ)

 

CMY&K Advertising

(NY)

 

CMY&K Publishing

(NY) 

 

Dale Jaslove Ind dba Healthcare Construciton 

(MI)

 

DBR Enterprises Inc & Anna Fregron as Personal Guarantor  

(SD)

 

Desi Talk Inc (dissolved)

Hemant, Inc. (dissolved) 

Brahmbharr, Inc.

(dissolved)

(IL)

 

Direct Media Marketing, Inc. 

(NE)

 

El Sol Newspaper 

(IL)

 

Emory Litho of Nassau LLC 
(NY)
 

 

Ewa Kuchino dba A to Z Media Graph (dissolved) 

(IL)

 

Frank Finocchiaro individually & T/A LBT Systems & LBT Systems, Inc.

(NJ)

 

First Fruits Beverage Company 

(VA)

 

Gregorys Furniture & Mattress LLC

(NJ)

 

Higher Standard Entreprises Inc dba Intouch Publishers.com

(NC)

 

Hip Hop Weekly Entertainment, inc. 

(FL)

 

Home Video Studio, Inc. 

(IN)

 

Hometown Heating & Cooling, Richard E. Fox, individually

(NY) 

 

Indian Hill System Inc, Robert Kelly

(IL) 

 

 Jeffrey Samuel Perry dba Chicago Salon & Day Spa

(IL)

 

Jill Morgenthaler for Congress

(IL)

 

Jim Weems dba J Print Services

(ID)

 

Joseph D. Rinder dba Beltone Hearing Aid Center, and individually

(NJ)

 

Karry Matheson dba Matheson Custom Print, and individually

(UT)

 

Kenmar Stationary

(NY)

 

Kristys Moore A/K/A Kristys Waggoner D/B/A Orion Publishing

(CA) 

 

Lori Hutchings D/B/A Kangaroo Cardio and Kendra Meeker D/B/A Kangaroo Cardio 

(KS)

 

MBL 

Communications Inc.

(NY) 

 

Plan-a Day Enterprises LTD D/B/A The daily Planner

(IL)

 

Pol-Med Co. an IL Corporation
(IL)

 

Sandesh Publications Inc an Il Corp

(IL) 

 

South Street Journal Inc An IL Corp And Ron Carter D/B/A

(IL)  

 

Steve Bonica D/B/A  Romanian Tribune

(IL)


 Tumbleweed Pottery

(NC)

 

Vincent Alexandria, Partner of We Must XL

(MO)
 

Windy City Building Material, Inc.
(IL)

Zoom Graphics, Inc.

(IL)