If the first letter fails to bring a response, it should be followed up. The second letter, following the first in about 10 days, might be as follows:
Dear sir:
A few days ago we sent you a statement of your account, showing a balance of $——, of which $—— is past due.
Not having heard from you, we assume that the account is correct, and that it will be satisfactory to you to have us draw on you on the 15th.
In the meantime we will be very pleased to fill your order for any of our goods that you may need.
Very truly yours,
A letter of this kind rarely fails to bring a goodly percentage of remittances. The mere suggestion of a draft often has the desired effect. The average merchant dislikes to have a draft presented; he feels that it has a tendency to injure his credit with the very man whom he may be obliged to ask for an accommodation—his banker. The polite request for an order acts as a sugar coating which covers the suggestion of a dun, and leaves the recipient in a pleasant frame of mind.
The second paragraph of the above letter does not contain a positive statement that a draft will be made, nevertheless, such a course is hinted at, and, unless a communication of some kind is received, the draft should invariably be made on the date specified. The customer should be taught that the collector means just what he says; any other course indicates a lack of sincerity, and gives the customer the feeling that these notices are not to be regarded seriously.
On the other hand, it is possible to go to the opposite extreme in the use of drafts. The writer has in mind a business man who had a habit of sending statements of all accounts the first of the month, without a letter, and following these with drafts about a week later. Many times these drafts were made before it was possible for a remittance in response to the statement to reach him, which caused hard feelings, and the loss of many customers. It is the custom of many firms to pay all bills on a certain day of the month—a fact which the observant collector quickly notes, and governs himself accordingly in the matter of sending drafts.
When a draft is returned, a letter should be written immediately; and in this letter a little sharper tone is justifiable. The following is a good sample of a letter to be used at this point: