Ring!  Ring! 

Me: I.T. Department, this is Daniel.  How can I help you, today? 

Caller: Hey, Dan!  It’s me, Terry.  Over at Acme.  I need your help.  Desperately. 

Me: Hello, Terry.  Just a moment, please.  I need to check your account status in Quickbooks. 

Terry: Yeah, yeah.  I know.  I owe you money.  But I’m down, until I get this issue fixed. 

Me: I’m sorry, Terry.  But until you can pay for the work already delivered and now more than four months over due … there is nothing I can do to help you.  Without your payment my business is negatively impacted and that creates hardships for me and my other clients. 

Terry: I know.  It’s just been tough, you know?  The boat I bought for this summer set me back more than expected, you know? 

Me: With respect, Terry, your boat is not my concern.  Your lack of payments has ensured that I’m not able to do things I need to do to grow my business or keep MY bills current.  I will resend the invoice to your e-mail with the late fees and interest added.  As soon as that payment is clears, I will be happy to return to assisting you with payment at time of service delivery. 

Terry: You want COD payments?  That is not reasonable! 

Me: And neither is four months over due.  Watch for that invoice in the next 30 minutes or so.  I accept credit card and ACH online.  Or you can pay by check and new service will be delivered after the check clears.  Have a great day, Terry.   <click> 

Lesson Learned

We do our best to help other small businesses when and where we can. That includes showing grace with overdue payments. Especially while we were in the midst of the shutdown due to Covid-19. There is a saying that goes, “we teach others how to treat us.” One of the hardest parts of being  small business owner that has a strong desire to help other businesses (like Dan) is to establish firm boundaries and to stick to them. Managed services or day of services is an investment in the future of business. The skills Dan has learned over the last 30+ years in the IT industry are an invaluable resource and an asset to small businesses.

As a business owner, be honest about your expectations, budget for information technology services, and don’t take advantage of the generosity of those who helped you through a hard patch.

– Shawna