By Andrew Athineos, Managing Director, Athena Collections®
Myths vs Reality
Commercial truths every business owner needs to hear.
The Myth
“I don’t want to chase this too hard. I don’t want to upset them.”
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Why People Believe It
Most people are naturally conflict averse, especially with someone they’ve built a working relationship with over time.
There’s a genuine fear that being firm about payment will be read as aggressive, even if the request is entirely reasonable.
Business owners often worry that upsetting a customer over money will cost them future orders, referrals or goodwill.
It feels safer, in the moment, to stay quiet and hope the account resolves itself.
The Reality
Asking to be paid for work you’ve already delivered is not an act of aggression. It’s the basic mechanics of running a business.
The discomfort of chasing a payment is real, but it’s your discomfort, not evidence that the customer will actually be upset. Most customers who intend to pay are not offended by a clear, professional reminder.
The customers who do react badly to a fair request are usually revealing something about the relationship that was already there, not creating a new problem.
Avoiding the conversation doesn’t remove the tension. It just delays it, and usually makes it worse, because by the time it can no longer be avoided, the amount owed and the frustration on both sides have grown.
The Commercial Impact
Every week spent avoiding an overdue conversation is a week the debt sits unaddressed, uncollected and unmentioned, while your own costs, wages and supplier payments continue regardless.
Businesses that consistently avoid difficult payment conversations tend to accumulate the largest overdue balances, not because their customers are worse than everyone else’s, but because nothing is said until the situation is already serious.
There’s also a quieter cost: customers generally test what they can get away with. If avoiding upset means avoiding accountability, some customers will learn that late payment carries no consequence with you specifically.
Case Study
A business owner avoided chasing a £9,000 balance for four months because the customer was a long-standing contact and the owner didn’t want the conversation to feel confrontational.
When a firm but polite reminder was finally sent, the customer paid within a week and apologised for the delay, explaining they’d simply assumed it wasn’t urgent because nothing had been said.
The upset the owner had been avoiding never actually happened.
Andrew’s Verdict
In 25 years I’ve seen far more damage done by silence than by a firm, polite request for payment. Most customers respect a business that’s clear about its terms and consistent about enforcing them. The ones who don’t respect that are telling you something important about how they view the relationship, and it isn’t flattering.
The Bottom Line
Not wanting to upset a customer is a completely human instinct. But it’s worth separating your own discomfort about the conversation from any actual evidence that the customer will be upset by a fair, professional request.
In most cases, the conversation is far less dramatic than the anticipation of it.
Ask yourself: are you avoiding this conversation because the customer is genuinely likely to be upset, or because you’re uncomfortable having it?
Your first step should be downloading our FREE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DEBT COLLECTION, a comprehensive resource designed to help you navigate recovery with confidence. We’re here to look at your specific situation and give you the straight facts, even if that means advising you to cut your losses and focus on preventative measures for next time. If you’re looking for a partner to step in, you can easily request a transparent quote via our PRICING PAGE.