|
Disclaimer: The
content of these articles is to be used as a general guide only.
Professional advice should be sought before taking any action relating to
the points discussed in these articles.
COLOUR
IN COLLECTION
Colour plays such an important part in our life. The car we
drive, the clothes we wear and even the colour of our hair are
influenced by our choice of colour. In our home, the colour of the
walls, the carpet and the furniture depend very much on our own
colour preferences.
Many road signs such as "Slippery when Wet",
"Beware of Kangaroos" and "Sharp Bend
Approaching" are in yellow. Most of these signs do not have
words just a picture.
But because the signs are in yellow we know we need to be cautious.
A red sign indicates a stronger warning because red is a stronger
colour than yellow. It is essential we stop at a red light or a red
stop sign.
When a traffic light is green we are free to drive without
hesitation. Green is the most peaceful colour. It is the colour of
the grass and the leaves and indicates feelings of peace, comfort
and freedom. Many businesses today have indoor plants to make their
office a more pleasant and peaceful place to work.
The orange light indicates to the
motorist to prepare to stop. It is a slightly stronger colour than
yellow since it is closer to red. It is actually a mixture of yellow
and red. The colour red can invoke emotions of fear or anxiousness.
It is often used to signal a warning or indicate danger.
Another important colour is blue. It is also a peaceful
colour because it represents the sky and the water and hence,
feelings of relaxation. It is also the colour of uniforms and hence,
authority. This is indicated by the coloured lights of police sirens
and burglar alarms. So blue can also represent strength.
You may well ask what does all this have to do with
collection. The use of colour is another tool you can use in your
account collection. You can evoke certain emotions in your debtors.
Make your debtors feel relaxed and peaceful with the colours green
and blue. Use yellow or orange to issue a mild warning to your
debtors. If a strong warning or threat of legal action is required,
then red is the best colour to use.
You can use different coloured paper or different coloured
messages on your invoices and statements. But by far the most
effective use of colour is to use different coloured collection
stickers on your invoices and statements.
Many of our thank you stickers are green because this is such
a peaceful colour. The green colour actually reinforces the thank
you message. Gold and silver are also good colours to use to thank
your customers. As with Olympic medals, these colours represent
value and appreciation.
Green and blue are the most common colours to use as a first
time reminder since they are peaceful colours. As a first reminder
you usually want to ask for your money in a polite way so that the
customer does not feel threatened at all. To strengthen your first
reminder you can use a stronger colour such as yellow. This has the
effect of asking for your money in a more forceful way.
In a soccer match, a yellow card indicates to the player that
this is their final warning before being sent from the field.
Similarly, yellow is a good colour to use in account collection as a
second last warning before you take the final step of threatening
legal action.
If you issue a final notice to your customer then red is
certainly the most effective colour to use. It indicates danger to
your customer. In this case, the danger is pending legal action.
I urge you to consider colour in your collection strategy. It
certainly is an underrated and underused tool.
This article is reprinted from
Rentons' Business Tips No. 9
© Copyright October 2000 ACS
|
