Pro tip: I chased a $600 payment from a cafe owner in Portland who kept 'forgetting' until I showed up with a box of donuts

3 comments

3 Comments

The donuts were a genius move, honestly. Sometimes you have to remind people that you're a real human who needs to get paid, not just an email in their inbox. Bet that cafe owner remembers your face now though!

wyattramirez6d ago

@owens.laura oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm permanently scanned into their mental Rolodex as "that guy who brought the weird box of donuts and then sat there sweating through his shirt". Worth it though. I had one client who ignored nine emails in a row, so I showed up with a thermos of coffee and two styrofoam cups and just sat outside their office until they came out. Honestly thought I was about to get a restraining order but they ended up paying the invoice right there. People just need a physical reminder sometimes, you know?

jamesc796d ago

The donut thing is honestly one of those small tricks that just works. Did something similar once with a coffee order for a property manager who was dragging their feet on maintenance requests. Brought them a latte and a bagel one morning, nothing fancy, just normal breakfast stuff. That guy processed my repair request before I'd even finished my own coffee. Its wild how a five dollar food item can do more than a dozen emails ever could. People are simple creatures at the end of the day.