The Day You Stop Being Liked Is the Day You Start Getting Paid
Why does clarity, consistency, and professionalism outperform friendliness when it comes to collections?
At some point in every A/R career, you hit a realization that feels uncomfortable at first. Being liked doesn’t pay invoices. I don’t mean being rude. I don’t mean being aggressive. And I definitely don’t mean burning relationships to the ground.
What I mean is this:
When your primary goal becomes not upsetting the customer, you’ve already lost control of the account. The moment you shift from seeking approval to enforcing expectations, that’s when the payments start showing up.
How “Being Nice” Turns Into a Cash Flow Problem
Most credit and collections professionals start in the same place. We want to be helpful. We want to be reasonable. We want customers to like working with us.
So we:
Soften our language
Give extra grace
Accept vague promises
Push follow-ups to “next week”
Avoid uncomfortable conversations
It feels professional. It feels customer-friendly, but over time, something subtle happens.
Customers learn:
Deadlines are flexible
Terms are suggestions
Follow-ups are negotiable
Consequences are optional
You didn’t say that out loud, but your actions did.
Friendly Isn’t the Same as Professional
Here’s the distinction that matters:
Friendly seeks approval
Professional sets expectations
Professional communication is calm, clear, and consistent. It doesn’t change tone depending on the customer. It doesn’t get emotional. And it doesn’t apologize for asking to be paid.
Professional says: “Per our terms, payment was due on the 15th. Please let me know when we can expect it.”
Friendly says: “Hey! Just checking in… wanted to see if you had any updates 😊”
One of those messages gets prioritized. The other gets buried.
Why Customers Respect Consistency (Even If They Don’t Love It)
Here’s the part people don’t like to admit:
Most customers don’t respect the A/R team that bends the rules for them. They respect the one that treats everyone the same. Consistency builds credibility.
When customers know:
You follow up when you say you will
You document commitments
You escalate when promises are broken
You don’t argue, threaten, or waffle
They stop testing boundaries. You’re no longer the person they can delay indefinitely. You’re the person they know they have to deal with.
That’s not mean. That’s effective.
Clarity Eliminates Most “Collections Drama”
A surprising amount of conflict in collections comes from one thing: Unclear expectations.
When customers don’t know:
Who to pay
When to pay
How to pay
What happens if they don’t pay
They fill in the blanks themselves. Clarity removes that wiggle room. Clear terms. Clear follow-ups. Clear escalation paths.
When everything is spelled out and consistently enforced, collections stops feeling confrontational—and starts feeling procedural. And procedures don’t need to be liked. They just need to be followed.
The Shift That Changes Everything
There’s a moment, usually after one too many broken promises, when you stop asking for permission and start enforcing policy.
Not emotionally. Not aggressively. Just firmly.
That’s the day:
“Next week” turns into a specific date
Silence turns into escalation
Late payers stop being surprised by consequences
And yes, some customers won’t like it. But the right customers? They’ll respect it.
The Real Truth
You don’t get paid because customers like you. You get paid because they trust your process.
And trust comes from:
Clarity over charm
Consistency over flexibility
Professionalism over popularity
So if you’re wondering why payments feel harder than they should, ask yourself this question. Are you trying to be liked, or are you trying to get paid? Because the day you stop chasing approval is usually the day your cash flow starts behaving.
That’s the moment I stopped trying to be liked, and started building a process that actually got paid.
That’s when Mean Gene was born.
