Many people have this challenge when it comes to paying. Paying could mean anything; paying the bill, paying an advance, paying for the services rendered, paying the salary, paying the fees, paying the tax...... many things!
These people get very attitudinal when it comes to paying. Whether it is his money or the company’s money or even paying on behalf of someone, he would hesitate. As much as possible, he wouldn’t pay, or he would delay paying, or he would pay in small small pieces, that really has no use.
Think of a situation when you are paid 100 dollar that is due to you, in 20 instalments spread over 3 months! What value did it have for you of that money collected? It would have dissipated even at the time of collection itself.... Is it not?
I had a client, a well meaning person, but his mind was that of a miser! My services were rendered regularly and he was using me well. But he would never pay my monthly consulting bill, made as per contract. Don’t know why? It went on for 2 years during which time his payable to me accumulated to a good sum. I always have this basic hesitation of following up the bills and payments and so I would never ask. That helped his cause even better.
I was trying to find the psychology of him. I figured him out eventually, he was never happy with whatever he had made in business and felt he hasn’t yet arrived as an big-time entrepreneur, and he used to be enviable of a big IT entrepreneur here. He used to rue that inspite of 20 years in business he could not become somebody like the other guy! So he was, കൈയ്യിൽ കാശുണ്ടെംകിലും മനസ്സിൽ ദാരിദ്രൃം കൊണ്ടു നടക്കുന്ന ആളായിരുന്നു. And that mindset didn’t allow him to pay inspite of the fact that he had immensely benefitted out of me with my connections and with my efforts of establishing a revenue engine for his company.
One day I called him over the phone and gave him a piece of my mind. I was that upset! I said, if I could make him, I could also unmake him and I disconnected the phone after that. The very next morning he landed at my office with the full cheque, he got the message, that is! But by then, he had lost me. Many times he had approached me thereafter that but I haven’t connected back to him.
Another case study is a recent one. It has been a group of entrepreneurs that I brought together and it wasn’t that easy to get them going together in synergy. Lots of my thoughts, time and efforts were spent on them, continuously, day by day. It is not that I didn’t know the financial value of my services to them. I never negotiated it and went by whatever they decided to pay me as the retainer fee. The activities were going on in full swing but they were not paying me. One day I messaged the decision makers of the group that due to Covid 19 considerations, since I haven’t billed my clients for 3 months, will they be able to pay me the first quarterly dues. I found it difficult to ask but did so because of the necessity. One of the seniors in the group felt a little ashamed of the inaction from their side and instantly messaged me an apology for not paying, assuring me payment by the next day. The next day afternoon I was transfered with 50 percent of the amount that I asked them to pay. I really cringed at their behaviour.
Even today, I haven’t understood as to why did they do it me, notwithstanding the fact that I was delivering much more services than what was there was in the contract and I was requesting for it after the services were rendered. But when it comes to payment, the miserly behaviour comes out, hesitation to pay! I didn’t say anything to them, I simply stopped my services and connection without any further explanations!
A guy like me who find it miserable to chase payments and dues, this can be the only outcome. Forget it, leave it and put it behind!
All these talks, chest thumping, boasting, self-praising the virtuosity that we see and hear from many businessmen could simply be a rhetoric. When it comes to money and paying, they are as miserly. For them. whatever they receive is a profit and whatever given away is a loss. When you don’t give (even if it is legitimately due) there is no expense and thus it is a profit.
Good business arithmetic, right!
No wonder elders say, “a heart is needed to give”, whether due or whether charity! Surely they would have known, the world seldom has a genuine giver!
