express confidence and good-will but one should never use any phraseology other than that payment of the bill is expected. Succeeding letters will request reasons for the debtor’s failure to pay, i.e. whether there is any dissat- isfaction with the goods or with the manner in which the order was handled, whether there is sickness, financial difficulties or some other cause temporarily preventing payment of the bill. If there is any cause for complaint efforts will be made to adjust the matter or if. the debtor is temporarily embarrassed, suggestions will be made for a way out of his difficulty either through a note, exten- sion of time or assistance in collecting his own accounts. Should the account continue to be neglected, more urgent appeals will be made; appeals to his fairness, to his pride, to the effect on his credit standing if the bill is not paid, to his sense of shame, to his desire to prevent the account being given undue publicity, to his desire to avoid trouble and annoyance. But the successful correspondent at all times writes in a direct, personal manner, endeavoring always to avoid stiffness or too much formality. It is not wise to write too long a letter at any time. The long letter is not read closely and frequently from its very length loses much if its directness and forcefulness. Sometimes a very short letter interspersed between longer letters carries a snap that brings results.
One should take note that a collection letter, to be suc- cessful, need not necessarily be a rhetorical masterpiece. A grammatically correct letter, with its perfectly formed sentences, is often apt to be too stiff, too formal, to be effective with a good many debtors, whereas a letter that is not perfect will sometimes secure better results. Here
