Refer or write off?
Help a client choose between chasing a recovery and accepting the loss.
What this play helps you do
- Frame the refer-or-write-off choice clearly for clients
- Show why commission-only tilts the maths toward referral
- Account for the client's time and stress, not just the dollars
- Use an appraisal to inform a borderline decision
- Help the client decide without pressure
6 min
When to run this
Run this play when a client is tempted to write off an overdue invoice — usually because chasing feels like more trouble than it is worth. Before they accept the loss, it is worth laying out the real choice.
How it works
The decision often feels like 'keep chasing (costly, stressful)' versus 'write it off (clean, certain)'. Referral reframes it. Because Merion is commission-only, the comparison becomes:
- Write off: certain loss of the full amount.
- Refer: a chance to recover most of it, at no upfront cost and no fee if nothing is collected.
Put plainly, referral converts a certain zero into a realistic possibility, with the client's only 'cost' being a commission on money they would otherwise never have seen.
What to tell the client
Factor in more than the dollars. Writing off also writes off the client's own hours and the frustration of chasing. Referral hands both the effort and the worry to a specialist. A fair framing is: 'You can keep the whole loss, or give a specialist a no-risk shot at recovering most of it.'
What happens next
For a borderline account, a free debt appraisal gives an honest read before deciding. If the client chooses to pursue it, lodge the debt via the refer a debt form. Either way, let the decision be theirs.
Key takeaways
- Write-off is a certain zero; referral is a real possibility at no upfront cost.
- Commission-only means the client only 'pays' from money recovered.
- Count the client's time and stress, not just the invoice value.
FAQ
Why refer instead of just writing it off and moving on?
Writing off guarantees the loss. Referral offers a no-upfront-cost chance to recover most of the balance, with no fee if nothing is collected.
How do I decide on a borderline debt?
Use a free appraisal for an honest read on prospects, then let the client weigh recovery against the certainty of a write-off.
Is there any downside to referring rather than writing off?
Minimal. The arrangement is commission-only, so the main consideration is a commission on funds the client recovers that they otherwise would not have.
Run the play — we'll handle recovery
Commission-only recovery your clients can trust. No recovery, no fee.