Every thinking entrepreneur wonders what their customers' reactions will be when they are contacted by an outside financial organization and asked to redirect payments. And they should. If the situation is improperly handled, a valued customer may lose interest in or completely abandon their business relationship with you. Indeed, if an entrepreneur does not fear this outcome they do not value their customers.

Yet, such an outcome should not be feared so much that it influences your decision of how and when to grow.

The issue is one of managing the customer's expectations and never surprising them. Therefore, it is crucial to inform them of your new financial arrangement with us. This is done in two steps. First, you should introduce Acorn Partners by telephoning customers and explaining the situation. Second, tell them that they will be receiving a follow-up letter to clarify things. We prepare the letter on your letterhead, you sign it and we send it.

There is a chance that your customer is already familiar with the idea of paying a third party and there will be no problem. If they have not, then the "no surprise" approach will at least open the door to a discussion with your customer. This permits you to actively manage their expectations to attain a positive result.

One effective way of doing this is to relate the act of paying a third party to their daily experience with credit cards. Explained in detail in the Widely Used in Retail section, the concepts underlying our financial products are really no different from those supporting the use of a credit card.