We build "cajoling machines." These are the systems we've got to have in order to get clients to pay their bills for legal services. We "cajole" them into paying. We accept cajoling as part of running our practices. Much of our profession paints the cajoling machine as "natural." Our business grows, and our cajoling machine gets more elaborate. We build giant systems and hire more and more people dedicated to solely collecting money. Attorneys become bill collectors, we add to our accounting staff, and we hire collection agencies when clients don't pay. We end up devoting a huge percentage of our staff, time, and energy to collecting money for our services. In this episode, I discuss evaluating your methods for collecting payments and encourage exploring alternatives. I'm not advocating change today, but I am suggesting that you evaluate the cost-effectiveness of your machine. The machine is expensive, and it's costing you in ways you aren't yet calculating. It's time to sharpen your pencil, do the math, and determine whether your cajoling machine is a profit-maker or whether it's covering up a loss. Listen in Browser | Download MP3 | Subscribe in iTunes