Ever eaten at a Mamak restaurant? How do they quote you the price? You take your chosen dishes, you walk towards your table, and start eating. One of the staff will come and see what you are eating and then write you a bill. One of their technique is to fold the bill so you can’t see the amount. After you finish eating, you go to the counter and make your payment. That’s the Mamak stall sales collection, model. You take the product, you use it and then you pay.

There is another model. The Hawker stall model. You typically order your food at the stall, you walk towards your table to wait for the food. When the food arrives, you pay up. Then only you get to eat it.

Question is, which model do you prefer? Give the customer the product to use and then pay up or give the customer the product while they pay up? I would prefer they pay up when they get my product. That way I will have no collection problem. Maybe it’s time to rethink the way your collection model works?