How to get people to pay you back using Crowdtilt.

Get your stacks back.  

Getting friends to pay you back can be a gut wrenching cycle could go on for several months. As a result, the friendships have slowly turned bitter. What used to be a great relationship that included 24-hour marathon listening sessions of the entire Backstreet Boys catalog become an emotional burden. They start avoiding phone calls and stopped “liking” your witty facebook posts. Each month that the loan remains unpaid, you lose more hope on getting your money back. Consequently, feelings of anger and resentment towards your friends begins to consume you.  One day soon you might find yourself stuffing bananas in tailpipes and “easy cheesing” someone’s paint job in a Walmart parking lot.  Okay, that might be taking it a bit too far but the end result can be lifelong friendships dissolving over something as simple as money.

Crowdtilt can help put that all behind you.  Here are three very important steps that can get your money back and relieve the strain on friendships by debt collecting.

1. Set up a campaign.

Create a campaign that details why people own you money. 

 Example: A few of your friends still owe you $30 each for the Backstreet Boys reunion concert? List the date of the concert, who else played, and maybe recall a funny story or memory from the concert to take the edge off.  The reason is you want your friend’s initial reaction to be “oh yeah, that was really fun, I need to pay her back” and not “oh crap, she wants her money right now.” 

Make sure to say that the campaign is angled as a friendly and convenient reminder in case they had “forgotten” that they still owe you. (Not likely, Nick Carter was on fire)  Be very descriptive about what you paid for and why they owe you the money.  People will be less likely to argue over a debt if you’ve covered all your bases and listed them out. It also gives you another chance to go over your expenses and make sure there isn’t anything you missed.  (Remember that BSB pillow case that Cindy just had to have.)

2.  Use the required payment option.

Set the required amount to the dollar amount that the person(s) owe you.  That way you can be sure that they won’t “accidentally” put in the wrong amount.

 “I typed in 3 dollars instead on 30?  My bad! LOL”

3. Set a strict deadline

Set a deadline (2-3 days) close enough so they don’t put it on the back-burner and come back later.  You’d be surprised how many people will forget come back and pay before the deadline.  The most active times during the campaign happen at the beginning and end.  Make sure to communicate that the window here is very short to create a sense of urgency.

4. Send it out.

Make sure to be very clear about what the link is pertaining to and why you need the money.  Don’t be condescending or call people out.  This is going to be seen by their social networks so be courteous. 

 Good example:  Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I set up a Crowdtilt campaign so you can pay me back for the ubertastic BSB concert without having to swing by my house.  It expires in 2 days so please hurry!

 Bad example:  Cindy, Brittany, and Brooke.  Holy cheeseballs, I still can’t believe you haven’t paid me back.  OMG, we saw A.J. Mclean shirtless together and now you won’t even return my calls.   I need my greenbacks stat!!!!  I know where you live.

Crowdtilt can be used as an online I.O.U.

 It’s basically a way to transform Crowdtilt into an online invoice system.   It allows Cindy to see that Brittany and Brooke have already paid you back and will motivate her into action.  Like dominoes, once the first one starts falling the rest topple into place. 

It doesn’t have to be for an event.  If you covered someone’s lunch one day and know you won’t see that person for a month or two, throw up a campaign.  It’s quick, easy, and most importantly saves gas money.