Never Bluff

Author

Jon Matzner
July 15, 2026

A couple years ago, a landlord was ghosting us about a big security deposit.

Weeks of silence. An unanswered email.

The classic "maybe if I ignore him, he'll evaporate" strategy.

So I sent one note. He paid the next day.

No screaming. No lawyer letterhead. No ALL CAPS. A note with clear timelines, clear elevation, clear resolution.

One of the most important skills I've learned in the last ten years of running companies is how to raise the pressure on someone without hysterics, cursing, or empty threats.

The military has a phrase for this: escalation of force. You don't skip from "presence" to "nuclear bomb." You climb the ladder one rung at a time, deliberately, and everyone involved can see exactly which rung you're on and which one comes next.

Most owners do the opposite. They pick one of two failure modes:

  • The avoider. The unpaid invoice sits for 90 days because "I don't want to make it weird." It's already weird. You're just the only one paying for it.

  • The nuker. Silence, silence, silence, then a 2 a.m. email threatening litigation they will never file. The other side can smell an empty threat through the screen.

Here's the ladder that actually works:

  1. The friendly nudge with a date. "Wanted to check on the deposit. Can you confirm it'll be returned by the 15th?"

  2. Name the gap. "On March 2nd you said it was processing. It's March 19th. Nothing has arrived."

  3. State the next step and when. "If it's not resolved by Friday, I'll be contacting the contracting board." Pick a step you will genuinely take.

  4. Take the step on schedule. No drama. The deadline was the warning.

The whole system runs on one rule: never make a threat you aren't willing to follow through on!

Every deadline you let slide trains the other side that your deadlines are bullshit.

Every escalation you actually execute trains them that your words are real.

Nobody has to be scared of you or even like you. They just have to believe you!

Yallah Habibi,

Jon

P.S. Your customers escalate at YOUR company too. The difference between a refund demand and a five-star review is usually one calm, competent human on the other end. We help Sagan members hire that.

Want to hire people like this?

Natalia B. 🇯🇲
Customer Support · Jamaica

6+ years across telecom, healthcare, and tech. Handles 30-60 customer interactions a day at 95%+ satisfaction, ranked top 15% for sales conversions, with deep conflict-resolution and CRM experience.