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DEBT COLLECTING Q & A
– Issue 13
By Jim Finucan
© Tiare Publications Group
Q) I am in the collections business and I am determined to
become as
good at it as you are. The company I work for trains us well
but one
of the clients I do collections for just doesn't provide us
with
anything to work with. What I mean is that they don't report
delinquents to credit reporting agencies, nor can we
threaten to have
the company discontinue service. As result the delinquent
account
doesn't take us seriously because they know there's nothing
we can
do. Do you have any suggestions for getting around this
problem?
A) It's bad policy for a company to expect anyone to achieve
collections and not provide you with any ammunition to
achieve the
desired result. That makes it very tough on the collector.
One approach you can try is to work on the debtor's self
image, his
pride. "Aren't you the type of person who pays her
bills?" is a
question you should ask early in the phone call. "What
do you think
of people who don't keep their promises?" Ask those
questions quietly
and with genuine feeling and try to get the debtor to give
you a
promise to pay the bill.
Close with "Now do I have your word that you will mail
that
check?" "And your word is good, right?"
"Well, I guess I'm going to
find out."
If the debtor can feel your sincerity and conviction the
chances are
pretty good that he'll come through with a check. Keep at
it, and
good luck in your effort to become the best!
(End)
Jim Finucan is a top gun bill collector whose collections
manual "Past Due" explains how you can to double
your debt
collections almost overnight. More info is at:
http://www.tiare.com/pastdue.htm
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