DEBT COLLECTING Q and A - Issue 19

Q) How to I stay on course during a call Too often the person I'm talking to leads me off the path and I find it very hard to bring things back on subject.

A) A debtor who can divert a collector is pretty skilled. You can be sure it's a deliberate technique on their part and that they've done it enough times to have gotten very good at this diversion game. For a lot of them it's practically second nature.

The answer lies, first, in not letting it go on for very long. Write down the four parts of a collection call (Open, Facts, Dun, Close) and keep that in front of you during the call. Put in big letters on poster board so you can see it easily. You should be able to tell where you are at any particular moment just by looking at those four words.

Use transition lines such as, "As I was saying, the balance is $435. Now, you are employed where

Just start asking questions - that's how to regain control of the call. Keep your goal in mind -to collect the balance in full. When the debtor digresses, ask a question aimed at revealing what their intentions are towards the bill, or one that gives you information about what sort of assets the debtor has. That is information you will want for use in the Dun part of the call.

Stay the course, and don't let yourself be led around by debtor's hard luck stories or other excuses. Overcome it. By doing so you show the debtor that the problem is surmountable.

By Jim Finucan � Tiare Publications Group

Jim Finucan is a top gun bill collector whose personally developed techniques over the past 15 years consistently double debt collections for those who apply them. Jim "tells all" in his book "Past Due - A Debt Collection Manual" available at: www.tiare.com/pastdue.htm