Collectors "Super Sell"

I have written before that good collectors use similar tools and behaviors as sales reps and in fact, collectors must be better than sales reps in the art of “selling.” This is based on the fact that sales reps as a rule abhor the collection function. They don’t like collecting and they’re not going to do a good job doing something they do not like doing. It is also widely believed that the collection function will impair their relationship with the customer and thus interfere with their ability to sell.

It as occurred to me that there is another reason collectors must be better sales reps than sales reps. When you come right down to it, sales people are merely fulfilling a need. Customers want to buy. The role of the sales rep is to persuade the customer to buy what they want, what the need, from them. Collectors on the other hand must persuade customers to do something they do not want to do, pay. The level of difficulty is greater.

When the need is satisfied and the endorphin level has returned to normal, the customer is often left with the realization that the purchase was beyond their ability to pay. In fact if there is a “need” that must be satisfied it is the need to not pay. I have heard from customers who are upside down complain that it is not their fault; rather the blame should be on those who let them buy more than they could afford.

It now becomes the role of the collector to artfully persuade the customer, (now known as the debtor) to do something they do not want to do. They must be persuaded to give something up, crimp their life style, be uncomfortable, delay buying something else or put off paying another vendor. Rather than satisfying a need, the collector must instill a harsh sense of guilt and create an overwhelming sense of obligation. The “need” that must be satisfied now is the removal of guilt and obligation. Not as easy a task as going up to a good buddy and telling them what a great deal they have that will make them feel ecstatic. A collector must create a burden and then show the customer how to unload that burden.

This is why, so often, collectors become counselors for the debtor. The collector advises and guides the customer towards the correct path to monetary salvation. This is no role for a sales rep who more often plays the role of a seducer.

So, why is it companies have entry level personal, ill equipped for such delicate duties, do their collecting and why is it companies are so unwilling to pay for good collectors? The trick to increasing revenue in these hard times is to elevate the collection task and bring in more money. Strategic Credit Management Solutions can help you do that. We’ve been collecting for over thirty years and we are dedicated to making your collection staff super collectors. See our website at http://powerscredit.com/. Please email your comments to patrickpowers@sbcglobal.net.