CREDIT MANAGEMENT
MENTAL PREPARATION
FOR A COMMERCIAL
COLLECTION CALL
By Wasilwa Miriongi
T
he question many debt
collectors and credit
management professionals ask
is how does one prepare mentally
to deal with a debtor on telephone?
For an amateur collector it may
prove to be a massive challenge and
emotionally draining. More often
than not you hear people say that I
wish I didn’t ask for that payment!
The answer lies with the mental
preparation before making that call
in the first place. shown that visualization improves
awareness, mood, confidence and
outcome. These techniques have been
used with dramatic success for years
by many debt collection agencies.
It is a known fact that Elite athletes
mentally visualize technique
and success to improve actual
performance. Professional debt
collectors use a very simple technique
to get better results. Studies have Early in the debt collection process,
in house collectors clearly do not
want to jeopardize the long-term
relationship with a customer.
Customers (at least paying ones) are
the lifeblood of the business.
In house collectors typically have two
objectives, and they are not always
completely compatible: maintain a
positive relationship with customer
leading to future profitable sales; and
get the money that is already owed
and past due date.
‘‘ For in house collectors, developing some
level of a personal relationship with the
customer is an excellent way to establish and
foster a long-term relationship between the
companies. This relationship can be used in a
positive way to help collect when the customer
runs into cash flow issues.’’
26 MAL 17/17 ISSUE
Many training programs done for
clients’ in-house generally focus
on several mental factors: Be in
an Upbeat Mood, Have a Positive
Attitude, Use a Calm Demeanor,
Have a good Tone to your voice, Be
Professional, Be Courteous, Listen
and Understand, Be Caring and
Compassionate.
It is widely recognized that having
an upbeat mood typically leads to
greater success in everything we do.
Individuals tend to perform better
when their mood is positive. And
just as important, this seems to
influence other people as well. So, if
the collector is upbeat the mood rubs
off on the delinquent customer and
that can have a positive impact on the
collection process.
Mental preparation for each
collection call can yield great
dividends in debt collection success.
With respect to positive attitude
we are referring to having the belief
that the debt collection call will be
successful. Success can be collecting
money, getting helpful information,
or building the relationship as a step
in the process of eventually collecting.