Johnny with Regard to your Post on the agencies, and having been involved all I can say is AMEN!
Allow mew to add a couple of other items - this is from an CA training manual preface -
When talking about collections the word "assertiveness" often comes up, as in: "Susie needs some assertiveness training in her collection effort." But exactly what do we mean by the term. We’re going to look at what makes up "assertiveness", and thirteen tips for being more assertive, in particular when doing collections. Generally, we’re talking about assertiveness in terms of calling people and asking for money, but there are all sorts of other situations where we need to be assertive, and many of our tips apply broadly.
Here’s something most people don’t understand about assertiveness. It’s all about three things – courage, confidence, and the ability to control the conversation. Think of them as "the other three Cs of credit." Sort out those three things and you’re home and in the $$$s. So here are our thirteen assertiveness tips.
Courage tips
1. You're in the right. The customers haven't paid. They are therefore in the wrong. They should feel guilty (and in many cases they will), not you. They don’t need the money more than your company or you. They contracted to pay by a certain date and they haven’t. You are in the position of power.
2. Role plays help you to do things you’re scared to do. Even practicing in front of a mirror can be useful or with an associate.
3. Don’t mistake aggression for assertiveness. Be confident. Many of the collection problems we see stem from people being scared to talk to debtors. Sometimes people screw up their courage to deal with an unpleasant situation by becoming aggressive or angry. Anger can be a good thing. It forces us to deal with things we might not otherwise deal with.
Confidence tips
4. Be optimistic in what you ask for. A collector at a recent seminar talked of coming to a compromise with a customer over a dispute. The customer offered to pay $2000 in settlement just as she was about to ask for $1500. Even if you have to come down, you put yourself in a better position by starting high.
5. People speak too fast when they are nervous. Make a point of slowing down. Put pauses between your sentences. You’ll sound more confident which is more important for your results than actually being confident. And from a practical point of view, nothing undermines confidence like being asked to repeat your name, where you’re from, and what you’re calling about. Make sure they hear it the first time.
6. Overconfidence can be as bad as lack of confidence. You perhaps see this most obviously when you try to draw someone’s attention to a debt and the amount owing , only to have them insist that there was a mistake, or that if there was it was someone else’s mistake. You are not wrong neither is the company, remember our records are always right.
7. Avoid rising terminal pitch. Say that sentence aloud as if it were a question and you’ll hear what I mean. Try to keep your voice at a normal or lower level at the end of non-question sentences. This will make you sound more confident and in control.
8. Sound as if you assume that the customer will pay. "This needs to be paid. Can you get a cheque in the mail today?" Notice that the question is not whether the customer will pay – that’s assumed – but whether they can get the cheque in the mail today. People will often go along with an assumption, but will refuse a tentatively made request. Your tone of voice, generally, is crucial. You can say something and sound confident and right, or say the same thing and sound tentative and defensive.
9. Use your authority. Compliance increases with the proximity of authority - the closer you are to authority, the more likely you are to be obedient. Debtors comply with requests from managers more than requests from junior staff. Titles can be influential – they can indicate that you have considerable expertise and are to be obeyed as a superior. Names can be altered to increase the perception of authority – Nicole may sound more senior than Nikki. Consider the difference between "Elizabeth Windsor, national student loans default manager", and "Lizzy, from the ******** Agency".
10. Silence is golden. Ask for payment confidently, then stop. Let them fill the silence. We are conditioned from childhood to fill gaps in conversation. People are usually not happy to pause and consider a question carefully before answering.
Controlling-the-conversation tips
11. The ability to interrupt is a key skill. Interrupt if the debtor starts to wander from the topic. There are more tricks for doing this than we have space for, but a good one is to use the customer’s name. This generally makes them stop and listen. Joe (always use their first name), first we need to…
12. Stay in control of the conversation. You seize control, first by being the one who sets the agenda – that is, tells them what the two of you are going to talk about – second, by asking questions (which necessarily determine what the other party will say next), and third, by recapping on who is to do what and when.
Hope this gives you some insights.
Observer