The Kinder and Gentler Debt Collector gets paid first.

You may have heard the old folk saying that you can catch more bees with honey than vinegar. This refers to the idea that you will be more successful in every area of your life by using your best, most polite self (honey) as opposed to your rude, harsh and mean side (vinegar). So kudos to Access Receivables, a Baltimore-based collection company that has developed a model for collecting debts that is based on the honey approach, by being nice and empathetic to their debtors. And it’s working like a charm – their payments have increased 40% overall, according to a press release.

With 1 in 7 people in this country currently in collections (twice as many as year 2000), there is a lot of money on the table to be collected. Conducting ourselves like decent, empathetic human beings will yield far more results. Most people do want to pay their debts; they just have run into some trouble and don’t know what to do about it. By utilizing a strategy of compassion, people are far more likely to pay their outstanding debts.

In addition, using ‘nice guy’ strategies removes the possibility of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This law prevents debt collectors from using harsh language such as cursing or profaning at debtors – definitely a vinegar tactic. In the heat of the moment, a collector using a boiler room mentality of ‘take no prisoners’ may inadvertently say something that can later be used against him in a lawsuit. By employing a different, more ‘honeyed’ approach of support and consideration for the debtor, the collector stays within the law.

So take a moment to consider the old folk wisdom and listen to what your parents told you about how to interact with difficult people and situations. We can all agree that how you say something is usually more important than what you say, so a ‘honey’ approach can produce far more success. And remember, a debtor that knows you to be tolerant and willing to work with them will usually take your calls and pay their debts. Now that is sweet…

If you have questions about credit or collection issues, contact Attorney Gary Nitzkin or call toll free (888) 293-2882 for a free consultation. For more information about our firm, visit www.creditor-law.com. For more information about debt collection, follow our blog at www.michigancollectionlawblog.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 and is filed under Debt Collection Laws - Federal, Debt Collection Nuts and Bolts, Debt Collection Tricks and Traps . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.