October 15-17, 2014 - CreditScapeConference.com - #creditscape

DIALING FOR DOLLARS

Author/Instructor

David Osburn, MBA, CCRA

David Osburn is the founder of Osburn & Associates, LLC, a Las Vegas-based Business Training & Contract CFO firm that specializes in providing seminars, webinars, and keynote speeches to CPAs, bankers, credit union employees, attorneys, credit managers, and business owners. Topics include Banking/Finance/Credit, Negotiation Skills, Marketing, and Management Issues.

David’s extensive professional background includes 14 years as both a Business Trainer and Contract CFO, 16 years as a Commercial Lender (banking), and 29 years as an Adjunct College Professor (both MBA and undergraduate “on-line” and “ground-based” classes).

David has an MBA in Finance/Marketing from Utah State University and a BS degree in Finance from Brigham Young University. He is also a graduate of the National Commercial Lending School held at the University of Oklahoma.

David also holds the professional designation of Certified Credit and Risk Analyst (CCRA) as granted by the National Association of Credit Management (NACM).

Osburn & Associates, LLCA Business Training & Contract CFO Firm

David L. Osburn, MBA, CCRAManaging Member

7426 Alamo Summit DriveLas Vegas, Nevada 89129

Direct: (702) 655-1187E-Mail: dlosburn@cox.net Web: dlosburn.com

DIALING FOR DOLLARS

A. Required Skills for a Top “Telephone” Collector

1) Management Skills

- Ability to communicate (oral)

- Ability to work with people (debtor & staff) - Ability to motivate (debtor & staff)

- Ability to negotiate (under numerous situations)

- Ability to manage time (increased productivity)

2) Technical Skills

- Accounting skills (ability to understand accounting

procedures, etc.)

- Tax return analysis skills (ability to “correctly” interpret)

- Financial statement analysis skills (ability to “correctly”

interpret)

3) Other Skills

- Human resource (Labor Law- staff)

- Economics (local, regional, national, international)

- Banking (local, national)

- Marketing (credit department, credit manager)

B. Your Management Style and Telephone Collections

(Does it really matter when you on the telephone?)

1) X (Authoritative)

2) Y (Delegation)

3) Z (Team)

a. What is your usual style of management?

b. Are you flexible depending on the situation? c. Are you a manager or a leader in relation to your staff? To your customers?

C. Human Factors and Telephone Collections

1) Gender, Age, Marital Status, Education Level

2) Generations:

a) Pre-baby boomers

b) Baby boomers

c) Generation X

d) Generation Y

e) Generation Z

3) Ethnicity, Nationality, Culture, Religion, Language

4) Human Needs on the Telephone:

a) Ego

b) Empathy

c) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (5 S’s):

1. Survival

2. Safety

3. Social

4. Self-Esteem

5. Self- Actualization

D. Psychodynamic Aspects of Telephone Collections

1. Three Personality Types:

a. Erotic: People seek to love and be loved

b. Obsessive: Prefers order and stability rather than acceptance and liking

c. Narcissist: Will step on others to get their way

2. Roles: Parent, Adult, Child

3. Extraversion vs. Introversion

E. Negotiations Skills and the Telephone:

1) The use of silence in telephone negotiations.

2) The power of “standing up.”

3) Close the door!

4) Meeting your client half-way, part of the way, all the way?

5) We have the power to negotiate and make “correct” decisions.

6) Make the end result a “win-win” situation: the Covey Concept!

7) Every word can and will “bind” you!

F. The Law & Telephone Collections

How Hard Can You Push?

Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (Third Party Relationship):

a. Postcard

b. Represented by an attorney

c. Time: 8am-9pm

d. Place of Employment

e. Not communicate with other parties

f. Refuses to pay, cease to communicate

g. No harassment (obscene language, threats)

G. Related Concepts (Legal Issues):

1. Contract Law (the Promissory Note):

a. Mutual Assent (Offer & Acceptance)

b. Legal Contractual Capacity

1. Minors

2. Drunken/Drugged Individuals

3. Insane Persons

c. Consideration (of value)

d. Must be Legal

e. Must be in writing (sale of land, guarantee other’s debts, more than one year, over $500)

2. Alternatives to Litigation:

a) Arbitration

b) Mediation

H. Real Life Collection Scenarios:

1) Basic “past due” payment

(Brief research, then “telephone” negotiate!)

2) Severe “past due” payment requiring negotiation of restructure of debt

(Moderate research, verification, then negotiate “ in person”!)

H. Real Life Collection Scenarios (Continued):

3) Basic “legal” collection through foreclosure/repossession

(Major research, multiple negotiations, then proceed)

4) Advanced “legal” collection through “full” litigation

(Major research, multiple negotiations, then proceed “cautiously”)

I. Telephone Collections: Case Studies

1. You are the credit manager for a small manufacturing firm. You continuously have to spend a lot of “extra” time phoning your “problem” accounts each month. You ask yourself, isn’t there anyway that I can train one of my employees to do this time consuming “telephone” work each month?

How would you train your “designated” employee?

I. Telephone Collections: Case Studies (Continued):

2. You are the credit manager for a large wholesaler and you have a new account that is starting to run slow on their payments. The outstanding A/Rs total approximately $500,000.

You do not want to overreact and even hint of going toward “legal” but would rather “work things out” over the phone.

Unfortunately, the client is out of state and in a time zone three hours ahead.

What do you do? Where do you start?

J. “Dialing for Dollars” Conclusion

1. Be disciplined

2. Be an efficient time manager

3. Be an analyst

4. Be a leader

5. Be an effective communicator

6. Be a good marketer

7. Be a smooth “people” person

8. Be ethical

9. Be a strong “telephone” negotiator