In your talk off, do you just talk, or do you really communicate? How good are you at listening and acquiring full and complete information?

These questions demand to be asked and answered, because collectors are successful, only if they learn to be great communicators.  Great communicators have several weapons in their arsenal: Strong content, effective preparation, negotiation skills, good timing and tone, a sense of urgency in their delivery and a great delivery. There is nothing worse than the collector, who succeeds in getting the debtor on the phone and then drops the ball, due to grammatical errors, lack of preparation or a less than confident delivery. The collector must effectively anticipate and rebutt objections.  Debtors always make excuses and that means the collector will almost always have to sell sources and pitch benefits. The collectors input and feedback will assist in not only rebutting objections but will also assist the debtor in the resolution of his own objections. Once objections have been resolved then the collector has earned the right to close. Unless the talk off puts the collector in the position to close the deal, then that talk off was not such a great talk off, it was just talk.  The great talk off produces fruit, so any scientific assessment or performance evaluation, must be based on who gets sold. Either you sold the debtor or the debtor sold you.  Remember you don’t have a firm commitment to pay from your debtor, unless the two of you have reached agreement on three critical points, 1. The amount of the payment   2. The date of the payment and 3. The method of payment. Finally don’t start the celebration, until they sign on the dotted line or give you a good reference number. Until then ABC; Always Be Closing!  Unfortunately, sometimes the debtor, has a more effective talk off than the collector.