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"You won't be able to hire the perfect collector," says credit expert T. Frank Hardesty, vice president of management services for Payco American Corp. (Dublin, OH). "But if you're aware of the traits to look for, you'll get the best available."
Hardesty, a well-known author in the credit field, suggests 11 traits that make up the ideal collector. "You'll seldom if ever, find the 11 in the same person," he says. "But if you get six or more, feel good." When interviewing and checking background, look for...
- Empathy--understanding and sensitivity to a debtor's position. "Still, he or she should move for 'payment in full today.'"
- Imagination--the ability to constantly develop better than average collection approaches.
- Resourcefulness--the ability to review a file quickly, yet completely, and extract meaningful points on which to concentrate.
- Intelligence--the ability to quickly and completely absorb policies and procedures.
- Eloquence--good command of the language, making very few mistakes in grammar when talking.
- Energy--drive to move quickly and with purpose throughout the day.
- Ambition--the desire for and expectation of promotions at reasonable intervals. "The ambitious collector believes that work well done deserves rewards."
- Cockiness--often thought of as a negative trait, but Hardesty likes someone who's "confident and assertive," who can "dominate without arrogance."
- Enthusiasm--loves to get on a "telephone roll" and should even brag about his or her ability to collect. The super-collector consistently collects more dollars than the average collector, consistently makes more than the average number of phone calls a day, and consistently makes more than the average debtor contacts per day.
- Results orientation--three points here: The super-collector consistently collects more dollars than the average collector, consistently makes more than the average number of phone calls a day, and consistently makes more than the average debtor contacts per day.
- Self-control--thrives on pressure, or at least isn't overly bothered by pressure.
How can you identify these traits in a candidate for a job? Hardesty has an eight-point checklist:
- Ask for past examples of resourcefulness--things this person did a bit differently from the norm.
- Ask for past examples of how he or she listened well, then helped somebody.
- Obtain a few imaginative approaches about how the person would collect if you gave him or her a telephone call right now. "These approaches may or may not be correct," says Hardesty. "Look for imagination."
- Test knowledge of policies and procedures at the previous job.
- Observe enthusiasm and energy.
- Ask "What would your ambitions be in our company?" and look for a "quality answer."
- Look for a bit of cockiness and braggadocio. "These are good collector traits," says Hardesty.
- Ask "How well do you handle the pressure?" Listen carefully for truthfulness in the answer.
"Then, after you've hired the person, let him or her do the job in an individual way," says Hardesty. "Don't be a supervisor, be a manager. Competent collectors are hard to supervise. Each wants to go his or her own way, but competent collectors are easy to manage when you let them pursue entrepreneurial instincts within your policy guidelines."
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