Debt Collectors often get a bad rap, and though this may be totally understandable, I am not so sure that the bad rap is completely deserved.
Here’s what I mean…
The debt collector has only one responsibility when performing their job:
TO EXTRACT AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE FROM THE DEBTOR (that’s you) TO SATISFY THE PAST DUE DEBT… PERIOD! That’s it!
Think of a ‘meat grinder’.
The only job of a meat grinder is to grind meat. If the meat grinder begins TO NOT grind meat, then you toss it out, throw it in the garbage, and you go get another meat grinder.
Same with a debt collector.
If the debt collector does not collect money from debtors, then the debt collector is gone, tossed out, the debt collector is fired.
I know, not too many tears will be shed over that statement, if any at all, but, the debt collector is still just a person trying to do their job.
It is not ‘customer service’, it is not a pleasant job, it is not an easy job, but it is a job nonetheless.
If you can look at a debt collector in this way, as a person just trying to do their job, then you may experience better success in the credit negotiation process.
You see, if your past due account has been placed with a collections agency, whether you like debt collectors or not, the debt collector may be your ‘gateway’ to a better credit score.
In other words, the debt collector is guarding the gate, and if you can make your debt collector your ‘friend’, then you may get some good results when trying to satisfy your past due account.
If you can manage to get through that gate, which means: to effectively communicate and negotiate the repayment of your past due account with the debt collector, then you might be getting closer to a much favorable status reflected on your credit report, as it relates to the particular account you are discussing with the debt collector.
This is where your excellent communication and negotiation skills may be most effective if you so desire to get positive results when speaking with a debt collector.
The debt collector is just a person who is trying to do their job, so that they can earn a pay check at the end of the week, so that they too can feed their own families and pay their own bills.
If you can bring yourself to a place in your mind where you can realize this, you just might be able to effectively bring the debt collector to empathize with your personal financial situation.
Once you shift the conversation to a place where you are in control, then you may be able to successfully negotiate your own re-payment or settlement terms.
Now, in many instances, a debt collector who is not properly trained, may not be able to be empathetic, and you may find it very difficult to actually communicate rationally.
If you find yourself sensing exhaustion when engaging in conversation with a debt collector who is not willing to listen to you, always remember:
YOU ARE IN CONTROL!
You can always call back another day, and try again, with yet another debt collector.