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Why Listen To Debtors

Guest post by: Leonard Sklar

Article Overview: Listening to all of a debtor's communication is difficult, both because of the complex feelings the collector may have about the job they are doing as well as their need to deal with the emotional overload the debtor may throw at the collector. Fortunately, there are time-tested ways to get past the emotional content - whether real or manufactured as a way to get the collector to back off or to commit to less.

Why Listen To Debtors



Here's why. If a debt collector would listen more actively and openly to what debtors are saying, they would be better able to connect with debtors' real emotional and financial realities and, as a direct result, improve the likelihood of becoming the one who gets paid, in the greatest dollar amount and soonest.

But, listening is difficult. Why? For lots of reasons, as described below.

· If you've "heard that one a thousand times", it's easy to tune out what is to the debtor, at least, a unique story.

· Much collector training focuses on "controlling the conversation" or "motivating the debtor to pay." Whenever you try to either of these, you are not listening; you are in your own head, not the debtor's.

· Most collectors have learned "talkoffs" or "comebacks" - these so-called ways of focusing on payment in full. Again, when you are in your own head with whatever brilliant technique you rely on, you can't hear all of what is being communicated by the other person.

· What IS being communicated is both the words, or thoughts, and the feelings. You can hear the words, but you need to tune into the feelings associated with them, since the feelings are very powerful.

· Listening is doubly difficult because you have an extra voice to contend with - the "voice in the back of your head" that talks to you constantly - judging, evaluating, thinking, worrying, etc.

· There are things that debtors say that you may not want to hear, such as not wanting to pay.

How To Listen

Your job as a collector is to listen for two types of communication from debtors:

A. What is said.

B. What is felt.

As a collector, you are also a human being who has feelings about talking to another human being who has not been responsible about paying a just debt. That situation can easily influence your willingness to focus just on the feelings of the debtor, but, with training, you can learn that addressing the debtor's feelings will more quickly allow you to resolve the account.

Acknowledging how the debtor feels does not mean that you agree with them. It does mean that you "know where they are coming from", and, more importantly, the debtor knows that you know it. The alternatives to acknowledging the debtors feelings, as your first response to their communication, are all non-productive.

They include being judgmental, patronizing, not caring, or just plain not being in communication with the debtor's reality, and these get you nowhere.

But, active listening must be more than the willingness to focus first on the debtor's feelings, as essential as that is. It also requires a way to being in touch with those feelings and then dissolve or minimize them, so that the debtor becomes more willing to face their obligation to pay.

How To Do It

In order to get from the debtor's emotional "right brain" to the logical, rational "left brain", there are several "bridging statements" that are helpful. Here are some effective ones:

· Great question!

· I don't blame you for saying that.

· You're right. We should have done this a long time ago.

· I wish we could do it that way.

· Many of our customers have said that.

· I know pretty much how you feel about that.

· Obviously, you have a good reason why you feel that way.

· Wow! I can see you feel strongly about this.

When you use these bridges, pause before jumping into the need to pay. You may need to repeat the bridge or use more than one before the debtor calms down. Let debtor's emotional overload start to disappear, so that they can be more able to consider their financial obligation, not just be overwhelmed by their emotions.

Some observers have said that these bridges are just a way of manipulating the debtor. Actually, they are a way to help keep debtors from manipulating YOU with their emotions.

Finally, even if a debtor knows what you are doing, this still works! Try it. Do some role playing with others, and you'll become a more confident, skilled collector.

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Article Tags: bridging, comebacks, Debt collection, emotions, listening



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