- Home
- Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy Code
- Business Entities
- Departmental Operations
- Credit Practices
- Collection Practices
- Legal Remedies
- Accounts Receivable; A/R; Accounts Receivable Administration
- Basic Collection Procedures
- Collection Agencies
- Collection Time Line; Scheduling Collection Follow Ups
- Debt Collection Tips; Collecting from Delinquent Customers
- Consumer vs. Commercial Collections
- Deduction Management; Deduction Write Off; The Deduction Management Process
- Documentary Collection Process, Documents against Payment; Documents Against Acceptance
- Documentary Collections Frequently Asked Questions
- Dunning Notices; Past Due Notices; Friendly Reminders
- Humor in Debt Collections
- Improving Collection Performance
- Monthly Statements; Monthly Customer Statements
- Negotiating With Delinquent Debtors
- Hard and Soft Negotiators
- Comments on Debtor Creditor Negotiations
- Common Negotiation Errors
- Personal Visits; Advantages and Risks; Costs and Benefits
- Debtor Referral to a Collection Agency
- Telephone Collections, Telephone Tips; Collection Tips; Collection Tools
- Transferring Collection Assignments
- Partial Payments
- Skipped Invoices
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Options
- Partial Debt Forgiveness as a Debt Collection Tool
- Payment Plans; Extended Payment Plans
- Myths and Misconceptions about Business to Business Collections
- Understanding the Role of the Accounts Payable Department
- Using a Customer's Uncertainty as a Collection Tool
- When to Place an Account for Collection
- Selecting a Third Party Collection Agency
- Credit Holds
- Account Assignments
- Issuing a Final Demand
- Quality vs. Quantity of Collection Calls
- Confronting Delinquent Debtors
- International Debt Collection
- The Power Balance in Debt Collections
- Ten Truths about Business Collections
- Complete Text of the FDCPA
- Financial Analysis
- Financing Methods
- International Credit
- Laws and Regulations
- Payment Methods
- Performance Measures
- Security Instruments
- Career Management, and Job Change
- Credit Website Tools
- Upcoming Educational Events
- Credit and Collections Tools and Tips
- Tips on Creating Better Emails
- Generating Effective Credit Correspondence
- Exporting
- Accounting
Hard and Soft Negotiators
In commercial debt collections, there are hard and soft bargainers working as collectors. Soft bargainers often hint at, or actually reveal their bottom line to the debtor. They might say something like this: “I really need a payment by the end of the month” or “I need at least half the past due balance paid this month.” Soft bargainers trust that the debtor will act in good faith, but if the debtor is a hard bargainer, he or she will see a collector’s bargaining position as a weakness to be exploited. Hard bargainers are more focused. They are more results oriented. They are almost always more effective negotiators because they are willing to accept that their fuction can at times become difficult or even adversarial. Hard bargainers recognize that this is sometimes an inevitable part of the negotiation process necessary to collect delinquent debts sooner rather than later.
© 2011 by Michael C. Dennis. All Rights Reserved.