The Last Word Comment
Collections – the lighter side
What does it really take to make a good collections consultant?
Bob Welsh Experienced collections practitioner
bwcw1@btinternet.com
When it comes to choosing a collections consultant, apart from the obvious, such as good looks (tick), charm (tick) and personality (tick), there are many skills, not always unique to collections, that are an absolute must to deliver best outcomes for clients. These days, there are a lot more ‘interim’
or ‘temporary’ posts than previously, as it can be better, financially, for clients to fill their needs that way. As a result, there are a lot more contractors or consultants about. In my experience, clients really like you
to ‘cut to the chase’ and to forget the waffle. So here are some do’s and don’ts, purely
based on my experience. Yours may well be different: l Do manage your clients’ expectations, what you are going to do, when, and what any output will look like. l Do get to know your peers in the client organisation. Trust is everything, and learn of their fears, aspirations, disappointments, and successes. l Do talk about yourself, your objectives, your fears, aspirations, disappointments, and successes. l Do listen to employees and peers, let them finish and do not cut them off. l Do keep a ‘crib’ book. I tend to use multiple tabs in Excel to record some of the thoughts or comments from meetings. l Do have an engagement plan and publish it. Plan each day and who you need to talk to each day so that it is in their
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calendar and they are not on holiday, or on a course! l Do have a list of documents that you would like to see, this might well include organisation charts, system diagrams, and performance information. l Do plan milestones along the way with regular catch-ups with your sponsor to ensure that everything is ‘on track’. l Be flexible across different industries and geographies. I have never found language to be an issue, although, as a Scotsman, dialect can play a ‘wee’ part. Whatever country you are in, learn three words: left, right, and here. Taxi drivers will love you. l Don’t work in an isolated room as, you will be isolated! Work on the ‘shop floor’ and be visible, and available. l Don’t be obsessed with PowerPoint and a large number of animated slides, because these are a complete turn off. The most important output is what to do, the why, benefits, and prioritisation. l Don’t use huge Word documents either. Your client will need some evidence of your recommendations, but not a book. It is all about looking forward, not back. l Don’t come across as a ‘know all’; you are not. You have generally got some broad experience and have also seen many things done, in a variety of ways, some well and some not so well. I do hope that this helps, but, if it does not, then don’t contact me! CCR
April 2017
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