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Identifying personality types can help collectors more effectively direct collection calls
As the saying goes, first impressions are everything. It's no different in the credit and collection industry. The way a consumer reacts to a collection call not only affects the collectors strategy, but also the direction of the call. Collectors must use what they know about different personality types to their advantage.
"We give all of our collectors a selfprofile to find out what category of personality they fall into, so I started thinking, 'Why can't we do this with our consumers?'" said Irene Hoheusle, vice president of collections for Account Recovery Specialists in Wchita, Kan.
For instance, a collection talk-off with a highly social consumer will be completely different from a conversation with a more factual consumer.
"If you're talking to a factual person you should get to the point, but if they are social and you ignore their comments they are not going to respond well to you," Hoheusle said. "It's hard to read people on the phone, but you have to learn to pick up triggers and their tone."
Identifying consumers' personality types at the beginning of the conversation can help your collectors adjust their talking points in a way that appeals to that individual.
Although person ality types vary, four common personality types include:
* The People Person - A people person often works in a serviceoriented job. These consumers tend to be more emotional than objective, so it helps to maintain a calm tone. Stress how resolving the debt will help their family or keep them more financially secure. Thank them and be sure to let them know that you notice they are making an effort. A people person will usually let you talk because he wants to hear how he may be in trouble. However, he will need to be convinced to take care of the problem immediately
* The Dreamer - Dreamers tend to...