“What is the absolute most you can pay today?”

Our favourite question, bar none. If this nugget of gold isn’t in your collection repertoire, then you could be missing out on hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. When a debtor tells us they’ll pay it next week, we ask this question. When they say they can’t pay the full amount today, we ask this question. When they say they need a payment plan, we ask this question. Unless they’re promising to pay the full amount today, there is no scenario where asking this question isn’t a good idea. Never focus only on the absolutes- full amount or zero. Always be thinking part payment if full payment isn’t an option. And don’t ever assume that if they had it they would just offer it- they won’t. You have to ask for it. Just today I was talking to a debtor who told me how broke she was and that she couldn’t pay her $9000 bill. Assuming she would just say $50, I asked the question. Her response: “I dunno, four grand I guess”. $4000! Almost half the amount! She had $4000 just sitting in her account which had I not asked for it would have stayed there. Debtors will almost always exaggerate their true financial position to justify why they can’t pay in full. Probe a little further and you might be pleasantly surprised!

Cheers guys