I realize I have not blogged as much as I probably should.  Something always seems to be more important.  Whether its collecting donations for a co-worker with a family emergency or ordering shirts for our Making Strides Walks or booking a hotel room for GIE+Expo or simply attending a training on our upcoming brand new CRM … sometimes work just gets in the way. 

Unfortunately the craziness of the day can many times cause us to forget to do the little things – the things that make us stand out.  The extra Thank You email to an employee for the home made muffins they brought in or the card to the customer who got married this past weekend on the Cape – these little things fall to the list of  “would be nice to do” as opposed to “have to do before I can go home and enjoy this beautiful weather.”  Blogging usually falls on the latter.

On Thursday, our MA office had a Customer Service Training.  Now for me, this was the 3rd time I had sat through this same seminar.  Each year we feel its important for every employee to have this training because every employee touches our customers – internal and external – and Customer Service is a priority at APR.  So my challenge is always – what new piece of wisdom can I take from this?  This year it was something my manager said:  “Good gets in the way of great.” 

I’ve been told before my standards are too high (by many people actually in a variety of situations) yet I think its because I’ve always wanted people to want to be great – to not settle for just good.  By not doing more of the “would be nice to do’s”  I myself have fallen in the same pattern.  Sadly without really noticing it – this was my take away from this training. 

So my challenge this fall is to get back to great.   Will you join me and do the same?  How much nicer can we make one person’s day … how much easier can we make one person’s job … how much further can we push ourselves to do more?  I make time to blog so that I’m not settling for good – I’m striving to again accomplish great.  We all can be if we want to be.  So … ask yourselves – are you gonna settle for good … or be great?

Ok, so you’ve had a good summer. Hopefully business has been good to you and you got a little R&R. (I’m assuming…) And while your business may have picked up in pace, again, I hope, you may be dealing with some late payers. If your business has not picked up as is the case with many in this economy, this piece of advice is of vital importance to you; Don’t wait to get more assertive in your late receivables. Whether business has been good or bad, don’t make a habit out of letting late invoices go too long. The summer is a perfect excuse to let things go but I’m here to tell you, don’t let them go.

I often wonder why it’s harder to get anything done at certain times of the year. Yes I get it. August is a huge vacation month. But unless you’re on vacation for the entire month, there’s no excuse to get some important matters taken care of. I think people just use this last month of the summer to put things off. You call someone to schedule a meeting; “let’s meet after Labor Day,” I often hear. Maybe I should embrace it…

Anyway, if there’s one thing you don’t want to be putting off its taking care of late paying customers. Before you know it, you’ve goofed off all summer and now you have outstanding invoices going back six months. If anyone reads this blog on a regular basis you’ll remember I warned you not to goof off right before Memorial Day. And now, summer is just about over so I’m checking in with you to see how you did. Did you goof off? Did you keep up on a regular schedule of chasing down past due invoices? Did you bring in a reputable collection agency? Example, American Profit Recovery…

The longer an invoice goes unpaid, the more difficult it is for you to recover. That’s a fact. Take it for someone who has been at a collection agency for a long time. Unless you keep up on chasing down unpaid invoices, you’ll find yourself nice and tan and relaxed but at the end of a summer with a cash flow problem.

So, before you head out for that long Labor Day weekend, take a look at your books and if you have a bunch of people that have not paid you yet, check in with them before you had out. You might be surprised at the result.

At American Profit Recovery we consider ourselves fortunate to work with a myriad of different industries; assisting them in settling their overdue accounts. Each experience introduces us to new and different people who are looking to be the best in their industry just as we strive to be our best every day. Sharing this common mission helps us work in tandem with clients to achieve the greatest results possible. It is also gratifying to receive endorsements from successful companies. Receiving recognition from organizations as a partner is a huge honor for APR. Recently we were backed by Indiana Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors and Florida Pest Management Association, Inc. While collaborating with each organization we have noticed we all share similar goals and know this will work toward us achieving stronger bottom line for customers.

IAHPCC and APR share a common mission to enhance the lives of those in their industries through leadership, education and training. IAPHCC is affiliated with the manufacturers and suppliers in the state of Indiana and is also part of the national trade association. APR is a leader in the collection industry known for our proven success in debt collection. With APR working to recover monies owed on overdue accounts, IAPHCC members will hopefully thrive financially. APR’s diplomatic and ethical methods will also ensure clients maintain a strong customer base and a solid reputation in the community because we work diplomatically.

APR always looks forward to working with new customers and partnering with trade organizations. We are especially thrilled when we share common missions and goals. This not only creates the most successful outcome, it also works toward changing the stereotypes of those in the collection industry; something APR strives for each day.

There are many advantages to an organization such as a trade organization or business group to partner with this collection agency. Take a look at my talk below with our partner Matt Moskowitz.

Less breast cancer and more birthdays was the theme at the recent Making Strides kick off breakfast in Boston. This year, it’s personal for me.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is our largest charitable effort of the year at American Profit Recovery and one we take seriously. We at APR, our employees, clients, friends and families, all get involved each year to help make a difference.    Last year we raised over $12,000 and our Michigan office was one of the top 5 fundraising teams and APR has a goal of beating that.  We achieved our 2009 goal through straight pledges from you, employee participation in fund raising, and by APR donating 5% of the month’s sales proceeds to the event. We hope with this years continued participation we can top last year’s results. 

At the breakfast, there were a couple hundred people representing corporate sponsors, team leaders, individual fund raisers and cancer survivors.  Each speaker told their story of triumph over the disease or why they chose to get involved.  This year I was honored to have my Mom, an 11 year breast cancer survivor join me at the breakfast.  After losing my Dad to Cancer this May, the event this morning was extra special to us both. We were proud to be a part of a successful kick-off and are looking forward to walking in October.

APR will again be running company events where employees have the opportunity to donate to this event.  We have raffles, pay for casual dress and food events (yes, this collection agency likes to have fun).  We are also pleased to announce that once again 5% of all sales proceeds for a month leading up to the event will be donated.  But most of all we would love your participation in the walk.  Join our team on the walk day and have some fun while helping a great cause.  Each of our three locations will have a team of walkers.  Click on the links below for the location nearest you or you can simply donate to our team though the link also.  

Mass: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=742040&fr_id=28135&pg=team

Michigan: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=742028&fr_id=28045&pg=team

North Carolina: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=742033&fr_id=28174&pg=team

Saving lives from breast cancer starts one team, one walker, and one dollar at a time. Join us, and together we will create a world with less breast cancer and more birthday celebrations. Yeah, we’re a collection agency but there are some out there that would be surprised to learn that we all care.

Recently, CNN Money did a number of profiles on people who were former debt collectors. We now know why they are “former” debt collectors as they tell stories of harassing consumers, not telling the truth, making irrational demands on these consumers and even in some cases, admitting to breaking the law. Many even appear to laugh at what they did during their time as a collector. **Note, none of these were from this collection agency.

We decided to ask our team about their experiences here at American Profit Recovery and do our own profiles. Our team was more than receptive to telling their stores and many were eager to get going.

Let’s point out a couple facts; There are bad apples in every industry. There are bad contractors, bad financial advisors, and unqualified plumbers and in every industry, there are the few that make their entire industry look bad. We get this.

But the collection industry gets more than their share of scrutiny and bad press. And yes, we understand why. The agencies they work for set no values, ethics or morals. What many are unaware of and quite frankly never told is that a collection agency can and does help small businesses stay in business. A good collection agency helps bring parties together to resolve a debt diplomatically, not with aggression. And a good collection agency actually helps consumers avoid further debt by helping them understand what they can afford on a regular basis to help cure their debt. And a good collection agency always treats everyone with respect and dignity.

I want you to spend a few minutes and read what some of our team members have to say about what they do and how they have helped both business and consumer. Their stories are below.

Conversations with collection agency employees –