Credit and debt collection is as much social engineering and art as it is about business and finance. The crux of debt collection is asking for the money, but it’s not like a sales job. Tim Paulsen is an Accounts Receivable expert focused on training collectors. He’s an author of several books including the Amazon 5-star rating for “Paid in Full” and “Tipping the Scales,” about maximizing collection returns. Tim is also the chair and managing director of the International Centre for Professional...
Nov 20, 2019•23 min•Ep. 16
George Preece is a veteran of credit and collections in Canada. He served as President of the Credit Institute of Canada, and he was also a founding member and first president of RMA, the Receivables Management Association of Canada. He joined MetCredit in January of 2019 and works with clients in Ontario, and across Canada. George was in Edmonton for working meetings and we decided to it would be a good chance to catch up his experiences working at MetCredit. He has a unique perspective about t...
Oct 03, 2019•20 min•Ep. 15
After hours-long searching online, you'll find very little information about estate collections. What you will learn about estate collections - collecting from the deceased - is that it's a specialized branch of debt collection, virtually no one offers the service, and if you want to learn more, you pretty much have to talk to our guest, JoJo Staples. JoJo is MetCredit’s Estate Recovery Supervisor. She’s been doing the job of collecting from estates for over two decades. Jojo has some fascinatin...
Sep 19, 2019•20 min•Ep. 14
Debt is egalitarian. It doesn't discriminate. Credit card and line of credit debts can inflate until they're so large the debt crowds out the rest of your life. It's not uncommon to have a house, a car, and other assets, but max out credit to the point where the bank won't talk to you. Then what? Jayde Samarzija is a mortgage broker who specializes in using equity strategies to not just get out of debt, but re-establish your credit rating and economic freedom. Canadian Financial Solutions - http...
Sep 06, 2019•20 min•Ep. 13
If you think soft skills were easy, try asking someone for a few thousand dollars they owe someone else. But businesses are moving away from having their own credit managers and collections departments. The loss of internal expertise comes at a price: more bad debt, and more collections. In this episode, Andreas Schwabe talks with Benjamin Scott, CEO of Accès Crédit. The conversation touches on how Accès Crédit uses analytics and business intelligence to help creditors make better - more informe...
Aug 23, 2019•18 min•Ep. 12
Who is a debt collector? Looking at MetCredit's career videos, you'd think they only hire shy, reserved wall-flowers who are more comfortable being in the background. You might think the biggest asset for debt collectors is nerves of steel. But being a superhuman pillar of strength isn't what's most needed in debt collection. Maturity, emotional intelligence, and problem solving skills are the real powerhouses of the business. In this episode, MetCredit's Mar Billard, VP of Performance and Conta...
Aug 07, 2019•20 min•Ep. 11
George Preece started his career in 1964 as a loan manager with a bank. He would go on to manage loans and collections for some of Canada's most storied institutions. At the time, even banks had what can be described as "uneven" loans and collection policies. Fast Forward to this episode and George provides perspective on how the industry developed, how he helped shape the industry, and proven advice for businesses that have cash flow problems.
Jul 19, 2019•22 min•Ep. 10
It might come as a surprise that issues, solutions, products and services in the financial credit sector are constantly evolving. Every two years the Credit Institute of Canada invites its members to gather and learn about new trends in the industry. MetCredit's VP of Business Development, David Hopkyns, talks about the 2019 convention in Niagara Falls - and what issues have seen change, and what's stayed the same.
Jun 27, 2019•21 min•Ep. 9
Jobs numbers are the best they've been in a generation, but investment is down. Voters across the country have sent multiple-term governments packing. Are we on the cusp of a turnaround, or waiting for the other economic shoe to drop? It's better to be proactive than reactive. If revenue is important to your business, then uncollected revenue is affecting your bottom line and ability to do business. David Hopkyns is VP of Business Development at MetCredit joins host Andreas Schwabe to talk the b...
Jun 13, 2019•23 min•Ep. 8
In business the bottom line is literally the bottom line. When it comes to outstanding revenue, we’ve heard time and again from experienced debt collectors: do not wait. Time is the enemy. If you want to recover as much money as possible, you need to act as quickly as possible. But that’s really the question. Act? Sure! But what to do…where to turn? If you’re prepared to rebuild your bottom line and get serious about accounts receivable, then today’s has a lot to say about that. David Hopkyns, i...
May 22, 2019•24 min•Ep. 7
People are hard-wired to find patterns. Whether it’s a picture, sound, or behavior, we look for patterns in everything. Businesses are good at detecting patterns in customer behavior. They’re not so good at predicting behavior - especially when it comes to who is going to default on a payment. Katrina Nilsen is a Collection Manager, and TsiTsi Chiwara is a collector at MetCredit. Part true-story, part true-confessions, Katrina and TsiTsi join Andreas in studio and offer up some surprises to help...
May 08, 2019•23 min•Ep. 6
Most people have never experienced a call from a debt collector, but opinions about the debt collection process are many and varied. What do you really know about debt collection and how it works? Debt collection is heavily regulated in Canada, but that doesn't mean anyone understands it. any better than patent law. Debt collection is a formal process with guidelines on everything from privacy to how often, where, and when collection agencies can contact people. For episode 5 of "Overdue Advice"...
Apr 24, 2019•21 min•Ep. 5
The popular image of debt collection is a bunch of snarling, angry, vindictive trolls who find joy in making life miserable. They follow you around with a money magnet, siphoning your hard-earned cash that you want to use for other things. But debtors have already used their money for other things, and can't afford the new things. Small and medium businesses worry about how collections will affect their relationship with their customers, and their reputation. Debt is a human problem, which means...
Apr 11, 2019•25 min•Ep. 4
Ask three economists their opinion on an issue, and you might get four answers back. Is the economy up? Is it flat? Is it down? You have to act when you're facing an economic downturn. Episode 3 of Overdue Advice reveals the 5 things you can do to make a down economy more tolerable for your business.
Mar 28, 2019•23 min•Ep. 3
Running a business is demanding. We look for processes and habits that foster stability and routine. Habits are comfortable, but they're not always efficient or good business. With trade tariffs and barrier, political instability, and even climate can further complicate matters. As margins shrink, you need to find ways to do business better; smarter. You need to deal with cash flow issues before they happen. In this episode, MetCredit President and CEO Brian Summerfelt talks with Andreas Schwabe...
Mar 12, 2019•23 min•Ep. 2
Episode 1 - Overdue Advice is the podcast about dealing with outstanding debt. In the first episode, host Andreas Schwabe talks with Brian Summerfelt, President and CEO of MetCredit, Canada's leader in ethical debt collection. Episode 1 covers a lot of ground, starting with what debt collection actually is, how it works, and how Brian wants MetCredit to transform how debt is collected.
Mar 11, 2019•20 min•Ep. 1
