Archive for July 29th, 2010
Average Americans Struggle To Make It While Rich Billionaires Remain Optimistic
Thursday, July 29th, 2010According to the most current research by company TNS, people in debt still feel quite negatively about the state of the United States economy. According to the study, their concerns about the economy haven’t changed at all since September. An overwhelming majority, sixty four percent of consumers who were surveyed held a position that things had taken a turn for the worst at that time. On the other side of the fence, unlike Americans struggling to survive in debt, business executives surveyed that pull in between three million to two billion dollars have a much more positive outlook on the situation.
Despite the fact that debtors felt a little more positively about the economy potentially getting better in September, their opinion was markedly more negative in December. The survey showed that a larger majority of consumers, about sixty six percent, strongly felt that they will be reducing their personal spending and struggling more financially over the next six months.
Even though the executives surveyed were more likely to believe that the economy will recover in the next coming months, consumers remain wary. This might be chalked up to the fact that these obscenely rich millionaires don’t have much reason to worry about anything financially related any time soon. The current economic situation has almost every typical American stuck in cost cutting mode, with the exception of these top executives who sail in yachts and enjoy caviar while sick people are struggling to pay doctor’s bills. It seems as though debtors may have a more realistic take on the situation; most companies are planning to continue to aggressively search for ways to cut costs in the next year. Fifty two percent of these companies surveyed said this includes layoffs and pay cuts for the average American.
And despite the fact that executives remain footloose and fancy free, they concede that the unemployment problem in America will only get worse before it improves. After all, why cut their salaries when they can lay off the average Joe? For example, Walmart recently laid off 11,200 Sam’s Clubs Employees, choosing to outsource the positions for cheaper pay instead. And even if the recent studies suggesting that the jobless rate has been shrinking are correct, there is no denying that no new jobs are being created.
Obviously, this information has its effects on the collections industry. As a writer who focuses on this subject, I see more and more blogs and news articles about debt collectors growing more persistent and aggressive, and more and more bloggers complaining about collection agencies. According to them, debt collectors should be the only ones prospering in the economy. But clearly, they haven’t been. It just seems like these rich executives are the only ones doing that well. The simple fact of the matter is that when consumers just don’t have the money or the means to repay a delinquent account that they took out before their financial situation went downhill, things get tougher for both the debtors and the collectors.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies.
Debt Collectors Working From Home May Be A Reality Soon
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Despite the fact that professionals in managerial positions at collection agencies should always be looking for more excellent workers to add to their ranks, they also must keep in mind that keeping the best employees around is crucial. These are the workers that have already proven themselves motivated and capable; often they are the hardest workers and bring home the biggest commissions. Trends in the collections industry have indicated that one way of doing this is allowing tenured collectors to work from home.
For these hard workers that have put much time and energy into improving your company, it might be a wise decision to accommodate for these people’s needs considering that the number of accounts that collectors receive nowadays might be smaller, thus reducing commission. Also, personal situations such as health, stress of a commute or a need to spend more time at home with the family might drive your top collectors away. Although work-at-home programs have not become an everyday thing yet, there are a few agencies that are currently making exceptions for particular debt collectors. Typically these collectors are the best at what they do and most likely deserve to work from home a couple of days a week.
The way that work-from-home programs operate is simple enough. Usually, the bill collector will be given a computer with access to the computers at the agency and they will be given designated phone equipment to use. One of the perks for agency managers is that everything that the collector does and says can still be monitored, just as if he or she was working in the call center itself.
However, before you start to send workers to work from home, it is important to closely evaluate the good and bad qualities of each collector. Obviously, the debt collectors with the best work ethics can be trusted to work from home more than the easily distracted ones. But, research has indicated that if a debt collector is a good fit for working at home, they will likely be more productive, take fewer breaks, and without the social interactions with other employees they are free to hone in on the job itself.
Still, there are many issues that should be addressed before management thinks about permitting collectors to work from home. First, there is the potential of data security issues. Also, due to the fact that there has been a staggering amount of recent legislation impacting the collection industry, many formal work-at-home programs may not come to fruition anytime soon. Still, researchers feel that it is not good to alienate the top workers at your agency who are asking about working from home. They predict that the collections industry will see more agencies permitting debt collectors to work from home within the next five years.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies
I Have A Collection Agent On The Phone! What Now?
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Individual phone collectors will be given a portfolio of accounts, and the bulk of their workday, every day, will be spent working them. Collection agents are subject to many performance evaluations and most of their paycheck is earned from personal commission payments. Thus, the size of a debt collector’s paycheck depends on how successful he or she is at collecting from debtors. This factor, coupled with relentless confrontations with angry and sensitive debtors, makes for an extremely high stress job with high employee turnover.
If a debt collector attempts to reach a debtor and comes into contact with somebody else, they are legally prohibited from informing this person that they are calling about a debt. Each state has its own laws that debt collectors must abide by, and sometimes, the collector can speak to the debtor’s spouse.
If a debt collector reaches an answering machine or voicemail, it is customary to leave a message, but in theory, somebody who is not the debtor may hear it. Thus, the details of the call will not be disclosed, and the tone of the debtor will be apathetic. Collection agencies generally have to provide a toll free number so that it does not cost money for the debtor to return the call.
When the debt collector speaks to a debtor on the phone, they will begin with what is referred to as a “mini Miranda.” Much like your Miranda rights, which tell you that “anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law,” the mini Miranda informs the debtor that this is in fact an attempt to collect debt, and any information disclosed will be used for that purpose. This is usually what separates a mediocre debt collector from an excellent one. A mediocre collector will often do most of the talking, but a skilled collector develops good listening skills to ferret out important information.
Therefore, debt collection phone calls are generally recorded, and any key information is written down on the debtor’s permanent record. Key information includes anything that could be used to ascertain the probability that they could successfully collect, or if taking legal action could be a good decision. In other words, if the debtor mentions that they are employed, makes mention of assets, or admits that they owe the debt, this is very encouraging for the collector and could be used in future litigation.
Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on credit collection agencies
Important Facts Concerning Life Insurance
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Life insurance is a very important investment that many people make at some point in time or another. Before jumping in and making a purchase there are some important things that should be taken into consideration. Here we will look at what some of those things are,
Taking a good look at your finances is a good way to start determining what life insurance needs may be required. This means that you should look into any outstanding debts you have and tally them all up to determine the total amount that would be owing if something were to happen to you right now. Getting insurance can help protect your loved ones by giving them the funds to be able to pay off these debts without touching any other funds that are in the estate.
You should also have some idea as to what kind of funeral costs will be when you die. This is where a lot of people have found that prepaying and pre- planning their funeral is a good idea. They are able to know what the costs are and have all or the majority of the costs paid for before anything may happen to them which in turn leaves less money owing when it comes time for the debts of the deceased to be paid.
Many of the companies will offer a benefit of this kind to the people that they employ. For single people or those that have very few debts this can be more than enough coverage. For those that have children or spouses they may opt to buy more to be sure that there is something left to help these loved ones out when they are gone.
Checking the prices that are associated with life insurance is another thing that should be done. In most situations it is far cheaper to buy it at a young age before any health concerns or other issues start to come along. You want to be sure that this is an affordable option for you as well as it is a bill that will be recurring over an extended period of time.
Take the time to look at the different kinds of insurance that can bought as the prices will vary with each different kind. This can help you determine the most affordable options that are at your disposal. Be sure that the cost is something that you can cover if you were to have a change in your financial situation later on.
A lot of companies are around that offer this kind of coverage. It is one of the most competitive businesses around which makes it even more important for people to do their homework when it comes to comparing the prices and services that come with each one. Getting written quotes or printing and saving information is an easy way to be sure you have all the information you need when it comes time to do the comparisons.
Family members are another way to find out about life insurance companies. Many people will be glad to let you know what they feel about the company they deal with and this information can all be used to help you decide what company you may want to do business with. Educating yourself is crucial when it comes to making good decisions in this regard.
Purchase of a life insurance policy is intended to give financial security for family members following your demise. Life insurance helps to prevent economic disaster during a time of grief.
Seeking Restaurant Funding For A New Restaurant
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Starting your own restaurant really isn’t the easiest task in the world, let’s be completely honest. There are just so many factors to take into consideration. Of course, no business is guaranteed success, but restaurants are certainly not one of the easiest industries to succeed in. Finding restaurant funding, though, while not exactly EASY, isn’t impossible, either.
Now, how can you get your hands on some of this funding to get going? Well there are a few basic routes to go down, here, but you shouldn’t take the first step until you’ve made a road map, so to speak. In other words, don’t even think about GETTING the money until you know how much you’re going to need. Below we’ve broken this down into three steps, but beware, they’re not impossible, but always as simple as they sound, either.
Research the Business
You need to start researching how restaurants are run because being a great chef is only one small part of the equation. The quality of the food is the deciding factor between a good restaurant and a great one, but it is NOT the deciding factor between a failed restaurant and a successful one, if you catch our drift. You need to know about marketing, about how to hire people and what to pay them. You need to know so many things, so the best thing you can do right now is start reading. A good way to get a head start with business savvy is to just copy successful restaurants and don’t do what unsuccessful eateries have done. Think of it this way: If it’s legal, ethical, and keeps people in business, it’s not a bad idea.
Know the Local Market
Where’s the niche? That’s really what it comes down to. Where can you set up shop cheap, and what kind of restaurant is the city missing right now? Are there any authentic Italian places around, or just the mass market chain places? Are there any great ethnic places? If you set up downtown, are there any nice, cheap, fast diners down there, or is it all higher end stuff? What is it that people want but that isn’t around? Do that.
Research all the Options
Don’t even bother looking for loans or investors until you have your budget set up and you know EXACTLY how much you’ll need, plus some breathing room. Now, once that’s set up, you have a few options. You can look into business loans, or you can look for investors or silent partners. Just find someone who is willing to let you have final say on all aspects of your business, and who can provide you the financial support you need to make the both of you quite wealthy.
What it really comes down to is this: If you’re willing to do the research and put in the hard work, there’s a good chance of success, but you won’t see a dream come true by simply hoping and wishing. You need to be willing to sweat it out and you need to be okay with getting an aching back from sitting over your laptop researching the market for nights on end. Only then will that dream become a possibility.
Discover how to go about restaurant funding by going online. There are several chances for restaurant loans to help you in business. Head online and learn more today.
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