Page:Roy Ralph Hottman - Practical Collection Procedure (1923).pdf/59



Personal Collections.

It is frequently much more satisfactory to collect local accounts in person rather than to send out a number of let- ters. In the large cities perhaps, the expense would be very high for the smaller corporations which have fewer ac- counts, and in those cases letters would be used. But the successful collection man arranges for personal collections locally after two or three friendly letters have been sent, ex- cept in those cases where the debtor is tricky or bad pay and his future business is not to be solicited. The large corporations which have salesmen traveling about making periodical calls on dealers have on the whole little trouble with collections. The salesmen secure payment on account while obtaining additional orders and should any one of them be refused a payment when due the alarm is quickly sounded and the credit department is thus enabled to im- mediately investigate. If the situation warrants, then the dealer may be at once pressed for settlement. Their prob- lem is not so much the development of collection systems and letters, as the development of men into better col- lectors as well as better salesmen.

With smaller concerns, however, where the debtors are not seen periodically, the problem becomes more complex.