Page:Roy Ralph Hottman - Practical Collection Procedure (1923).pdf/71

Rh While this incident may not appeal to many creditors and while it may engender possible complications, yet, in this case, the debtor did not know just who this third party was, and his imagination conjured up many explana- tions, each one distasteful to him, so that before long he paid the bill. It is only given to demonstrate the effect of ingeniousness outwitting trickery, for after all the collection of difficult accounts is, in the last analysis, a battle of wits. He who would be successful in making collections cannot work by any set rule, but must always be alert and have a goodly stock of resourcefulness, which he must be prepared to use at the psychological moment.

Collecting by Letter.

That the writing of collection letters is more difficult than the writing of any other kind of letter is admitted by every rational person. It is one thing to write a letter inducing people to buy merchandise of which they are in need, or which is attractive and appeals to them, and quite another matter to ask them to pay for the goods so purchased, without giving them offense. People know they ought to pay a bill, and very frequently, knowing full well that the account is long past due, and having the wherewithal with which to pay it, still withhold the money and become highly incensed at any request of a dunning nature. Care must always be taken that collec- tion letters are correctly worded. In personally collect- ing an account, one may say many things which could never be written in a letter. The inflection of the voice and the facial expression can be made to modify very