Page:Roy Ralph Hottman - Practical Collection Procedure (1923).pdf/83

Rh was beginning to discolor; it was one of a yellowish tint. The letter was couched in strong terms, but whatever strength it had was absolutely lost through the short sightedness of the sender, in so carelessly filling in the necessary parts. He evidently had had some forms he disliked to throw away, but had he done so, he might have been successful in making the collection.

The expense of typing each individual letter is not ex- orbitant and does not justify the use of multigraphed letters. The more letters there are to be written, in all probability, the more are the outstandings to be collected. In sending out collection letters, I like to have the sten- ographer use a black ribbon, and when it begins to fade, to have her insert a new ribbon in the machine. Heavy black type, on a good grade of paper, seems almost to rise up, and audibly deliver the message of the sender. The debtor views it with more of respect; he can almost vizualize the correspondent; he is impressed because it is apparently a personally dictated letter to him. The policy of penny wise and pound foolish in this particular is especially bad. If it is possible to have letters filled in so carefully that even the sender of them would be de- ceived, then there can be no objection to their use, of course.

Confidence and Good-Will.

It is always well in sending out the first letters—with new customers it should never be otherwise—to direct the appeal to the good-will which it is presumed the debtor bears the creditor. Severity in the early stages of col-