We had a little brainstorming session the other day and one of our goals was to find more ways to educate our clients and potential clients. We’ve always said that we don’t just collect money for our clients but we try hard to resolve their debt and educate them as to other procedures and methods to improve their cash flow. In short, a collection agency helps businesses stay in business.

A good chunk of our business is small business; the American Dream. Besides owning a home and a couple nice cars in the garage, nothing says American Dream like being your own boss. But being your own boss has its challenges. Like cash flow and being diplomatic about getting paid for what you do. Now more than ever with this economy, you need to get paid but you also need to keep the customers you have.

In our brainstorming session it came up that we help people realize the American Dream and keep it going. We develop a relationship with our clients and try our hardest to keep them above water and keep their customers. Yes, some clients say, “Just get my money.” But many others need a more diplomatic approach and they want to place their overdue account to a trusted partner. They know making money is hard work and getting a customer to stay with them is even harder sometimes.

As we head out for this Fourth of July weekend, we remind ourselves that the American Dream is why we’re here. Not to “go after someone,” but to help those hard working small businesses that work overtime for every penny. Help them get paid, help them keep their customers and help them stay in business. Freedom is a wonderful thing and it allows us to open a business and work as hard as we can to make the most of our lives. So if you think a collection agency has nothing to do with the American Dream, just go ask a small business owner.

American Profit Recovery asked us to blog about employee week in our own words … here are mine: 

Having been an APR employee for 3+ years, I still am amazed by the company and the concern its owners show for its employees.  No where in my experience have I found even the closest morale and company atmosphere as created here at APR.

I know my days are numbered but to my dying day I will remember the finest working experience I have known.  Enjoy the relationships; they will serve you a lifetime and continue the diligent support of the senior management as they continue a string of success in a difficult industry. 

Thanks for letting me be a small part of that progress.

I have been at APR since April 2006. In the four years here I have learned many things; mainly that hard work, integrity and having a positive attitude will take you to levels of success of which you many only dream.  It seems easy, 3 little virtues, but through the day to day activities at work, sticking to those 3 little virtues requires much determination. With the help of management and the team around me I have been able to excel in my career at APR.  It is a great atmosphere at the office where we are able to get a lot done, but have some fun as well.

After a few short months here I started to specialize in the Lawn Care industry. With the help from a partnership with Real Green Systems and becoming a preferred vendor for several of the franchise systems across the country – I guess I found my niche.  I discovered that APR has the perfect program for service professionals.  Through several years of working with professionals in the green industry I have found that many would rather focus on sales and production than collections. Our diplomatic approach is designed to not only collect from past due customers but retain the customer. With APR’s support and training it has been a great fit for myself and the green industry professionals!  

 Watch this video to learn more about me: 

We are honored to have been nominated once again for Banker & Tradesman’s Best of Awards in the Asset Recovery Category.  We have won this award the past 2 years and need your vote to win again for 2010!

Simply click here:  http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/best.php

We are listed in the Banking Category under Asset Recovery.  The deadline to vote is June 30th so please vote today!  We appreciate your support and continue to strive to help you Profit From Our Difference!

As we wrap up another Employee Week here and all the fun we’ve had, it makes me think of what it would be like to do this every day. Maybe, retire early…It is everyone’s dream to retire early enough to have youth on your side so you may enjoy the benefits of not working and being able to travel, relax and spend quality time on the beach or golf course. Although your company may be offering early retirement packages, there are a few weighty factors to consider before you begin stocking up on sunscreen and beach apparel. Being at a collection agency for many years has given me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, including retirees who failed to make a detailed plan upon retirement. Failing to plan for emergency expenses or long-term care can definitely put a damper on your dream of fun in the sun. Before deciding to take an early retirement package, be sure to consider all expenses and perhaps sit down with a financial planner to view your total financial picture to determine if you can afford to retire early.

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Small business owners of all trades are dealing with the fallout of historically challenging times and contractors have been hit harder than most. Few trades are immune from the devastating effects of the current economy and more than ever, contractors of all sizes are facing challenges. As small business owners, contractors often times struggle to make ends meet, fulfilling payroll while also paying suppliers and balancing very busy days on job sites. Keeping cash flowing in order to pay employees and finding money to pay suppliers so materials are delivered is a delicate balance which can sometimes require some juggling. Recently I had a conversation with a contractor regarding his relationships with suppliers that was quite enlightening. He mentioned that he wanted to stay in good favor with his suppliers in order to remain the ‘favorite son’.  This implied that by paying his bills on time he would receive a discount on materials, which significantly helped his business.

Remaining a ‘favorite son’ with suppliers is a great incentive to contractors however it can also be a way to easily be driven into debt. Since many owners and operators grapple with a volatile cash flow between getting jobs, having goods delivered to finish jobs and make payroll, staying ahead in finances to pay suppliers on time is not often feasible. Talking with my contractor friend made me realize how important it can be for business owners and operators to employ the services of a collection agency.  A collection agency can assist contractors in retrieving monies owed to their business in an expedient manner, which keeps cash flowing and makes their business’ finances less erratic and gives them the opportunity to stay in good favor with suppliers. A reputable collection agency like American Profit Recovery (yes, as always a shameless plug…) acts early, as early as 30-days past due on overdue accounts to retrieve monies owed quickly. Continue reading »

I recently had the chance to publish an article on what lawn care and landscaping professionals can do to improve their cash flow during any season. Many of these professionals take much of their time focusing on their customers during their busy season. That’s a very smart move for any type of business. As long as the back end of your business is also being taken care of as well.

If you’re not taking care of things such as your billing, you’ll soon be in trouble on many fronts; paying your own bills, making payroll and getting the customers that have lagged behind to pay you finally. You have no doubt heard us say, the longer a bill goes unpaid, the harder it is to collect. If you’re in any seasonal business and leave the back end of that business to when it is slow, you’re going to run into cash flow problems when you need it the most. Take it from a guy who has been at a collection agency for many years. We see it all the time.

My article can be read here; http://www.articlesbase.com/credit-articles/collection-agency-provides-tips-to-improve-cash-flow-for-landscape-or-lawn-care-businesses-2577089.html

And just in case you have not seen it yet, we posted a video on this very topic last year; take a look at what people are saying including the Professional Landcare Network who has endorsed our services to their entire membership.

The area in which you live can say a lot about you and your neighbors. It can speak to your personality, likes and dislikes and it may also say something about how you manage your credit. Last week the popular credit report site, Experian, released information derived from a study conducted to measure the average debt per consumer in the top 20 major U.S. metropolitan areas. The three cities that ranked highest in terms of average debt per consumer were: Seattle at $26,646, Dallas at $26,599 and Denver at $26,428. Los Angeles has the lowest average debt at $24,009. Nearly 65 percent of the areas included in the study exceeded the national average of consumer debt, which in March was determined to be $24,775. Continue reading »

As a Sales Consultant for American Profit Recovery, I am very proud to be a part of such a great organization.  This company is continually striving to be the best in the industry.  The training and teamwork here are immeasurably advantageous to not only me, but also my coworkers.   We are constantly sharpening each other’s skills, day in and day out, with a common goal of helping businesses increase their cash flow by recovering what is due to them in a very professional manner.  I have to say that it is truly gratifying for me to come to work everyday knowing that I can make a difference.

Watch this quick clip to learn a bit more about me: 

We have hundreds of clients in the medical and dental field. We serve them well and we serve them knowing that they need certain things out of a collection agency, not the least of which are their fees for services.

There are always different aspects to collections with every industry and the medical and dental fields are no different. They have some specific needs that have to be met because they are trusted medical professionals to their patients.

A dental or medical practice wants to know that whomever they turn their past due invoices to that they will handle them appropriately, meaning, with great care. They are turned off by a strong arm approach and need a collection agency that knows how to treat their patients with diplomacy. After all, they do want to retain them as a patient and will try hard to resolve the debt.

They don’t want to pay high fees to get results and with our flat-fee solution, many in these fields have found comfort using our system. A flat fee works best for them.

They want to free up office staff to do other things. A practice’s staff should be focusing on patient comfort, not chasing down people who don’t pay. By outsourcing their late receivables, office staff return to making patients more at ease and welcome in their office.

I recently had a conversation with Andy Robinson, one of our team members who works very closely with dental and medical practices. Hear what he has to say about what they want out of a collection agency.