Dean Kaplan
President
The Kaplan Group
The Kaplan Group is a commercial collection agency with distinct expertise in large ($20K-$1M) B2B claims. We use a variety of skills, techniques and experience to achieve outstanding success for our clients. For over 40 years, the Kaplan family has shared this knowledge with the credit industry in countless programs for credit groups, articles in industry periodicals, and leadership of various organizations. We continue this tradition here and invite readers to participate with their insights and questions on a variety of topics such as financial statement analysis, collection call tips, credit application terms and collector training. http://www.kgaction.com
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Recent Posts
Where Do You Want to Sue Your Business Customer?
If you have to sue your business customer for unpaid invoices, would you rather sue where your company is located or where the debtor company is located? That’s a decision that can have far-reaching implications down the line.
Trucking Company Profits Collecting on Past Due Accounts
Section 49 377.203 g(1)(ii) of the CFR says “Carriers may, by tariff rule, assess reasonable and certain liquidated damages for all costs incurred in the collection of overdue freight charges. Carriers may use one of two methods in their tariffs: ….The second method is to require payment of the full, nondiscounted rate instead of the discounted rate otherwise applicable.”
What I find most interesting is that most of the freight forwarders and trucking companies who send us accounts do not use this approach. They simply quote a fixed fee. And they’re leaving money on the table.
The Mythical Corporate Veil: Too Expensive for Commercial Collectors to Pierce?
Many small business owners form a corporation or LLC primarily so that only the entity is liable for the business’s debts and their personal assets are shielded from the business’s liabilities. We all hear stories about “piercing the corporate veil” to create personal liability for a small business debt. The story-tellers typically share with glee how they ‘nailed’ the owner and eventually got paid. In my experience, this is more myth than reality.
Court Upholds Simple Personal Guaranty Leading to Recovery
An ARM company recently won a court case that validated a simple personal guaranty and resulted in the recovery of over $15,000 even though the corporation had ceased operating. Not everyone will agree to sign a personal guaranty. But it is easy to ask for, and on occasion you are likely to recover money solely because you have the guaranty.
A Whale of a Thanksgiving
Retail sales were up 13% for the weekend, which was great for retailers. This is also good news for all their vendors, whether they supplied the merchandise that was sold, or services to support retailers. The third annual Small Business Saturday also appeared to be a big success, helping local businesses that employ over half of all working Americans. We know that our clients who sell to small businesses want to see them have more profitable sales in order to pay existing receivables and stay in business for future sales.
Negotiating the Nightmare of “You’ll Get Paid When We Get Paid!”
This is one of the top ten explanations we get as a commercial collection agency. Our biggest fear when we hear this is that it might be true.
How to Win an Argument and Soothe a Debtor
Anyone who is in an argument really wants to win. But that may be the absolute wrong way to approach a conflict. Dean Kaplan of The Kaplan Group suggests that the key to winning an argument may actually be to avoid it completely. Read more to find some tips and suggestions to do just this.
Would Dale Carnegie Have Been a Good Collector?
Debt collection is all about getting people to do something that they haven’t done so far: pay a bill. We may not be out to “win friends,” but we certainly are out to “influence people.” Carnegie’s advice seems to be based on the premise that the vast majority of people are good, so you have the most influence by embracing this underlying characteristic. He claims that everyone you meet is superior to you in some way, and if you find that quality and make them feel good about it you can establish rapport and then influence.
Hidden Info to Help with Collection Skiptracing: Using a WhoIs Search
Sometimes we are given claims against small businesses where we are not even sure who we should be contacting or can’t find a good phone number to reach a live person. Fortunately, there is a great, free resource that often yields exactly the information we are seeking.
Asking “When Will You Pay?” Might Not Be the Best Way to Get Paid
As collectors, there is only one question we really care about: when will you pay? But going straight to the point may not be the best way to actually get paid.