Foreword
I was 12 years old in 1973 when my life was placed on a course that would prove to be both exciting and rewarding. My parents opened a collection agency in central Pennsylvania, and while my friends played in their backyards and later worked in local stores and amusement parks over summer vacations, I was emptying office trash cans, filing ledger cards, and stuffing mail in envelopes for the family business. My eyes were opened at an early age to the dynamics of credit, the importance of managing credit and collection processes, and the extent to which businesses can suffer enormous financial losses by failing to appreciate the need to manage the acquisition of new customers and the resulting payment for products and services.
Over the past 35 years, I have developed a career that’s included an active role as a collection agency owner, as a college professor, as a nationally recognized trainer in the credit and collection industry, and as president of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. I continue to embrace the notion that proper education is the very foundation of business success. For that reason, I am delighted to recommend, The Guide to Getting Paid: Weed Out Bad Paying Customers, Collect on Past Due Balances, and Avoid Bad Debt, as an essential source for anyone planning a business venture, entering corporate life as a credit and collection professional, or having aspirations to own and manage a business enterprise in the future. ...
