There is no “One size fits all” solution for credit repair. The nature of providing credit repair services is that each client you work with will be a completely unique case. It is crucial to spend time speaking to each client to understand their current credit situation and their credit goals. This is important, not only to inform the basic repair process, but also because it provides an opportunity to offer additional services that translate to more money for your business.
Say, for example, you are approached by a professional hoping to repair her credit so she can buy a home. By reviewing her credit report you determine that there are 3-4 inaccurate or unverifiable items that can be disputed. If you provide only this basic service, this relationship would earn your company less than $1,000 and may not solve the client’s entire problem. Alternatively, you could spend some time delving further into the client’s goals to see if there are additional services that might benefit her. These types of qualification methods can not only create additional revenue streams, but also position you as a trusted expert to your client base.
There are three basic questions that you can ask a new client to determine what types of services would best benefit him/her:
- What made you contact me today?This is usually the first question we recommend asking a client or potential client. It will help you to get a sense of their goals, timelines, and pain points. Most people don’t know much about credit repair. Your job is to listen to their problems and tell them the best plan of action, even if it is not what they originally thought they needed. A client might think that he only needs some basic disputing assistance, but after further discussions realizes that he should actually pursue a lawsuit against a credit bureau for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). By listening to a client’s answer to this basic question, you can begin to drill down to what their actual problem is and how to most effectively solve it.
- Why now?Most people will only seek out your services at a breaking point. A client may contact you to repair their credit because he is tired of having collections agencies threatening his income. As the credit repair professional, you will be able to offer not only to repair his credit, but also provide advice on responding to violations to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Identifying the breaking point will give you an idea of whether there is more than one problem that needs to be solved.
- Are you a small business owner? The number of small business owners in the US has increased 49% since 1982. A client may approach you to repair her individual credit, without knowing that you are also able to provide business credit services, as well. Asking this basic question can help create a rich revenue stream and provide a great benefit to your client.
As a credit repair professional, it is important to think of yourself as an advisor more than just a service provider. You know the industry much better than you clients do, so it is up to you to help them determine what services will benefit them the most. Ask good questions and really listen to the responses. Getting comfortable with this practice will allow you to provide the best service possible to your clients while creating additional revenue streams for your business.
Learning more about best practices in our ultimate guide for consumer repair businesses.
