Automatic Rent Collection-Have Tenant Rent Zipped To Your Bank Account Each Month Automatically

Have you ever had a tenant not pay you on the first of the month when rent is due? Late on the first of the month, you call the tenant to express your concern and they tell you, "the check is in the mail"? Yeah right. Here we go again.

Tomorrow comes. No check. You call again. Still no check... "give it another day... I mailed it with plenty of time."

Maybe you're the lucky one who actually gets the rent on the fourth of fifth of the month (with a postmark for the first or second) and hope and pray that the check is good. Or, more likely, you are one the unlucky many who starts an eviction later than they should and never gets that rent.

Well, beyond some property management tips to help prevent that in the future, I can share with you something that I have been using that completely eliminates the "check is in the mail" excuse.

It's called automatic rent collection.

Here's how it works. When your tenant signs the lease, you give them two options:

1. Automatic rent collection free of charge or
2. Regular "mail me a check" rent collection with a manual processing fee for each payment

The overwhelming majority of tenants offered these choices will pick automatic rent collection.

With the company I use, ClearNow.com, the tenant fills out an enrollment form and attaches a voided check to the application and we submit it.

Then, each month, the rent is automatically drawn from their checking account and deposited right into my bank account.

What's great about it is that I can see very quickly whether rent was deposited and know that the amount is good (no bad checks).

I get an e-mail summary and can login to my bank account and/or my ClearNow account to check the status of any tenant's payment. If there was not enough money in the account, I can immediately start the eviction process and stop the process when payment is made. There is no room for, "my payment is in the mail"; it's either there or not.

So, stop the "check is in the mail" excuses for good and start collecting rent automatically.

James Orr is a professional real estate investor and marketing expert.

You can subscribe to his real estate e-newsletter and access audio downloads, articles, marketing materials and educational real estate videos at his website:

http://newsletter.jamesorr.com

Collection Call Strategies

Creditors are starting to pick up on the fact that it does not pay to be a bully. Instead, collectors are looking for new strategies to try to obtain the money you owe. Many companies are training their employees to be positive and use language that is more effective. Though you may still be receiving collection calls, they might be more pleasant and possibly deceptive.

Regardless of how nice the person is on the phone, they still must operate within certain guidelines by law, specifically the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Even if they are not verbally harassing you, it may be considered harassment and thus illegal if they are calling several times an hour. Also, all collection calls are allowed only between 8 A.M. and 9 P.M. Certain states have rules about collection calls that may be more strict than this.

If you are being harassed by a collector, there are several steps you can take to get those calls to stop. First, send a ?cease and desist? request to the collector. You can also file a complaint with your state?s Attorney General as well as the local Better Business Bureau. A request for the verification of the debt is also in line and must be granted before they can continue to pursue the debt through collection calls. You are also able to let the creditor know what times and numbers are inconvenient for them to call.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about collection calls is the constant reminder of your debt. Talk to an accredited credit counselor to determine what steps you can take to handle your debt satisfactorily.

Even though many of the callers might have gotten nicer, the collection call still can be unpleasant. The best solution is to know your rights and properly care for your debt.

If you do encounter an unpleasant caller, remember that your rights against such treatment are protected under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They can sometimes be rude and get away with it, but it they cross the line by threatening unreasonable actions, you may have additional rights to pursue damages in court.

If you owe a debt, you should do what you can to pay it. It's the right thing to do. However, do not feel that you have to endure harassment from collection calls. If you need help, contact your nearest reputable credit counseling agency for assistance.

Ronnica Rothe graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently enrolled at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.

She is a regular contributor to educational information disseminated through Personal Financial Network. Related information can be found at http://www.managedebttoday.com/handling_collections.htm

Debt Relief - What You Should and Shouldn't Do When the Debt Collector Calls

Having debt collectors calling is no fun. It's stressful and that stress seeps into all other aspects of your life. Unfortunately, avoiding those calls won't make the debt or the problem go away. If you're serious about debt relief you're going to have to talk to the debt collector? So what should and shouldn't you say?

Have you ever watched a detective show on television? Remember how people being questioned need to be careful because what they say can be used against them. This is true with debt collectors as well. Be very careful what you say to a debt collector. It can be used against you in the future.

Following up on number one, never share personal or financial information with a debt collector.

When talking to a debt collector, don't answer any questions you don't want to answer. You're under no obligation to answer his or her questions.

If you don't already have it, ask the debt collector to send everything to you in writing. This includes an itemized account of the original debt, plus all interest, fees and collection costs.

If you think the debt is wrong, dispute it. You won't get anywhere over the phone. Dispute it in writing. This needs to be sent to the debt collector no later than 30 days after they first contact you.

Remember, even though you owe a debt, you still have rights and there are things the debt collector can not do. This includes threatening you, being verbally abusive, or calling you repeatedly during one day or day after day. Take notes on this behavior. You may need it in the future.

Keep all these things in mind the next time you talk to a debt collector.

Learn more about how to use debt management tips with Freddie Johnson's free articles on debt relief, debt consolidation, debt management and credit repair tips at http://www.mydebtconsolidationtips.com

How to stop collection calls and other things

There are many reasons why a person may have fallen behind on there bills. Most of them are good honest reasons. But just because you fall behind in your bills doesn't mean you should be harassed, intimidated or even embarrassed by debt collectors

I would like to state that not all debt collectors are bad debt collectors. Most debt collectors are good people doing a tuff job. But that said there are many dishonest collection firms out there. And when you're in debt the last thing you want is to be hounded by unscrupulous people trying to get as much money out of you as they can. Any way they can.

Your best defense against dishonest collection firms is knowledge. As the saying goes knowledge is power. I my self have been the victim of Identity theft and have had to deal with a couple of unruly collection firms in my day. So this article talks about some of the things I learned along the way.

First off you should know that the law is on your side. That is the side of the consumer. Federal and state laws are written to protect you from collection scams, dishonest collection firms, protect your privacy and make sure you are treated decently.

Most likely the first question on your mind is how can I stop the phone calls. Yes, you can stop the phone calls. All you need to do to stop the phone calls is to send a letter to the collection firm asking them to stop. It is that simple. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act once a debt collector receives your letter they can not contact you except to say they will stop contacting you or to let you know they intend to take a specific action like a law suite. You should remember that just because they stop calling does not mean that the debt goes away. It's still there, they just stop calling.

Being in debt can be embarrassing. Most people are not eager to have there friends or family member know that they have fallen behind. In general state and federal laws prohibit debt collectors from talking to other people about your debt. In some cases a debt collector can contact other people but only to find out where you live, what your phone number is, and where you work. In general debt collectors are not allow to talk about your debt to other people except your lawyer or with your permission. Debt collectors are also prohibited from contacting you while you are at work if they know that you can't take calls at work.

The next thing I would like to talk about is harassment. Harassment is when a debt collector threatens you, uses obscene language or repeatedly uses the telephone to annoy you. All of these activities are illegal. In these cases it is best that you requested by letter that the agency stop contacting you. If they continue you should file a complete with your states attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission. Your states attorney generals office may even be able to direct you to an advocate who can help guide you through your situation.

Debt collectors are also prohibited from making false statements. A false statement can be when a collector represents or implies that they are attorneys or government representatives or falsely imply that you have committed a crime. A collector is also not allowed to tell you that they are sending you legal forms when they are not legal form or to tell you that forms or paper work are not legal forms when they are. Debt collectors can not tell you that you will be arrested if you do not pay your debt.

Ok so now you have some more knowledge. What can you do with it? First of all you can stop the annoying and sometimes harassing phone calls. You should also know that you can take action against the collection firm.

If you believe that a debt collection agency has violated the law the first thing you should do is to file a complete with your attorney generals office and the Federal Trade Commission. Second you should know that you have the right to sue a collection agency if they have violated that law. You have up to one year after the violation was made to file a law suite. If you win you can receive money for damages plus up to $1,000. You can also recover court costs and any attorney's fees. I am not a lawyer and you should always consult a lawyer before taking any legal action.

Now that you have some more knowledge I hope you will be able to better advocate for your self and help you deal unscrupulous collection firms.

If you would like more information on Credit law, Credit reports, Credit fraud or ways you can manage and get out of your debt you should visit Kissed by fire

Scottie Watts is a web publisher with knowledge in Credit law, Credit reports, and Credit fraud

How to Communicate Confidence When making Collection Calls for your Business

It is essential to communicate confidence when you are speaking to past due customers or debtors. You must stay in control of the call and the only way to do this is by being confident and prepared.

Remember, everything you do represents your company. How you talk, collect money, send out invoices, and how you handle tough situations. Some tips I can share with you on how to appear more confident (even if your not!) when you make collection calls are:

? First impressions, come up with a greeting that says that you are happy, pleasant and confident. When your customer answers the phone and realizes you are calling about a past due invoice, they will not be happy. You must portray confidence, and not a dull boring message. Smile when you talk on the phone, it will be noticeable in your voice.

? Your voice should be loud enough to be heard and portray confidence, not to loud but not to soft. You want your debtor to hear you and understand what you are saying. Sit up straight in your chair and imagine the debtor is sitting across from you.

? Maintain "eye contact" by staying focused on the call. Don't check your email or watch the other people in your office. Stay focused!

? Relax! Sit up straight in your chair, don't play with paper clips or pens on your desk. Use your face, voice and posture to portray your confidence over the phone and in person.

If you put these techniques into effect you will collect more money and have better results from the collection calls you make. No one likes to make or recieve collection calls so take steps to ensure you make your calls in the most effective way the first time so you don't have to continue to make calls to people that you let get in control of the call! Good luck!

In addition to writing and marketing her books, Michelle was a member of The American Collectors Association for 9 years and shares valuable credit & debt information with business owners on her blog at http://www.BizCreditPolicy.com. Michelle is originally from RI and now lives in NH. Visit http://www.michelledunn.com and http://www.credit-and-collections.com for more information.

Stop Collection Calls!

Are you sick of feeling harassed because you owe some company money that does not understand that putting food on the table is more important than paying them? Do you get sick of dodging phone calls when you don?t recognize the number on your caller ID?

Stop Collection Calls forever. I have been there and I know that it sucks to be constantly reminded of your debts. I hated it and it almost drove me off the edge. I tried caller ID and, also getting a new phone number all together. Somehow the collection agencies always found me.

I did not want to ruin my life by filing for bankruptcy, but it seemed like the only way to stop the harassment. Half way through my bankruptcy I found another solution. I learned that it truly is all about money.

The government is not there to help and the collection agencies just go on harassing and harassing until you either pay them or some other agency buys the debt and starts calling you. Did you know that most of the techniques used by collection agencies are illegal? How do they get away with it? Simple, the people they call have no idea what the laws are about calling to collect debts.

If we knew we would have them arrested and shut down. Plus they would not be calling us because we would have already told them that their calls were illegal and they needed to stop.

Are you sick of being harassed and feeling terrible because of collectors? Are you ready to take action? Go to the following website to learn more about stopping collection calls.

http://www.ready-repair-my-credit.com/collecions.htm

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Owners of The Dreamcatcher Music Studio's in Rutherfordton, N.C.

900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge

Boston - If you don't like the new scoring system recently introduced into the world of figure skating, you could make up your own on Sunday and help choose the winner of the Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge.

Presented by ABC television, fans from all over the country were able to pick the winners during the first-ever live, interactive, fan voting during a nationally-televised ice skating event. Fans were able to vote via a 900 number, cell phone text message, or online voting at The US Figure Skating Association web site. The 900 number and cell phone text message costs were .75 per vote.

In addition, 2000 fans at Boston University's Agganis Arena were able to vote from their seats with a handheld device. But, the Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge did not totally abandon traditional judging. The ABC panel of experts--Peggy Fleming, Dick Button, and Peter Carruthers--were there to offer their expert commentary based on more than just who wore the cutest outfit.

In the men's preliminary, Michael Weiss thrilled the crowd with a back flip he dubbed a "tornado" and advanced to the championship round. Favorite Johnny Weir, whose 900 number message indicated a vote for him was a vote for the fact that he was "hot," also advanced to the final round. Interestingly, however, the panel did not agree with the public. It unanimously named Matt Savoie, a late replacement for the injured Evan Lysaceck, as the overall best. Savoie finished last in the public voting just behind third place Tim Goebel.

On the women's side, Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan advanced to the final round by easily outdistancing Alissa Czisny and Emily Hughes. The panel of judges voted Cohen the best, although she finished behind the veteran Kwan who was skating for the first time since a September injury sidelined her.

In the men's championship round skate-off, Weir overcame a fall in the first round to receive 64% of the vote over Weiss. For the ABC panel of experts, it was the only time that it agreed with the 900 number, text message, and internet voters who also gave Weir the title and $50,000 in prize money.

The ending of the show seemed similar to most of the women's figure skating competitions that we've witnessed over the past decade when Kwan has copped nine national titles. Kwan won the event, but it was bittersweet, because the panel of experts all voted for Cohen who is still looking for her first national title.

In all, according to the New York Times, 104,418 votes were cast via the 900 number, text message, and the web site. Advanced Telecom Services (Wayne, PA) handled the 900 number voting. Spark Network Services (Des Plaines, IL) provided the text message voting through its PromoTXT.com system. WinnerComm (Tulsa, OK) tabulated the online voting.

One thing is for sure, with over 100,000 votes, each costing .75, it was pretty difficult to rig the judges.

Anthony Wayne is the publisher of the Cool Ringtones Blog which covers ringtones and other aspects of the mobile data content industry

900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge

If you don?t like the new scoring system recently introduced into the world of figure skating, you could make up your own on Sunday and help choose the winner of the Marshall?s Figure Skating Challenge.

Presented by ABC television, fans from all over the country were able to pick the winners during the first-ever live, interactive, fan voting during a nationally-televised ice skating event. Fans were able to vote via a 900 number, cell phone text message, or online voting at The US Figure Skating Association web site. The 900 number and cell phone text message costs were .75 per vote.

In addition, 2000 fans at Boston University?s Agganis Arena were able to vote from their seats with a handheld device. But, the Marshall?s Figure Skating Challenge did not totally abandon traditional judging. The ABC panel of experts?Peggy Fleming, Dick Button, and Peter Carruthers?were there to offer their expert commentary based on more than just who wore the cutest outfit.

In the men?s preliminary, Michael Weiss thrilled the crowd with a back flip he dubbed a ?tornado? and advanced to the championship round. Favorite Johnny Weir, whose 900 number message indicated a vote for him was a vote for the fact that he was ?hot,? also advanced to the final round. Interestingly, however, the panel did not agree with the public. It unanimously named Matt Savoie, a late replacement for the injured Evan Lysaceck, as the overall best. Savoie finished last in the public voting just behind third place Tim Goebel.

On the women?s side, Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan advanced to the final round by easily outdistancing Alissa Czisny and Emily Hughes. The panel of judges voted Cohen the best, although she finished behind the veteran Kwan who was skating for the first time since a September injury sidelined her.

In the men?s championship round skate-off, Weir overcame a fall in the first round to receive 64% of the vote over Weiss. For the ABC panel of experts, it was the only time that it agreed with the 900 number, text message, and internet voters who also gave Weir the title and $50,000 in prize money.

The ending of the show seemed similar to most of the women?s figure skating competitions that we?ve witnessed over the past decade when Kwan has copped nine national titles. Kwan won the event, but it was bittersweet, because the panel of experts all voted for Cohen who is still looking for her first national title.

In all, according to the New York Times, 104,418 votes were cast via the 900 number, text message, and the web site. Advanced Telecom Services (Wayne, PA) handled the 900 number voting. Spark Network Services (Des Plaines, IL) provided the text message voting through its PromoTXT.com system. WinnerComm (Tulsa, OK) tabulated the online voting.

One thing is for sure, with over 100,000 votes, each costing .75, it was pretty difficult to rig the judges.

Mike Lieberman is the Internet Marketing Manager for Advanced Telecom Services (ATS), a leading provider of IVR, Mobile and SMS Applications. ATS has been in the IVR business since 1989, providing companies with 800 numbers and 900 numbers since 1989.

advancedtele.com

mikel@advancedtele.com

The Truth About 1-900 Numbers

The Truth About 1-900 Numbers

900 numbers have been heavily advertised over the last few years as a great way to make money. Everybody from Dionne Warwick to Don Lapre are getting in on the pay per call action

In theory (theory mind you) they are a great way for people to make money. You start up a simple phone line and people start calling by the thousands (I sound like someone I know on TV).

When the numbers became popular a few years ago, sex and adult lines were a large part of the business. Psychic lines are now the rage. There are some psychic lines that are generating millions of dollars in calls per month (Although Dionne's did go bankrupt, didn't the psychics warn her?) but every single one of these lines has huge advertising budgets and the people renting out lines are not going to advertise a thing, only rent you the lines.

There are many company's that rent 900 numbers if you would like to get one. When company's first started renting lines 10 years ago, the person renting would only get a small percentage of each call, maybe 10% to 20%. But now that so many company's are renting lines (increased competition), the call per-minute amount you get is much more. You can literally find hundreds of different company's in the back of business magazines that will sell you consulting and 900 lines.

976 numbers were the first toll lines that came out. The problem was that they were local only and didn't have that many features. Large advertisers wanted one number they could advertise all over the US and get calls for, not just one small local area. 900 number's solved that problem.

There are really two big problems with 900 number's. The first is perception. 900 number's seem really idiotic to most people. If you have a great business idea or way to make money, 900 number's would probably be one of the worst places to advertise. How many friends do you have that call 900 number's each month? How many 900 number's did you call last month? These are the sorts of things you have to think of when you are going to start a business. If you would never use the services, why would anybody else? This is something that people like Don Lapre would never tell you. Don lapre just wants you to think that 900 numbers are just a big cash cow. Not the reality.

The other thing is money. You need a lot of money to really get a 900 numbers going. Starting with $500 isn't going to do it. You need a heck of a lot more than that. Most of the big company's have $500,000 monthly advertising budgets (that's even out of my league.)

You are much better off getting into direct marketing, network marketing, internet marketing or even real estate investing over dealing with 900 numbers

I hope this helps in your future marketing decisions.

David Bell

http://www.wspromotion.com/

Advertising research and development center

Phonewords - 13, 1300 And 1800 Numbers As Marketing Tools

In the Concise Oxford Dictionary, image is described as "the character or reputation of a person or thing as generally perceived". A first impression based on non-verbal communication goes a long way in influencing this perception. Within seconds of meeting you, based on a single observed physical trait or behavior, people will assume to know everything about you (as is explained in the 2003 book Social Psychology by H. Andrew Michener, John D. Delamater, and Daniel J. Myers). Furthermore, according to research by Dr. Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, appearance and body language (visual image) accounts for fifty-five percent of an invaluable first impression.

In short your visual presentation has consequences.

Phonewords can change your business number into an instantly recognized business tool. This makes the lettering system more efficient and easier to remember than a number based system. For example, 1300 DOCTOR is much easier to remember than 1300 362 867. 1300 DOCTOR is a phoneword. Your message becomes sharper, more focused, less cluttered and clearly more memorable.

Since light travels faster than sound or we can think, you are seen before you are heard therefore words are easier to remember than numbers. This is why, before even uttering a word your visual image will say a multitude about you as an individual (your perceived level of intelligence, competence, affability, self-esteem, confidence, power, beliefs and success) and about the organization you represent (its philosophy, culture, and standard of service).

The work world demands making a great first impression and keeping it. To communicate more intuitively day-to-day, start by understanding appearance psychology and non-verbal communication techniques. Doing so can lead to greater professional and personal success. By using phonewords within your business, you can increase your advertising effectiveness by 300% and boost your overall business sales by 30% to 200%.

Here are some of the benefits can be achieved for your business.

1. ADDITIONAL SALES AVENUE - One of the most important benefits of a good toll free phonewords is that it gives you an additional channel to reach more customers and close more sales.

2. IMPROVING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK - One of the most important and often over looked aspects of building a successful business is getting feedback and staying in touch with your clients, prospects, visitors etc. Knowing where visitors or prospects have questions, needs or problems is crucial to keep your business on the right track and growing.

3. BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE - Toll free numbers not only improve customer service but create a strong customer service image and focus and allow for hand holding when unsure customers can talk to a live person.

4. REPEAT AND SECOND HAND MARKETING - A good toll free number is one of the few things you can do to increase word-of-mouth and customer referral marketing as well as repeat customers by making it easier for customers to remember how to reach you or to tell someone else how to reach you.

5. BETTER DOMAIN NAME AVAILABILITY - YourName.com is usually not available. But 1800YourName.com usually is! This also has an added benefit of putting you ahead of even the A's in the alphabetic directory listed_numberings.

6. STRONGER PRESENCE - A good toll free number makes you look larger and more established and creates an image of a good more significant brick and mortar business, which has proven to be a real advantage in online marketing.

7. CUSTOMER FOCUSED IMAGE - Toll free numbers create a professional customer focused image. They show a companies desire to hear from consumers and make it easy for consumers to call and make the company seem more local no matter where they're based.

8. INSTANT BRAND NAME - Just like a good domain name, a good phonewords creates an almost instantly prestigious brand name.

9. CREDIBILITY & PRESTIGE - A good toll free number gives even the smallest start up, an air of credibility and authority. Consumers also trust companies more when they are more accessible. They feel more comfortable knowing they can pick up the phone and talk to someone real.

10. INCREASED RESPONSE RATES - The most tangible and measurable benefit of a great phonewords is an increased response rate to all advertising. If you don't do much advertising it won't make much difference, but if you do any significant amount of advertising a good number can easily increase your response rate by typically 12 to 42 percent and sometimes more. And one third of your advertising can certainly be a lot of money.

If you are interested in a Phonewords for your business visit http://www.phonewords.com.au. Or you can make further comments on that subject at http://1300phonewords.blogspot.com/

Faruk Ozturkmen is a Website Design & IT Solution Consultant with over 11 years of experience.