The Four Agreements and Collection Negotiations

The book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz was published in 1997.  The book has been translated into over 40 languages and has sold over 7 million copies in the United States alone. Clearly, it hits a nerve for some people.  Although the book is meant to help with personal growth and relationships, I’ve … Read more

Late Fees: The Hows and Whys of Charging Them

We’ve all been there.  You miss a payment on a credit card or utility bill and find yourself paying not just the amount due, but the amount due, plus a late fee.  In B2B relationships charging a late fee and/or, a finance charge, is also common practice. If you aren’t already charging your clients for … Read more

Don’t Try to Improve Weaknesses, Instead Focus on Strengths

If you’re the owner or CEO of a company, you’re probably familiar with what happens when you have a struggling employee. You sit down with the struggling employee and assess what they’re doing wrong. You ask them to improve and then, six or eight weeks later you assess their improvements. Sometimes things get better, sometimes … Read more

The Government Shutdown and Payment Problems

As we’re writing this, the longest ever U.S. Federal Government shutdown just ended, albeit perhaps only temporarily. Whatever your political views, there are clearly economic costs to both businesses and individuals. Some of those costs are far reaching. Even if none of your clients are federal employees or agencies, you may still feel the burn … Read more

The 5 Cs and B2B Lending

Anytime you work for a company or ship a product before getting paid, you are extending credit to that company. That’s why, just like any lender, before you begin working with a new client or company you should review the 5 Cs of Credit. Character For individuals applying for a loan, “character” generally refers to … Read more

Chinese Business Delegation Learns About U.S. Collections

For 20 years, the United States – China Exchange Council (USCEC) has hosted delegate exchanges between the U.S. and China for the purposes of education, commerce, and friendship. Because of his experience with multiple industries and his extensive knowledge of both U.S. and international commercial collections, Dean Kaplan was recently asked to speak to a … Read more

Fifth Annual $1,000 Scholarship Awarded by The Kaplan Group

  The Kaplan Group is very excited to announce that Rebecca Strasser is this year’s $1,000 scholarship winner!  Rebecca is beginning her first year as an MBA candidate at Gonzaga University.  Rebecca was one of over 100 scholarship applicants many of whom submitted excellent responses to our essay prompts. With such stiff competition, Rebecca should be … Read more

How to Stay Informed About Your Clients

You are probably well informed about your industry. It would be hard to run your business if you weren’t. But what about your clients? Do you know what’s going on in their business world? One of the best ways to solve debt collection problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place. When … Read more

Should You Make a Deal on that Invoice?

When it comes to companies that owe you money there are two basic types, those who won’t pay and those who can’t pay. With a company that can pay, but won’t, either because they are unhappy with the work or simply want to get away without paying, it’s best to act quickly. If a company … Read more

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