[consulting] Proper Collections Procedure

[Chris Johnson]

Evan Leibovitch wrote:

> substandard work. Anyone here is capable of paying Dun&Bradstreet (or
> similar services) to check on the financial reliability of potential
> clients; do you really want to be in the credit research business when
> others already specialize in it?
> 
> If the issue is not so much the desire to collect information, but an
> inability to afford the services of those who do, that's a very
> different (and arguably far easier to solve) issue. Perhaps the answer
> is not for this group to engage in gathering credit information, which
> is not only a non-core-competency with significant legal risks -- but
> rather, to pool resources in order to contract an established company
> that does these things.

Excellent point, and I would modify my previous position based on having 
considered this.

It makes more sense to hire businesses who already do this kind of information 
collecting, let them handle the libel, etc. risks as they already do, and 
perhaps just form an association that can buy it for members at a discount or 
as a shared resource.

For a long time, I was a member of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots 
Association, a very large organization of private aircraft and private pilots 
primarily in the USA).  AOPA did exactly these kinds of things for members: 
they negotiated discounted life and aircraft insurance, provided legal 
services, provided aircraft valuations and title research, etc. most of which 
was hired or contracted through third parties who actually specialized in 
those services.  It made those services much more affordable and easily 
obtained by members.

Buy versus build.  :-)