My name is Jack Thorn. I'm a
collection agent.
Collection agents are the people who call you up and try to find out why you're not paying delinquent student loans, credit card debts, or mortgage payments. More importantly, they try to get you to pay even though you think you can't. Even if it hurts.
I can't tell you where I work, but I've always wanted to describe what it is I do for a living and how.
So here's Lesson One. There is a plaque on the wall of my office that says:
This plaque was given to me the day I started working for my firm. It serves as a suitable symbol for this business and how it operates.
| Above the plaque is a portrait of an old codger in a suit-- our ostensible founder, chairman, and director emeritus, Rodney Strong, Sr. In fact, this man is a sham, a lie, a figurehead-- created by the PR genius behind my 3-year-old firm to give the impression of a father-and-son team with years of experience. |  |
Current and potential clients, you see, like to feel as if they're dealing with an established agency. The name "Rodney Strong" is intended to conjure up, in the minds of both client and debtor, the image of a virile, self-assured individual, well-equipped to handle any collection task. Collectors can, of course, choose their own pseudonym (e.g. Jack Powers, Raymond Galvin, Randall Stryker) as long as it projects the appropriate capabilities.
