CB Merchant Services, a collection agency in California, is celebrating 100 years of being in business.
The company, which began as Stockton Merchants Association, was profiled in the Central Valley Business Journal for reaching the milestone.
The profile features many of the common talking points that appear when a non-industry publication writes about a collection agency, but that isn’t a bad thing. Putting a positive spin on the collections industry is much needed; one of the biggest problems facing the industry is a lack of education about the role that collection agencies play in an economy, be it locally or nationally.
Linda Guinn, the CEO of CB Merchant Services, hits all the right notes in her comments, playing up the consultative approach and the dedication to accuracy and empathy.
“The script is actually, ‘what can we do to help you take care of this account,’” Guinn says in the article. “Agencies like ours, you don’t stay in business beating up on people. You have to treat people right.”