The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
Imma is a long-time listener, first-time caller here at AccountsRecovery.net. Her collections journey, however has been a long and thrilling tale. It all started when her father invented the convenience fee, creating the impetus of her long journey to dominate the credit & collections industry. Honorably discharged from the Collector Branch, she was educated at the exclusive Harvord — a smaller branch of the illustrious establishment that has since been under investigation by the AG’s Office for the inadvertent use of the word “y’all”, a strict liability violation of the English language. Luckily, after overcoming a vicious rumor that meth was the key to fully understanding the new CFPB Regulation F rules, Imma is now happily working as a consultant and life coach and would welcome the opportunity to work with fellow ARM industry survivors.
Name: Immanuella “Imma” Dunning
Job Title: Chief Compliance Officer
Company: ARM and a Leg Agency, LLC
Length of Time at Current Company: My whole life has prepared me for this moment and time is meaningless.
Length of Time in Industry: It is difficult to say as there is still no legal definition of what to use as a default starting report date.
How did you get your start in the industry?
As a new associate I was lucky enough to land a leading role for an industry fan-favorite: Deborah Does Debt Collection, filmed right here in my home town of Dallas!
What is your career highlight so far?
Working with Debbie was life changing, but I would have to say just being alive when the CFPB’s Rules were published! They told us it would happen, but I had given up hope that it would be in my lifetime. It’s truly a miracle.
When or how are you most productive?
I find I am most productive when I am conscious.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Dennis Barton, who despite rumors, is a very upstanding citizen, even though it appears he is also an attorney. This last fact was recently proven to be both true and accurate by AccountsRecovery.net’s very own Mike Gibb.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I excel at everything I do, therefore I am the best at being modest about my excessive success.
What do you like most about this industry?
The admirable sense of camaraderie among people who have routinely been called wildly inappropriate names for simply doing their jobs.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
A year ago I would have said the stuffy dress code, but now I fully embrace the Business Mullet! *Business on top, pajamas on the bottom.
Describe a typical work day.
My hours are long and rewarding. I like to start my morning before 8am across all U.S. time zones by randomly dialing phone numbers. When the person answers I like to practice my “people skills” or “soft skills” as the industry likes to call it, by asking the person extremely personal and irrelevant questions. I find this creates an instant rapport with the person. You learn so many new phrases this way, too! The rest of the day is really just about starting fires and moving papers from one place to another. I like to spend my afternoons making more phone calls to people. They are always so friendly and caring; such as asking me about how I sleep at night. Isn’t that sweet? It’s very rewarding!
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
Probably just go back to time traveling.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Sometimes I change the word “shall” to “may” on collection letters just to feel alive inside. It’s quite a rush. I do not recommend it for everyone though.
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What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Try not to get sued.” Makes me laugh every time I hear it.
What are you currently reading?
Hamlet. My favorite part: Act III, Scene III, Line 87.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you
That I am famous in this industry and almost all of you have heard of me before.
If You Made It This Far …
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.