For the Smart Money Cookie

In “Become the Squeaky Wheel” a book recently published, Michelle Dunn demonstrates the major areas a business should focus on to ensure a satisfactory customer experience.

One mistake business owners make is not having a credit policy in place when they open their business. This can be easily corrected by implementing one at any time. “At the very least, every business should have every customer fill out a credit application,” says Dunn.

“In the businesses view, it seems easier to just process the order without obtaining any or limited information on the customer. Most new business are so excited to make the sale they don’t want to offend the customer by asking them to fill out a credit application,” explains Michelle Dunn.

Another mistake business owners make is not to ask for the money once it is due. They were so happy to make the sale, and now don’t want to make the customer mad by asking for the money, even if it is past due.

Show potential customers that you are proud of what you do and that you are serious, and have a sound credit policy in place. The customer that is offended or doesn’t want to fill out the credit application is probably not someone you want as a customer anyway.

Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 7 years. She also owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals.

She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series She is currently writing a book for the Streetwise Series, part of the Adams Media Corporation. In addition to writing and marketing her books, Michelle moderates and runs Credit & Collections.com and was a member of The American Collectors Association for 9 years.

Most of these companies offer you points on every dollar you spend on all your general purchases and more when you buy products from certain affiliated stores or when you spend money to stay at hotel. These points can be redeemed for stay in their hotels or other travel expenses. You should check with each company to learn what your points can be redeemed for and what expenditures will give you points. Not all hotel rewards credit cards offer the same exact program.

With the points that you have earned with your hotel rewards credit card you can stay in hotels such as the Marriott, the Hilton, Embassy Suites, Conrad Hotels, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Fairfield Inn, Wyndham Hotel and Resorts, Comfort Inn and Suites, Quality Inn, Clarion, Starwood, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin and Four Points. Each one of these has their own hotel rewards credit cards that will enable you to earn points for various travel related expenses including free stays in their luxurious hotels.

Before you just run and apply, you should learn exactly what they are offering and it would be best to apply for one that you normally visit when you take your trips. This will ensure that you are earning points for a free stay or other incentives that they offer.

Remember also to pay attention to the limit of points you can earn in a year and if they have an expiration. It would be terrible to earn points for a wonderful stay and then when you are ready to redeem them learn that they have expired and you can not stay for free.

Copyright Attila Z Jancsina Hotel Rewards Credit Card

Good credit has become nearly a necessity these days. Credit has become almost essential to buying a car or a home (unless you have large amounts of cash lying around) and with the advent of online buying, it’s generally difficult to operate without some kind of credit card. Unfortunately, credit does cause problems for some people. Minimum payments on credit cards can be missed, or a loan could go into default and your credit rating will begin to slide. When you have negative activity, the creditor reports it a credit reporting agency, who then records it on your credit history. A tarnished credit report can be tough to clean up, as most negative items will remain stay on your report for seven years before they expire and are removed.

If you have bad credit history, you’ll end up dealing with previously unknown problems. You can’t rent a car or buy things online, renting property will be difficult, and getting a mortgage may be impossible. It’s important to repair your credit as soon as you notice a problem because you’d be surprised at what kind of credit repair you can accomplish by being proactive.

The first thing you should do if you fall behind in your loan payments is contact your creditor. This can be scary and many people take the opposite approach, avoiding “collection calls” out of embarrassment or even fear. Unfortunately, it’s best to deal with the problem immediately and to avoid long-term credit difficulties. Contact your creditor right away - as soon as you find you are having trouble with a debt.

Remember the solution to your credit repair process starts with your credit report, and what is on your report is what your creditor reports about you. By contacting your creditor, you may be able to discuss possible payment plans or alternative solutions. It is in the creditor’s best interests to work with you, as if you go into default, they might never get payment.

There are many reasons that you should contact your creditor immediately, but most of all, it helps to speed up the credit repair process. Once you’ve contacted your creditor, suggest a payment system that works for both for you. Be sure to propose a payment plan that is realistic for you, and stick to it. Defaulting on these payments will look to the creditor as if you were just trying to stall and avoid further payment.

When you contact your creditor about your outstanding debt, be sure to remember that it is in your best interest to convince your creditor not to report your non-payment to the credit report agency. By facing up to your payment problems, contacting your creditor right away, and creating a payment system that will work for both of you, you are taking a very effective step credit repairing your credit.

For more free credit repair information like this article, please visit: Free-Credit-Repair-Advice.com