MOBILE, Ala. -

Skip-tracing is far more than just calling people and asking if they know where the debtor is.  Psychology and the resulting study of human nature are critical keys to your success in this career path.

It’s a known fact that we are all creatures of habit. So no matter the situation, we will react in the same way. Based on this premise, it would be wise to study the habits of your target.

With my travels all throughout this nation, I have a unique opportunity to work with and train people from every walk of life — from the auto-finance industry to the bail bondsman to the recovery agent.

No matter their line of work, the most common questions I am asked are: “When should we start working a skip? How far past-due should someone be before we start skipping them?”

The answer may surprise you: “At the point of sale.”

Early recognition at the beginning will save you in the end. Asking the right questions, so that your file is equipped with the right information up front, lays the foundation for getting what you need later on.

Hopefully, the financial institution performed some of this groundwork for you. If not, you may be able to find it on your own.

We all have some kind of hobby or interest. I will go out on a limb and say for the record, most of us work to support our hobby. It is what keeps us calm and gives us great enjoyment, whether it’s fishing, bowling, biking, hunting or whatever.

The economy may rise and fall, but we will never give up the activities that bring us the most pleasure. We may scale the activity down, but we never abandon it or the community of individuals associated with it.

Well, skips are no different.

There are thousands of websites dedicated to certain hobbies where people of the same interest can come together to share their interests. Don’t think that the only resources are the default social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

For example, if someone wants to find me, they will take into consideration my passion for the past 25 years or more: skip-tracing. So my chosen social media site would be http://cybertrackers.ning.com, where I can interact with people who share my same interests and background. 

Again, skips are no different.

If they have been hanging out with their group of Harley Davidson enthusiasts, go to local biker site and find out what events are coming up. If a scheduled event is posted for this coming weekend, there’s your opportunity to speak with people who may know your prey.

In past writings, we established that we all have nicknames, and now we can state that we all have a hobby of some type. Having a basic knowledge of these two items may place you within the debtor’s circle.

Once you have these key details which are specific to your debtor, you may be just one open-door question from finding their new location.

The more information you have on your prey, the easier the hunt.

Alex Price is currently national sales and training manager with MasterFiles and has been a trainer to the American Recovery Association and former advisory board member to Time Finance Adjusters and the Society of Certified Recovery Agents. He can be reached at (251) 366-6779 or alex.price@masterfiles.com.