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HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF
Thank you to all those nurses who helped the families of hurricane Katrina. Our friends are back in New Orleans and are playing again. They have left their home and lost all of their belongings but they are starting new with a new Jazz band called "The Dent Brothers". They appreciate your kind words, gifts, clothes, gift certificates and money that they have received. The French Quarter is back in business. We are sad to say that we are still missing Lisa Lee. We were unable to locate her. She was a singer in the French Quarter.
THE SECRETS TO BECOMING SUCCESSFUL AS A LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT
There are thousands of RNs all across the country that take Legal Nurse Consulting courses. They then feel confident that they are able to create reports and review records with ease BUT the majority of these nurses are not even getting their FIRST CASE!!
There are several elements needed to become successful as a Legal Nurse Consultant.
HOW TO COLLECT ON A BAD DEBT
There are three ways to collect bad debts. Everyone who has a business will eventually find out what it is like to have a customer who does not pay their debt. You can either collect the debt yourself, get a collection agency to do it for you, or hire an attorney to try to collect on the debt.
You can write off small past-due accounts, try to collect on medium past-due accounts and get an attorney or collection agency as the amounts increase. RN MARKET customers make payments in full and upfront. This keeps the costs low for RN MARKET and collection on bad debts does not seem to be a problem. This also assures that all customers will be "paid in full" when they receive their products or services. Our turn around time is quick. We would be waiting for payment while the customer is waiting to receive their products. However, some businesses can't collect money upfront and will need to wait to receive payment from the customer. This is how debt happens. If the customer is unable to pay, and the product or service has already been received, then the chance of getting paid from the customer decreases. The customer may have used that money for something else and they may not have enough money to pay you what they owe you. You cannot collect on a bad debt from an individual prior to 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless they have given you permission to do so. If they have an attorney handling their debt, you will need to contact their attorney and you are not allowed to contact them. You also can not contact them if you know they have filed for bankruptcy. If the individual is working and you know that they are not allowed to receive calls at work, you can not contact that person at their place of employment without their employer's permission. We would not suggest contacting anyone other than the person that owes the debt or the attorney handling the debt. If they contact you in writing and state that they will not be paying the debt, you are not allowed to contact them except if you decide to file a complaint regarding the debt. Be careful not to harass, abuse or embarrass the client. Don't use offensive language or threaten your client. You need to keep their debt private. If you call the client, you need to let them know who you are. Don't call the client repeatedly. You are not allowed to represent yourself as a lawyer unless you are one. You can't falsely threaten them by saying that they will go to prison or with any action that can not be taken. You can not threaten that you will release information about the client to others to get them to pay. You are not allowed to collect interest on a debt unless it is spelled out in the agreement. You are not allowed to cash a postdated check before the date of the check. You can not send a post card with debt information to a client. How do you collect on their bad debt? You will need to decide when to turn an account over to a collection agency or an attorney. The customer may have needed a few more days and that is why they didn't pay. They may have misplaced the invoice or they may be waiting for you to bill them. It may be easy for you to collect on the past due invoice. If it is not easy to collect, you can turn it over within 30 - 90 days for a collection agency or attorney to collect on. You can bill your clients according to how you normally invoice them. If you have many customers owing you money, you may want to decide if you are explaining your product or service correctly. Are your customers unsatisfied? Is there a reason that these customers are not paying that may be the fault of your company or invoicing system? Check into how you are invoicing your clients and your terms of service before you blame nonpayment on your customer. More people act in good faith, but in every business there are those that don't. If you have a few customers that you need to reach to receive payment, try to reach them in person or on the phone rather than by mail or email. It is best to talk directly to them to see if they paid, when they are going to pay and how much they are going to pay. You need to find out why they have not paid but be careful not to harass them or embarrass them. They may just need a little bit more time than they thought to make the payment. If they are not going to pay and your phone calls are not working, you can also send them a letter and turn their account over to a collection agency or your attorney who will take a fee if they receive payment from the customer. They are able to collect on a bad debt a lot better than you can if the customer decides that they don't want to pay. It will save you time and you will not have to put up with the negativity that comes with collecting bad debts. If you do not want to send it to a collection agency or to an attorney, you can always file suit yourself in small claims court. Small claims court usually has a cap on what you can recover. Usually it is about $1500 plus court costs. First you go to your local state courthouse and let the clerk know that you want to file a small claims complaint. The clerk will usually help you file the complaint. You then pay a small court fee and wait to hear a response. A copy of the complaint is given to the customer via the sheriff. If there is no answer filed within the specified period of time required, you can go back to the court house and get a default judgment against the customer. You will then need to have your default judgment recorded if the judge signs the order. Usually all you will have to do is take a certified copy of your judgment to the property records clerk. You will have to pay a small fee to have your judgment listed on the official record. You now have legal rights to the money that your customer owes you. If your customer does file an answer in time and/or before you file the default judgment, a court date will be set. You will speak first regarding the complaint. Bring documentation to court because it is your word against theirs and documentation will help to determine the outcome of the case. If the judge rules in your favor and the customer has not filed an appeal in the allotted amount of time, the judgment is then final and you can follow the directions to record the judgment. If your customer does file an appeal, you will need to either drop the case or get an attorney to further pursue the matter. If the judge rules in the customer's favor, you can drop the case, or file an appeal. You may want to discuss it with an attorney before filing for an appeal. You may only have two weeks to file for the appeal so you will need to act quickly.
Portions of this section were taken from RN MARKETs Second Edition of "Legal Nurse Consulting, The LNC Marketing Handbook" and "Life Care Planning, The LCP Marketing Handbook".
TECH TALK By Ryan Sanchez
POWERPOINT & FLASH PRESENTATIONS
Presentations are an efficient and eye-catching way to relay information about your business. You can use your presentation while exhibiting, while at an interview, or on your Web site. Which ever way you decide to use it, a good presentation will always make your company look more reputable.
While exhibiting, presentations are good to have on your table because they can be set to run continuously, they make your exhibit more eye-catching, and they can relay information to potential customers who you didn't get a chance to speak to. While at an interview, you can set up your computer to play your presentation continuously while speaking with your potential clients. This is especially useful when talking with several people at once. You can also make a quick slide show presentation to show slides while presenting what you can offer your potential client. Once you decide that you want to use a presentation to market your business, you should consider how the presentation should be made. The most common method used to create and play your presentation uses Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a very powerful software and is very easy to use. Remember, in order to play a PowerPoint presentation that you had created by a professional design, you need to have Microsoft PowerPoint installed in your computer. If you don't have Microsoft PowerPoint installed in your computer, an alternative method to create a presentation uses Flash Animation. Flash is a programming language developed by Macromedia to create interactive animation. Flash animation is used primarily on the Web but can be used off the Internet as well for your presentation. Creating a presentation with this method is more complicated. The advantage of Flash Animation over PowerPoint is that the required player is free. This is useful for those who don't have the funds or resources needed to purchase Microsoft PowerPoint. The last thing to remember is that your marketing reflects your company. A well designed presentation will make your company look professional whereas a poorly designed presentation will make your company look unprofessional. Don't be afraid to hire a professional designer to design your presentation.
Portions of this section were taken from RN MARKETs Second Edition of "Legal Nurse Consulting, The LNC Marketing Handbook" and "Life Care Planning, The LCP Marketing Handbook".
ONLINE STORE
RN MARKET would like to announce the opening of our new, fully functional online store. Feel free to browse through our new store to learn more about our products or to make a purchase. There is also extra information about us, our products, and our production process on the left menu of the store. Visit our store by going to www.RNMARKET.com and clicking the online store link on our home page.
SEMINARS, UPCOMING CONFERENCES, AND SPEAKING EVENTS
We will be speaking and/or exhibiting at these conferences.
February 23 & 24, 2006 in Tampa, Florida at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. RN MARKETs MARKET FOR SUCCESS Contracts & Fee Schedules Workshop. Comes with a FREE "Contracts & Agreements CD". Limited Availability. Will sell out. Click Here for more info.
February 25 & 26, 2006 in Tampa, Florida at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. Indulge A Luxury Champagne Conference By RN MARKET. Click Here for more info.
Other conferences will be announced in our future newsletters.
2005 Edition "The Expert Witness Handbook" By Dan Poynter, Now in at RN MARKET
We are now selling the 2005 Edition of "The Expert Witness Handbook". Whether you plan on becoming an expert witness or not, it is a great reference to have. Veronica uses it over and over again. There is a sample contract in it that can guide you when making your own contracts. Of course, always make sure an attorney goes over any contracts which you make yourself. You asked for the new edition, you got it!! We have many in stock but they sell out quickly, order your copy today either at our on-line store or by phone 813 810-0106.
"Legal Nurse Consulting, Principles and Practice" Edited By Patricia Iyer, Now in at RN MARKET
We are now selling "Legal Nurse Consulting, Principles and Practice" at our on-line store or call to purchase at 813 810-0106. The Core Curriculum every Legal Nurse Consultant should have.
RN MARKET's New Edition Books
"Legal Nurse Consulting, The LNC Marketing Handbook" and "Life Care Planning, The LCP Marketing Handbook" are now available for purchase. These Second Editions Include:
Order your copy today either at our on-line store or by phone 813 810-0106.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Web site renewals due
Important: Several people have missed their due dates to renew their Web sites. We try to contact you in time but are not able to reach some of you. If you have a Web site that we created, contact us for your due date if you are unsure. You can also renew early so you don't have to worry about the due date. Ask us to send you your STATS.
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SIDE BAR
Pre-register for Indulge, A Luxury Champagne Conference in Tampa, Florida in February 2006 before the registration fees increase. See below or click here for the details.
Go to www.LNCFirm.com and let us know what you think of the new look.
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| RN MARKET NEWS, www.RNMARKET.COM 219 N. Excelda Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33609, Phone (813) 810-0106 Fax (813) 873-2334 email us: info@RNMARKET.COM
Copyright 2005 by Veronica Castellana of RN MARKET LLC, Tampa, Florida. All rights reserved under law. No part of this work may be reproduced, written or electronically, without permission in writing from Veronica Castellana of RN Market. Copies may be made for review and personal reading purposes only. To unsubscribe, respond to this newsletter and place unsubscribe in your subject area.
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