How to start a recon conversation?

[Anonymous]

What are some great opening lines when calling backdoor numbers for reconsideration upon denial? When the rep says "how nay I help you" I always seem to be lost for words eve though I practiced before hand. I think a good opening line probably is the key to a successful recon.

[Creditaddict]

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@Anonymous wrote:

What are some great opening lines when calling backdoor numbers for reconsideration upon denial? When the rep says "how nay I help you" I always seem to be lost for words eve though I practiced before hand. I think a good opening line probably is the key to a successful recon.

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The trick is to make yourself feel like the only reason they have a job is to give you credit (in a nice non superior way) but I say that because I find when you feel powerful, and feel worthy, and can speak clearly to the good and bad points of your credit, and not come across all nerveous and unsure of yourself it will help them trust and believe in you too!

[joedtx]

Great topic, those of you who have made multiple recon's can share some great pointers. What to do and what not to do.

[CreditCuriosity]

I beieve start out with nice little chit chat with the anayst... Such as how are you doing today,  oh the weather is great or bad whatever out here, etc.  Try to connect with them on some sort of personal level as most people are human and want to talk about other stuff than work aka recons as well. Once you shoot the crud with them for a few minutes get to the point and state your reason of calling and sound confident along with pointing out the positives in your credit profile and why you should be approved and don't feel afraid to address any negatives being baddies or higher than normal inquiries and be ready to answer why you might have 10 inquiries in the last 6 months or year or whatever such as you have been rebuilding or X, Y , Z card didn't fit your needs thus this is why you see these accounts closed as well within the last 6 months..  Along those lines.  Recons I have done alot of, some success and some failures.  I honsetly believe a credit analyst only can do so much, yes they can turn over a denial in some cases, but not all cases even if they wanted to.  Just my 2 cents.

[dodgerslv]

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@CreditCuriousity wrote:

I beieve start out with nice little chit chat with the anayst... Such as how are you doing today,  oh the weather is great or bad whatever out here, etc.  Try to connect with them on some sort of personal level as most people are human and want to talk about other stuff than work aka recons as well. Once you shoot the crud with them for a few minutes get to the point and state your reason of calling and sound confident along with pointing out the positives in your credit profile and why you should be approved and don't feel afraid to address any negatives being baddies or higher than normal inquiries and be ready to answer why you might have 10 inquiries in the last 6 months or year or whatever such as you have been rebuilding or X, Y , Z card didn't fit your needs thus this is why you see these accounts closed as well within the last 6 months..  Along those lines.  Recons I have done alot of, some success and some failures.  I honsetly believe a credit analyst only can do so much, yes they can turn over a denial in some cases, but not all cases even if they wanted to.  Just my 2 cents.

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+1...try to feel out the analyst first by small chit chat. You usually can tell what kind of mood they are in after a couple of words. If they look like they are having a bad day just hang up and see if another person picks up. If they have the power to overturn a denial (e.g. Chase, Barclays, BofA) i feel alot has to do on the mood they are in.

[Anonymous]

I tell them they should feel lucky I am even considering them, and that they have 5 minutes to approve me because i'm calling them from a airphone.

[CreditMagic7]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I tell them they should feel lucky I am even considering them, and that they have 5 minutes to approve me because i'm calling them from a airphone.

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Then they hang up on you

[Anonymous]

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@CreditMagic7 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I tell them they should feel lucky I am even considering them, and that they have 5 minutes to approve me because i'm calling them from a airphone.

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Then they hang up on you

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Only FNBO.

[Anonymous]

I've yet to have a recon conversation, but I have thought about what I would say, and I'm curious to know from the vets (who am I kidding? We all know that by "vets" I mean "Nixon.") whether my approach would be successful.

I'd plan to open up with some chit-chat first - but, be cognizant of time. Frequently, the CSRs have metrics they have to meet with regard to talk time (ie, not too much of it, every minute you are speaking with them is another minute they are unable to help another caller. Remember how long you waited on hold before getting your CSR? Don't contribute needlessly to the problem! Can you tell I work for a call center?) Anyway, take your cue from the CSR about when to segue into the reason for the call, if they don't take control and do it themselves.

I'd probably broach the subject with something like, "I recently applied for X with you, and was surprised to be denied. I was hoping I might speak with someone about it in more detail since the reasons provided were somewhat vague." My thought process is as such: noting surprise shows confidence, that you really deserve the card; it also leaves it open-ended for the rep to talk about the primary reason or reasons for the denial, which you can then address on a point-by-point basis, instead of you guessing at what factors in your report led to the reasons they stated, and possibly digging yourself in deeper by pointing out things they might not have otherwise noticed.

Also, using the word "vague" to describe the denial reason is on purpose. Saying that they were confusing, or that they confused you, will imply you're not an informed consumer, and undermine your confidence. Conversely, using phrasing like "I don't agree with the reasons," our "The denial reasons are wrong," implies an adversarial approach, and puts you the offensive out of the gate. Yes, there is a very psychological component to word choice here! But, you're having a conversation (and you want something from them) not a fight, and you don't have the benefit of a face to face conversation, with all the body language and visual cues that come with it, so tone and word choice are key.

That's my thought process, at least. I'll let you know how it works for me when I have to employ it.

[CraigHwk]

For my most recent recon, the CSP, I simply said "Hi, I'd like to be reconsidered for the CSP card I just applied for".   As they start to take some of my information, I added in "Yah, I have a Freedom with you guys and think it's a great card.  I would love to be able to utilize the point transfer to the great partners you have" which spawned a little conversation about the benefits of the card.  It's good to know some of the deals you're getitng with the card; impress them with your knowledge.  

Smile when you talk so that your voice has that higher piched "Happy sound" when you talk to them.  Seemed to work out good for me.