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If you ever happen to find yourself in a conversation with Rob Grafrath (and believe me, he definitely wants to have a conversation with you), don’t be put off by all of his questions. That’s just his way. You can blame a former boss of his if you want to. It makes sense that he’s great at helping teams get the most out of what they can do, thanks to watching his mentor do the same for more than two decades. Read on to learn more about Rob, how he’s been training for his current gig his whole life, and why, when you do end up meeting him, you better have a story to share.
Name: Rob Grafrath
Job Title: Owner
Company: Grafrath Consulting
Length of time at current company: 4 months
Length of time in industry: 26 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
My wife (fiancée at the time) got a job as an administrative assistant at Nationwide Credit in Mission, Kansas. I needed a job while figuring out what to do with my life, and collection agencies are always hiring. I worked as a collector for a year and a half, then landed a software administrator position at a startup across town, Encore RMI. The rest is history.
What is your career highlight so far?
Starting my own RM tech consulting business. I didn’t know it at the time, but this is what I’ve been training for my whole life.
When or how are you most productive?
When I’m part of a team. Sure, I can do great things on my own, but I’m a team productivity amplifier.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Lee Morris. I’ve had the rare privilege of working with Lee for nearly 20 years. In that time, I’ve always valued his wisdom, appreciated his humor and humility, and respected his pragmatic, hands-on approach. Lee is the kind of executive who doesn’t just lead from the boardroom — he rolls up his sleeves and gets into the trenches with you, scrutinizing the data and processes driving the business. This allows him to make well-informed decisions and spot opportunities for improvement that others might miss. Simply put, Lee does his homework, and it shows.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Being myself. I challenge you to find a better Rob Grafrath. Some other things I’m good at (but don’t have the hubris to say I’m the best) include translating business needs into technical solutions and ramping up quickly on complex systems so I can dive in, modify, and enhance them effectively.
What do you like most about this industry?
I enjoy the eclectic mix of backgrounds and personalities. Nobody dreams of being a debt collector when they grow up. People who’ve made a career in receivables management usually got into the business circumstantially rather than intentionally. I love hearing those stories.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
I wish everyone, especially small agencies, would come out from under their rocks. Depending on who you ask, there are about 6,000 to 7,000 agencies in the U.S. Even the largest conferences only attract a fraction of that number. For every agency engaging with the evolving tech landscape, there are ten more still licking envelopes, making manual calls, and rocking a tech stack straight out of the year 2000. The wasted potential is staggering, but also thrilling for a problem-solver like me, since there are so many easy wins to be realized. Short answer: I wish everyone would attend ARMTech.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
Writing novels! That is, unless I’d still have to pay the bills in this alternate reality. If so, I’d have to pick something else that lets me use my tech skills. I hear Salesforce experts make good money.
Describe a typical work day.
I pull the treadmill out from under my standing desk and start walking while I check my calendar and read the AccountsRecovery Daily Digest. I block out time for working on the business vs. in the business.
In the business = billable work for clients.
On the business = emailing prospects, following up with subcontractors, attending AccountsRecovery webinars (I really should get a kickback for all these plugs), etc.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Peanut butter M&Ms. It’s a problem.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Be a pest — ask questions!
My first job in high school was clerical work at an insurance company. I couldn’t figure out why my manager was frustrated with me — I was working hard and trying to do what I thought she wanted. She was about to let me go but gave me one last chance if I could learn to ask questions instead of making assumptions (which were often wrong). She was busy, and I didn’t want to bother her, but she preferred me to be mildly pestilent rather than do things the wrong way.
Over the years, my questions have gotten more sophisticated, but I’ve never stopped asking them. Don’t presume you know everything. Ask managers, employees, clients, vendors, partners, and even competitors about what they do and what you could be doing better.
What are you currently reading?
“The Memory Project” by Heath Morgan, another sci-fi writer from our industry. I’m beta reading the book to give him some last-minute feedback before his summer release.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
That I want to meet them. All of them. From collectors to presidents, from IT to HR… yes, even HR. Meeting new people and sharing stories has been one of the most rewarding parts of starting my consulting business.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
This reminds me of the ice bucket challenge. There are pages and pages of these on your site, so forgive me if I name anyone you’ve already asked: Lee Morris (since I name-dropped him, he should have the opportunity to seek revenge), Heath Morgan (another name drop), and I’ll throw some other RM consultants’ names out there: Jeremy Mapes, John Everman, Tom Sweat, Marc Savage, Chris Ball, Matt Kiefer, Scott Hamilton, Will Turner, Jon Daane, and Matt Scott.
