-Music Dealers-

Music Dealer Resources


TRAF Group has more than 30 years of solid, bottom-line accounts receivable experience and consistently delivers results that outperform industry standards on Rental and Lease Programs for School Music Dealers.

Our services are always custom tailored to meet each individual client's specific needs and performance-related requirements. We know how concerned you are with the reputation of your company within the community and your customer base. Our highly-trained and experienced collection specialists and support staff will always conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner that is fully compliant with all current FDCPA, UCC, HIPAA, FCRA, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) laws. We are fully licensed and bonded.

TRAF Group reports to the three national Credit Reporting Agencies:

• Experian • TransUnion • Equifax

Credit America

Credit America's services are designed to be used early in the revenue cycle to reduce your Days Sales Outstanding and internal billing costs while preserving your hard-earned, customer goodwill. From first-party call center operations to flat-fee precollection programs, Credit America can custom design a program to meet your needs.

A-1 Collection Service

A-1 Collection Service is a leader in accounts receivable management solutions. We are a full-service, national agency serving companies of all sizes and industries, such as finance, healthcare, education, retail, commercial, government, utility, and telecommunications. Our collection specialists are among the 5% grouping nationally of Certified Professional Collection Specialists through ACA International.

There are numerous advantages associated with working with TRAF Group to develop a more effective, single-source solution for all your accounts receivable (A/R) management needs.

• Turn outbound call center operations into inbound
• Retain 75% to 95% of past-due rentals
• Reduce your Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
• Minimize your billing costs
• Maximize your cash flow
• Save as much as 30% to 50% on your internal A/R costs
• Select from a wide range of A/R services:
    - Call center operations
    - Early-out, precollection programs
    - Traditional third-party collection services 
    - A/R clean up and backlogs
    - Credit Reporting
    - Litigation Services
• Enjoy unlimited access to a professional Solutions Team backed by
more than 30 years of A/R management expertise
• Take comfort in the ease and convenience of working with just
one vendor for all your A/R management needs

We offer rates that are competitive while providing your accounts with consistent, knowledgeable, and expert attention. You can be assured that whatever your needs, we will exhaust every effort possible on each and every account to yield the maximum recovery results.

LEARN MORE NOW!
Contact TRAF Group by email or phone:
mfarrell@trafgroup.org
T800.718.4833
T609.771.1690
T609.771.8481

 


Tri-Tech Users


For Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. Users:

TRAF Group , Inc. has teamed with Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. to offer you complete accounts receivable management solutions to assist in managing past-due rentals and receivables.

THE BENEFITS:
• Seamless, integrated account information upload
provided by Tri-Technical Systems, Inc.
• Your renter pays you directly
• You keep 100% of all recovered monies
• One flat fee per account ($7.20)
• You retain complete control of your A/R
• No customer alienation
• You save 30% to 50% on internal billing costs

THE SERVICES:
• First-Party Call Center Services
• Flat Fee Pre-collection Services
• Bulk Skip Tracing
• Traditional Collections (ASK HOW TO COLLECT FOR FREE!)
• Credit Reporting

To learn more about our Accounts Receivable Management Solutions, contact the TRAF Group at:
TRAF Group, Inc.
101 Grovers Mill Road, Suite 303
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
T: 800-718-4833
T: 609-771-1690
F: 609-771-8481
mfarrell@trafgroup.org


Music Dealer Testimonials

“Thank you for the most recent progress report for Robert M. Sides Family Music Center on your Credit America and A1 credit management programs.  Both Denise and I are very pleased with the results we’ve achieved in the 24 months we’ve been working together.  Below, I’ve included some highlights of the first two years of our partnership.

  • Achieved a 70% reduction in the amount of our customers receiving Credit America letter series
  • Retained 93% of our past due rental customers and recovered 160% of the dollars submitted.
  • Increased the number of instruments collected from A1 accounts by almost 50%.
  • Decreased the average dollar amount owed by an A1 account by 16%.

Lisa Johnson, from A1 Collections, and Chris Champion, from Credit America, are professionals, courteous and efficient in providing timely information and updates to our company and our customers. They understand that we value our relationships with all of our clients and reinforce our desire to maintain positive communication throughout our collection efforts. As a result, we continue to recommend the Credit America and A1 programs to others in our industry that are looking to make their business more customer-friendly, more efficient and more profitable.”

Sincerely,
Peter Sides                                                                   Denise Lang
Chief Operating Officer                                                 Credit/Collections Manager

 

“Thanks for your most recent report. I love the RESULTS!

I want to take just a few minutes to thank you for the fine job that you and TRAF Group has done to merge our TRI-TECH delinquent accounts with your system and effectively process these problem accounts. Based on some past negative experiences with collection companies, I had the perception that your sales pitch was just some more ya-da, ya-da. (I guess I'm a bit of a born skeptic).

The process that you have set up and that we have utilized has worked! We're getting paid and I do not have to spend my precious time monitoring the delinquents. You have created a very effective system that has been a great benefit to us.

I would highly recommend your services to any TRI-TECH user. Thanks for your assistance.”

Ray Guntren
Ray's Mid-Bell Music

 

“In response to your asking if we are satisfied with the response we are getting through the TRAF Group, the answer is a resounding YES. We meet every Friday with our collection folks in the store and since we have been using your company we have noticed a big reduction in our collections and past due accounts. Even after 2 phone calls and a Past Due notice from us, your letters get a very good response .I would be happy to recommend you to anyone that has accounts that become delinquent. Also, if you have anyone that would like to speak with me I will be happy to talk with them regarding our satisfaction with your services.”

Dave Teeples
Port Huron Music
Port Huron, MI

 

“We have just started using the program recently and the service is working very well. Some of the advantages of the integration between TRI-TECH and TRAF Group are the ease of sending files through the active E. You just simply push a few buttons each week and the file is sent to TRAF Group's server. What a simplistic approach to manage our delinquent receivables. We are now employing a proactive approach to managing our receivables, and customers call us to rectify discrepancies or make payments, instead of the old reactive approach of chasing customers for payments.  TRAF Group does a National Change of Address search and TRI-TECH updates our file electronically with the new address at no additional cost to us. I would highly recommend the service to any music dealer interested in improving their accounts receivables. Thanks to the staffs at TRI-TECH and TRAF Group for automating what was a very costly and time consuming process.”

Mark Williamson
Williamson Music
Plano, TX

 

“TRAF Group’s integration with our AIMSi software has been a great feature to work with. It’s simple, accurate and cost effective, and it really makes that component of our collection process so much easier to administer. Thanks, guys.”

Joel Menchey
Menchey Music Service, Inc.
Hanover, PA

 

“The best thing about working with the TRAF Group, John Gray, and Tritech is how much more control I now have over my A/R.  That, and the fact that I have collected a lot more money!  It also helps that I have a great relationship with everyone I work with.  I am very happy with my decision to use TRAF Group, John Gray, and Tritech for my collections and I highly recommend them.  Every time I speak to Mike Farrell or John Gray, I thank them.”

Michele Stivalo
Elefante Music
New Providence, New Jersey

 

“I have been using your service for 6 months and I must admit that you performance is A+, and we have not had one single customer complaint.

Thanks for showing us how to drastically improve our cash flow. Every music dealer should be using your service.”

Nick Marino
The Music Shop

 

“Credit America, a division of TRAF Group, was a key ingredient in helping our business reduce the average-days-outstanding on trade receivables by over 30 days. Their service has greatly improved our cash flow while continuing to protect and preserve the good relationships built with our customers.

I highly recommend Credit America to anyone in the music industry or any other line of business that advances credit and wants the benefits of improved cash flow.

Please feel free to contact me at 301-620-4040.”

Sincerely,

Allan J. Greenberg, CFO
Music & Arts Center, Inc.

 

Working with the TRAF group for rental collections is great, because they do the part of the job that is the most difficult--communicating with past-due customers.  The electronic reporting feature that is possible with active-e collections through the AIMsi software is very quick and easy.  I get to focus my attention on current issues--keeping track of the instruments as they go in and out, and sending accurate rental statements when payments are due.  We are doing a better job of communicating with customers when the payments are currently due, so a higher percentage of the bills are being paid on time.  We have confidence in the letter program that Credit America does for us, and find that nearly all past due customers will pay from these letters.  So our problem accounts have become fewer and fewer as time goes on.  We couldn't be happier with the service we have received from the TRAF group!

I enjoyed our conversation, and am excited about the improvements you said we will see with version 8.0 of the AIMsi software.  I really enjoy working with TRAF group, and appreciate how you make my job so much easier.

Sincerely,

Cindy Welman
Hartland Music, Inc.
Hartland, WI


Music Dealer Clients

 Robert M. Sides Family Music Center
Peter & Alysha Sides
Williamsport, PA

Zeagler Music of Baton Rouge
Fred Zeagler 
Baton Rouge, LA

Music & Arts Centers
Alan Greenberg
Frederick, MD

Menchey Music Service, Inc. 
Joel Menchey
                  Hanover, PA                   

Senseney Music, Inc.
 Lori Supinie 
Wichita, KS 
Muncie Music Center
Dave Helms
Muncie, IN

The Music Connection
Barb Oilman
Forest Lake, MN

Draisen Edwards Music 
Barry Draisen
Anderson, SC

Chancellor Music, LLC
Bernard Brown
Fredricksburg, VA

Coast Band Music
Joel Morris
Irvine, CA

De Voe's Music, Inc.
Armand Devoe, Jr.
Lansdale, PA

Port Huron Music Center
Dave Teeple
Port Huron, MI

National Educatonal Music Center
Gene Garb
Mountainside, NJ

Ray's Midbell Music 
Ray Guntren
Sioux City, IA

PM Music Center
Frank & Julie Pampanella
Aurora, IL

Nick Rail Music
Winston Dutton
Redlands, CA

Naperville Music 
Rich Karnuth
Naperville, IL

The Music Showcase
Heather & Andy Ochalek
Brandon, FL

AAA Musical Instruments
Mike Spremulli, Jr
Norwalk, CT

Brindley's Music Center
Sandra Heistand
Chandler, AZ

Fuller Music, Inc.
Wade Fuller
New Bern, NC

Classic Violins
Stefanie Shumanova
Mundelein, IL

The Music Shop
Nick Marino
Boonton, NJ 

The Music Den
Tom Scognamiglio
Kinnelon, NJ

Elefante Music
 Michele Stivalo
    New Providence, NJ

Williamson Music
Mark Williamson
Plano, TX

Gerry's Music Shop
Jim Provost
South Hadley, MA

Bandland  and Percussion Center
   Evan  Jones
  Clarksburg,  WV

 Universal  Melody Service
Bill  Everitt
 Dallas,  TX
Bertrand's  Music Enterprises
   Jeff  Bertrand
   San  Diego, CA
Brighton Music
Jim Botti
                  New Brighton, PA                
Hartland Music Center
Ellen McDonald
                  Hartland, WI                    
Hurst Music, Inc.
  Lee Sable
  Lesington, KY
Taylor's Music Store & Studios
Leonard Doyle
                  West Chester, PA               
Tarpley Music Company, Inc.
John Tarpley
                  Amarillo, TX                    
Meyer Music
  Frank Van Haven
  Grand Rapids, MI
Ellman's Music Center, Inc.
Peter Ellman
                  Naperville, IL               
Instrumental Music Center
Leslie Faltin
                  Tucson, AZ                   
Royal Music Company
  Greg & Paula Lyons
  Bowling Green, KY