Try #2

OK as I went to publish my complete blog post, Cisco internet decided to log me out.  So this will not be nearly as good as it had been.

My main thought (constructive one, at least; I have some issues with each option, but I can deal with those in comments) is that it should be our current clients that help us with screening potential clients.  These women know better than anyone (including us) what it’s like to receive a loan from La Ceiba.  They will be better able to tell potential clients what it’s like, better able to judge which community members will be strong clients.  The community, though they might have some idea what being a LC client is like, can never compete with the firsthand knowledge our clients have.  It is up for discussion whether this is too much to ask of our clients, but I don’t think it is, especially if we make it voluntary, like a recommendation would be, rather than semi-compulsory, like group voting would be.

As far as recommendations go, I would argue that written recommendations are not feasible because literacy is an issue with our clients.  However, I don’t know that a simple spoken recommendation would carry enough weight; we need to find a way to make recommendations a costly enough procedure that they are taken seriously by both current and potential clients.

2 Responses to “Try #2

  • I think this is a good idea, but I worry about the “drama” of a small area like this. If one of our clients doesn’t like one of the potential client for some unknown reason, then wouldn’t our client be able to stop the potential client from getting a loan by simple giving them a bad recommendation? The opposite could occur as well. If a client’s relative or friend wanted a loan, but was in no way able to handle one, couldn’t the client get their friend or relative a loan just by offering a good recommendation?

  • Thanks for the discussion… remember that a bad recommendation would factor but not be the sole factor of the application process. I like the idea of a voluntary recommendation– but I think it would have to be very carefully structured to avoid potential discussion. Will discuss. Thank you!

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