In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: The reason you are struggling financially will help determine what avenue you should pursue. Consider the following, which are common reasons people face financial difficulties: Job loss. A job loss might be temporary. If so, you have more options for catching up on your late mortgage payments. Illness or disability. If your illness or disability is permanent, you'll have to consider selling your home. However, if the disability is temporary, you might be able to work with your lender. You can also seek bankruptcy to wipe out your medical debt. Death of a spouse. Unless your spouse had a life insurance policy, your income is probably reduced for the foreseeable future. Reconsider whether you can afford the home. Financial mismanagement. You might be living beyond your means. If so, consider bankruptcy to eliminate credit card debt. In some situations, you can still keep your home. You can find a qualified counselor by contacting your nearest Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office. Alternately, you can call 1-888-995-HOPE. Counseling is free. Talk about your options. For example, you might qualify for assistance through the Hardest Hit Fund, which can help homeowners catch up on their mortgages or modify their loans. If you can't meet with a HUD-approved counselor, then be wary. There are a lot of scammers out there posing as counselors who want to swindle you out of your home. Avoid anyone who charges a fee or wants you to sign over the deed of your house to them. Call their loss mitigation department and explain your situation. Many lenders will work with you to keep you in your house, but you'll have to jump through hoops. You'll have to provide supporting documents and fill out many forms. Your lender wants to make sure you have a legitimate reason for your financial difficulties. Always keep a copy of all documents you provide to your lender. Also keep detailed notes of any telephone conversation. Record the name of who you spoke to, the date, and the substance of the conversation. With a reinstatement, you pay off all overdue mortgage payments and any late fees or penalties. This is a good option if you faced temporary financial difficulties but are now able to make payments. Some lenders might let you pay off overdue amounts on installment, so check. A lender might temporarily reduce your mortgage payments or suspend them. After the forbearance payment, you start back up making regular payments and also catch up on the payments you missed. Your lender might be willing to alter the terms of the loan. If so, you can often lower your monthly mortgage payment, which will allow you to stay in your home. Your lender can modify the loan in several ways: Reduce the interest rate. This will result in smaller monthly payments and will lower the amount you pay in total. Extend the terms of the loan. You can stretch out a 15-year mortgage to 30 years or a 30-year mortgage to 40 years. You'll lower the monthly payment but end up paying more over the life of the mortgage. Add overdue payments to the balance. This is a great way to catch up because overdue payments are stretched out longer. Reduce the amount you owe. Meet with a bankruptcy attorney if your bills are spiraling out of control. They can review your situation and offer tailored advice. You might not have to lose your home in a bankruptcy. Chapter 7. You can wipe out unsecured debt (such as credit card debt) with a Chapter 7. However, you might lose your home in the process unless it has no equity in it or if you can exempt the equity. Your bankruptcy attorney can advise you. Chapter 13. In this bankruptcy, you create a payment plan that lasts three to five years. Any unpaid mortgage payments get added to your payment plan. As long as you stay current on your mortgage, you can stay in your home.
Summary: Identify why you have fallen behind. Discuss your options with a housing counselor. Contact your lender. Reinstate your loan. Ask for forbearance. Check if you can modify the loan. Consider bankruptcy.

Problem: Article: There are three types of closing: hard, medium, and soft. Your closing strategy should be based on your intended outcome and your knowledge of your customer. Prepare a closing in each one of these categories. A hard close requires your customer to respond "yes" or "no." A medium close is more of suggestion. A soft close is a suggestion that makes the customer believe they are acting based on their own free will. If you have an indecisive customer, you may starts with a soft close and then give them a hard close when you follow up. You may say, "Why don't you think about what we discussed today, and I will give you a call Friday morning." When you call Friday morning, you may say, "The deal that we discussed is for a limited only. I need an answer today." If you need an answer from a customer by a certain time period, give them a deadline to act. This is useful if you are offering special discounts or pricing or if you are trying to meet e deadline yourself. Try some of the following: Hard close: "The special pricing ends this week. We need an answer today." Medium close: "The discount is only running through the end of this month." Soft close: "Think about what you want to do, and I will give you a call tomorrow afternoon." Have a pen, a notepad, and a hard copy of the proposal with you when you go to close the deal. The customer should be able to see in writing exactly what they are getting. You should always have your pen in case a customer is ready to sign on the dotted line. If you are not prepared and a customer is ready to close a deal, the customer may be turned off and change their mind. Remember that you are representing your company. You need to look organized and trustworthy. Just because a customer is not interested in buying your product right now does not mean they will not be interested down the line. Work on developing a relationship with the customer to build trust. If a customer likes you personally, they are more likely to buy from you. Offer to take the person to lunch, dinner, or coffee. People are a little more relaxed outside of the office setting. Send your customer an interesting article related to their business or personal interests. For example, if a person was interested in new farming equipment, you may send them a press release about a new product. You can simply send an email saying, "Hi Ashley, take a look at this article. I think it's something you may be interested in. Hope to speak with you soon." When you make eye contact with a customer, you are saying that you are confident and interested in them. If you do not project confidence, the customer will not be confident in what you are selling. You should also smile and maintain a friendly attitude no matter what the customer says. This takes come practice. Practice smiling in all different situations. If someone is kind, irritating, annoying, smile through it.
Summary:
Choose your strategy. Give a time deadline. Come prepared. Nurture a relationship. Smile and make eye contact.