Credit and sales teaming up to gather job information 

Gathering job information for a construction project is critical to the work of a credit manager, collecting pertinent information on the customer and the key players in the project so that you understand the degree of risk incurred as you embark on a project. While this process is intrinsically tied to the work and concerns of a credit manager, the responsibility of gathering information can also fall on the sales team.  

By the numbers: According to an eNews poll, 52% of credit managers find that gathering job information is a joint effort between credit and sales teams, followed by 31% finding that it is solely the sales department and 17% find it is credit that obtains the information.  

Why it matters: The process of gathering job information looks different at every company, and the joint effort between credit and sales could see different tasks doled out between the two departments.  

Due to their close contact with the customer, the sales team is often responsible for gathering job information, while the credit department focuses more on verifying it. “When the sales team sends over the information to us, we double-check everything and if there are additional questions, missing information or details we’re not clear about, we work with the sales team to make sure that the information is accurate,” said Samantha Seegert, CBA, credit manager for McNaughton-McKay Electric Company (Maumee, OH). “We are usually clarifying whether the work is nontaxable or the exact address for the owner and the general contractors.”  

The process of gathering information can also be shaped by the public information laws in the state in which the project is based. “We rely a lot on our sales team in states where there is less public information available online,” said Carl Davidson, director of credit and collections for Blue Water Industries (Jacksonville, FL). “For example, in Florida, I can pretty much get all the job information online, but in North Carolina it’s a little more difficult. So obviously, we rely a lot more on our sales team in North Carolina than we do our Florida team, but it’s always a joint effort.” 

No one person or department is solely responsible for gathering job information, it is more likely a shifting responsibility shaped by the unique circumstances of a project. It is critical that you take the time to get to know your sales team so that you can work together efficiently to gather job information, whether you are getting the preliminary details of a project or triple-checking the exact address of the general contractor. 

“I encourage credit managers to get to know their sales team so that it’s more like a friend helping a friend rather than a coworker helping a coworker,” Davidson said. “It helps to know their work styles so you know how much time it may take them to get you the information. You may know that if you send it to one salesperson you are going to get a response within a day while another might take a week.”

The bottom line: Having an established procedure for gathering job information is important, but having a strong working relationship with your sales team is critical. Having a strong relationship allows your two departments to assist one another and work towards the shared goal of learning everything you can about a project, helping you efficiently serve customers and ensure payment at the end of the day.