Tag: Business Practices

As a leader in the credit profession, your days can feel extremely fast-paced and filled with so many decisions. However, leadership isn’t just about managing accounts and deadlines—it’s also about staying connected to your team. In the rush of daily responsibilities, one of the most valuable tools a leader can use is often overlooked: feedback from the people they work with. 

The initial investigation into a potential customer’s credit worthiness is an essential step in the credit approval process, singlehandedly signifying the profession’s central goal: extending the right amount of credit that creates profit without introducing too much risk. While many credit managers are used to poring over a customer’s financial statements during this stage, many might not be analyzing as deeply as they could, unintentionally taking on more risk than intended. 

The ability to lead exists in all of us. You don’t need a title to make an impact—it’s about how you show up. But what sets great leaders apart from average ones? Over the past year, we’ve navigated economic uncertainty, from supply chain disruptions to looming trade war threats. During times like these, teams are looking to their leaders for direction.

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) is the most frequently reviewed key performance indicator (KPI) by upper management, representing the average number of days it takes a company to convert its accounts receivable (AR) into cash.

Credit management is a complex, multi-faceted career that relies on a host of cross-functional skills. Each day, credit professionals carefully assess unique problems to create solutions that protect their companies from risk without hindering growth. There is no specific path for a budding credit manager, and they can come from a host of different professional backgrounds.  

It’s no secret that companies across industries are grappling with the ripple effects of shifting supply chains, severe weather events, rising costs and mounting tariffs. This economic volatility can significantly impact businesses by creating unpredictability in customer behavior, supply chains and financial planning. 

Over the past decade, technology has transformed how credit professionals conduct business. Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) have streamlined tedious, manual processes, allowing credit professionals to focus more on strategic, value-added tasks. However, technological advances have also led to an increase in fraudulent activity within business-to-business (B2B) credit.

Whether you are conducting an initial credit investigation on a potential customer or reviewing the credit line for a long-held account, commercial credit reports play an important part in the decision to extend credit to a customer. Despite their usefulness, many companies are hesitant to share their accounts receivable data to commercial credit reporting companies. 

Collecting payment can be a hassle, no matter who you are. There’s nothing more frustrating for B2B credit professionals than collecting payment from customers with outstanding debt. Before thinking of sending a customer to collections—or worse, court—you have the option of sending a demand letter to communicate the severity of the issue and help prompt payment.