Tag: Education

Imagine this: you’re a credit analyst tasked with onboarding a potential new customer. After rummaging through a stack of documents, you find what you’re looking for—their balance sheet. At first glance, the company appears to be financially healthy with a positive working capital of $1 million, a current ratio of 2.00:1 and an acid-test (quick) ratio of 1.00:1.

In business-to-business credit management, credit professionals are constantly moving on to the next task, role or person. This continuous movement keeps them agile, helping them think on their feet and solve problems just as quickly.  

Growth is never linear. Even if two people take the same path, they may arrive at different places. At NACM, we keep this in mind when supporting our members through their professional certification journeys. 

Credit management is often seen as a hands-on, learn-as-you-go profession. Most professionals describe falling into it with little idea of what to expect, only to quickly realize they’re exactly where they need to be. But this profession isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires grit, genuine passion and a specific kind of know-how—best attained by earning a professional certification. 

Education is a vital resource for credit professionals, allowing them to approach their day-to-day work armed with refined expertise, wide-ranging perspectives and newfound confidence.

The longer you work in business-to-business credit, the sooner you realize how interconnected everything is. Over the past few years, more organizations have either started operating or forming partnerships around the world. This investment has not only helped expand businesses, but it’s broadened the overall risk management perspective. 

A thorough credit investigation is a hallmark of a strong approach to extending credit. Learning the ins and outs of a company’s operations, their financials and their ability to pay in a timely manner informs the credit manager on how to best extend credit without putting their company at risk.