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Our Subscribers Say...
I think Credit Today is fantastic. You cover many practical topics in the credit field that I use regularly. Just one recent example—a conversation on the ListServ about preferential payments—gave me tips that I used in an actual case. The specific information I picked up from this one discussion saved me $10,000, enough to cover my membership for many years!
- Steve Savino
Manager of Credit & Collections, ASSA Abloy Americas Division, New Haven, CT
Credit Today's Resource Directory and their online e-mail forum (ListServ) provide information on almost any credit-related topic you can think of. It is a great way to exchange information with other credit professionals. As the saying goes, "You don't know what you don't know."
- Scott Goen,
Credit Manager, Big Lots Stores, Inc., Wholesale Division
"We've recently started using the ListServ tool within Credit Today. This is phenomenal and powerful forum for gaining immediate feedback, ideas, and suggestions, relative to any credit topic under the sun, all in a real-time e-mail format."
-Javier Vela, Senior Credit Manager, Global Credit Services, JDA Software Group Inc.
"Being a part of the Credit Today online community is like having the expertise of hundreds of credit managers at your fingertips. These credit execs are willing to help you solve topical business issues as they arise. In the current environment of ever increasing competing priorities which reduce our opportunities to meet peers out of the office face-to-face, this is the most valuable tool you can have on your desktop! It's important that we have a mechanism to reach out to our counterparts quickly to exchange knowledge as well as to stay on top of industry trends."
- Victoria Artis, Director of Customer Financial Services, Pfizer, Inc.
"Over the last 10 years I've seen Credit Today evolve from a monthly credit publication into a quality source of information and guidance for the B2B credit community. The website, with its user friendly form downloads, will take you from examples of new account credit applications to bankruptcy forms and everything in between.
The Credit Today ListServ has become the pre-imminent online forum, providing an opportunity for discussion and comments (and occasional humor) from an impressive list of credit professionals."
David Dungan, Director of Credit
Justin Brands, Inc. (A Berkshire Hathaway company)
Fort Worth, Texas
"There are numerous credit periodicals available to the credit professional today. How good is Credit Today? Is it relevant? I always have to read it late, or online because my credit analysts want to read it the minute it comes in. When my staff wants to read a publication before I have a chance to read it then something is working in that publication. We have cancelled our other subscriptions. When you have the best you do not need the rest."
Ron Woods
Corporate Credit Manager-World Wide
Thales Navigation, Inc.
"The newsletter, coupled with the website and the ListServ, are to us, more valuable than any other credit publication, bar none. I try to use at least one article out of each newsletter for departmental training/discussion sessions."
D. Mark Constantine
Corporate Credit Mgr
Fulton Paper Company
"I love Credit Today and read every issue cover to cover. For me, the greatest perk of a subscription is ListServ. I believe Credit Today's ListServ members may be the most knowledgeable Credit brain trust in existence today. I have saved and categorized hundreds of contributions on a wide variety of topics which I refer to often. It's an easy and cost effective way to network and learn."
Doug M. Thomas
Kimberly-Clark Customer Financial Services |
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What Makes the Perfect Credit Manager?
What would be the attributes of the ideal credit manager? One veteran professional we know lists these:
- Being analytical and understanding the meaning of the figures that appear on financial statements. He or she should understand the data that created the figures and be able to compare different statements to discern a trend.
- Understanding federal, state and local laws that affect credit in his or her area. Reliance on UCC alone is not enough. It is possible that certain acts by the creditor will create liability in certain jurisdictions.
- Being a good negotiator. He or she should be people-oriented and have a genuine interest in working with people.
- Being an independent thinker, able to reach a sound decision based on facts. The ideal credit manager is not someone who is dependent on the attitudes of others toward a particular customer.
- Being able to work with the hand that is dealt--in other words, he or she must learn to accept situations as they are and work from there. Wishful thinking never changed anything.
Credit Management Portal
Unparalleled resources to help you with all aspects of the credit function: partnering with sales, reducing DSO, efficient ways to manage A/R, credit reporting resources, how today's credit leaders are solving problems, best practices in all phases of the quote to cash process...
Check out Credit Today's
Credit Management Portal
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- Being aware of environmental issues. If a customer is harming the environment, and you sell the company products, you could be liable for any environmental clean-up that might arise.
- Being a take-charge person. Just like Harry Truman, the credit manager should believe that, as far as credit is concerned, the buck stops here. No group decisions!
- Having integrity. Business ethics have come in for heavy criticism in recent years, and it behooves the credit manager to see that his or her reputation is above reproach.
- Being a deal maker--someone who can take a hodgepodge of seemingly unrelated facts and craft a credit decision that will allow the company to make a doubtful sale, and collect what is due, when it's due.
- Being a good actor--one able to take on whatever character is necessary to impress customers and convince them that he or she is their most reliable source of help in time of need.
Editor's Note: The above article originally appeared in the Credit & Collection Manager's Letter, a newsletter purchased by Credit Today in 2006. This article originally appeared prior to 2000.
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Outlook 2012
This month's survey explores...
- What the top problems are facing credit execs currently, and
- What the top improvement initiatives are.
Click here to participate!
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