 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
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 |
|
|
 |
Tip of the Week
Every week we send a free e-mail on a practice, technique, or strategy used by successful credit executives. The tips are short, to the point, and cover a wide range of topic areas but are all highly relevant to those managing credit, collections, or accounts receivable. To sign up for our Tip of the Week, use the sign-up form on the right. We value your right to privacy, and will never sell or share your email address with others, nor will we ever send you spam. Unsubscribe instructions are included with every tip you receive. Find the archives of the Tip of the Week below.
|
What's Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch?
Not long ago, a question was posed on Credit Today's listserv, inquiring what others' "30 second elevator pitch" was. A 30 second elevator pitch is just that - a quick summary of what you do for someone who probably isn't familiar with your job. Some of the keys to an elevator pitch are: . . .
keep reading
|
Battle of Forms
Norman Traffic Controls needed a new customized printed wire board, and the request for quotes the company sent out to several potential suppliers stated that any purchases would be by means of purchase orders, the terms and conditions of which would override any inconsistent terms in the offer. In response, Bates Electronics mailed an offer to sell Norman 20 boards for $1,900 apiece, to be delivered within six weeks. The offer contained a 90-day warranty and provided that the terms of the offer would take precedence over any terms proposed by Norman. . . .
keep reading
|
Selling to Non Creditworthy Accounts
At one California high-tech company, where (as we noted in an earlier issue) customer visits are regarded as investments rather than expenses, there is keen interest in seizing the sales and profit potentials available from properly crafted relationships with "non creditworthy accounts." "Controlled sales to selected non creditworthy accounts under the right conditions can be a source of incremental profitability." is how this company's written credit policy put it. . . .
keep reading
|
Goal-Setting Ideas for Credit Staff
Do you struggle to find the right kinds of goals for your staff? The best goals are not easily achieved, but also are not so tough that they are unreachable. Here are some ideas for goalsetting: . . .
keep reading
|
How to Change a Slow-Paying Customer to CIA
Last week on our listserv, a Member asked for an example of a letter to notify a customer that her company was changing its terms with the customer to cash-in-advance because of slow payments and a lack of integrity. She also wondered whether such a letter should be sent via "regular mail" or email. This is a common occurrence for all in credit and can be handled with a simple letter. We'll give an example shortly, but there are a number of important principles surrounding such a letter. . . .
keep reading
|
Negotiation Skills Are the Key to Collections
As you make collection calls each day, it can be easy to forget that you are negotiating with people and not just talking at them about debts. A collection call is not just an ordinary conversation in which your attention can move in and out without affecting the outcome of the call. It is an active negotiation that requires full attention in order to do the best job for both your company and your customer. . . .
keep reading
|
So Many Passwords You're Crying For Mercy? Here's Help!
By Rob Lawson
I resisted it for a long time. When I first heard about RoboForm, a program that keeps track of all my logins and passwords, I thought "What - a program that requires ANOTHER password to enable me to keep track of the rest of my logins and passwords?" . . .
keep reading
|
Case Study: What to Do When Credit Group Confidentiality Is Breached by an E-Mail to Sales
The following is an actual occurrence, but we have changed the names to ensure confidentiality: Bill McCloud, the director of credit for a national electronics manufacturer, encountered a problem with the confidentiality of credit group information. He took Fred, another credit manager from a subsidiary, to his regular credit group meeting. During the meeting, some very negative information about one of their major customers was discussed. The next day, Fred sent e-mail to several of the company's regional sales . . .
keep reading
|
Legendary Investor's Advice for Credit Analysts
One of our favorite reads is the quarterly report of the Third Avenue Value Fund, run by famed value investor Marty Whitman. Whitman invests in the style of the late Ben Graham, Warren Buffett's mentor back in the 1950s. While Whitman's main angle is finding good investments, he is at heart a credit analyst. He likes good balance sheets and that forms the foundation of his analysis and much of the secret of his long-term success. . . .
keep reading
|
Lessons From a $4,000 Mistake
From bitter experience, a friend of ours tells us, he learned about some of the problems associated with selling on open account internationally. When his company received an order from a foreign government, he requested and received an irrevocable, confirmed letter of credit (L/C) for approximately $4,000. This L/C was intended to cover the $3,000 cost of the product plus $1,000 in airfreight. When their merchandise arrived at their freight forwarder, there were some unexpected problems and the airfreight cost jumped to $2,500. . . .
keep reading
|
Fraud: We're ALL Situationally Honest
By Rob Lawson
A few weeks ago I wrote about the fraud triangle - the concept that, for a fraud to occur, three things must be present: Opportunity, Pressure, and Rationalization. That helps offer up a framework to understand the psychology of fraud, something important for anyone in credit. This week we'll cover a second concept in the fraud arena - "situational honesty." . . .
keep reading
|
|
|
|
 |
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!
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
February 2012
|
|
| S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Webinars
