Mountain States Commercial Credit Management Blog
Stay informed with the latest news from Mountain States Commercial Credit Management
Collection Agencies: Friends or Foes?
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If you have heard anything about commercial collection agencies, chances are it was not necessarily positive. Maybe you heard collection agencies are expensive or their employees ruthless — or perhaps that they are simply unnecessary. As a result of these misgivings, collection agencies often suffer poor reputations. However, these agencies and the professionals their directors… |
Know the Red Flags of Credit Management
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A credit report evaluation is a good first step in your credit review process, allowing you to see if a new customer is worth the risk. It can certainly offer valuable information, but to take this review a step further, you’ll need to look at the company’s financial statement as well. You’ll get a more… |
We’re Heading to Chicago!
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Will you be attending the Credit Research Foundation (CRF) Expo Monday, Aug. 8, through Wednesday, Aug. 10, in Chicago? Jack Tootill and Tom Claybaugh will be at the Mountain States Commercial Credit Management (MSCCM) booth, ready to discuss all things credit! Keep up to date on industry trends, prepare for what may be coming your… |
3 Ways to Monitor Your Financial Supply Chain Health
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As times have changed and the credit industry has evolved, the role of credit managers has changed, too. Credit managers and business owners adopt different perspectives to ensure their businesses will be able to survive in changing markets. One way to get in on their perspectives is to manage your business’s financial supply chain. Managing your… |
Learn Why You Need to Understand Your Financial Supply Chain
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When we think about credit management, it’s easy to get focused on the day-to-day operations of sending invoices and collecting payments. It can be hard to see the forest through the trees, so to speak. But if the recession of 2008 taught credit managers and business owners anything, it’s that they need to be prepared… |
Your Procurement Department Needs Credit Data, Too
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Where is the risk in your business? Credit managers know that credit reports are one of their most useful tools for managing risk. Ongoing monitoring of customers’ credit reports provides valuable data for deciding which customers are your best bets for prompt payments and ongoing sales. But risk doesn’t come just from the customer side… |
How Should You Respond When a Customer Asks for Extended Payment Terms?
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Throughout history, credit terms and the way they’ve been offered have changed depending on the strength of the economy. For example, during the Great Recession, many credit managers found that their commercial customers needed extended time to pay their invoices. Businesses and individuals alike struggled to survive in the difficult reality of the stagnant economy…. |
To Get More On-Time Payments, Make Collections a Priority
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Have you ever procrastinated on a work task — even if it was important? We’re guilty, too. Procrastinating is common, especially with tasks we don’t like. All kinds of theories seek to explain why, but chances are it’s not because you’re lazy. Many researchers believe there are underlying psychological reasons1 for avoiding certain tasks: We fear… |
4 Invoicing Best Practices Keep Payments Coming In
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Imagine this: You check your books and find that a customer is late with a payment. You contact the accounts payable clerk and realize the company didn’t pay because your invoice was wrong. Now you have to rebill the customer — a rework process that costs you time and money. And to top it all… |
What Happens When Your Customer Declares Bankruptcy?
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This spring, the consulting and research firm Deloitte produced a report that revealed a shocking statistic: As many as one-third of all oil and gas producing companies are at risk for bankruptcy in the coming year.1 Analysts at Reuters explained that although oil producing companies have been able to weather the downturn thus far, most… |