Mountain States Commercial Credit Management Blog

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…

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…

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…

Construction projects across the nation — and in Colorado — are picking up as leaders of municipalities of every size are looking to upgrade infrastructure and provide enhanced public services. To finance these major projects, many public agency decision-makers partner with private-sector company leaders. These public-private partnership, or P3, projects provide a growing area of…

Experienced credit managers frequently deal with joint check agreements, and you already probably understand that you need to treat such agreements on a case-by-case basis. But it takes time to gain the experience needed to determine whether a particular agreement will be good or bad for your business. For many teams, it’s helpful to have…

Every year, you see the invitations in your inbox encouraging you to brush up on your knowledge of rules, regulations, and best practices for credit management. And when you attend, you likely do learn something. But for experienced credit managers, are courses worth the time you spend? If you are truly experienced, the answer is…

As an experienced credit manager, you probably know the criteria you use to extend a line of credit like the back of your hand. Your decisions are probably based on deep experience and a highly tuned intuition that you’ve earned over the years. But, despite all your experience, there’s more to it in today’s enterprise….

If you’re like most of us and have filled your car’s gas tank in the last few months, you’ve noticed significant savings; you might have even driven away with a smile. No one minds paying a bit less at the pump. Unfortunately, low gas prices don’t just affect our pocketbooks. They have a profound impact…

Across all industries, accounting departments are facing a common challenge: Experienced workers are heading for retirement, and they’ll be taking their specialized knowledge of credit management and industry-specific accounting and regulatory issues with them. While we can’t blame anyone for planning for the next step in life, there are some strategies your company, and specifically…

Nearly every business experiences a certain level of strain between the sales and credit teams. This conflict happens for a variety of reasons, but it often has to do with poor communication, differences in goals, and a lack of training. However, conflict can be reduced or even eliminated by training your sales team members to think…