Extra Credit

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! No matter what you do for a living, nothing compares to your first day on the job. For the first week or two, your enthusiasm and curiosity are at an all-time high.  Over time, however, that feeling can subside, and if not maintained, can leave professionals disengaged and unmotivated to work.  Employee engagement and motiv...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Timing of payments during construction projects can be complicated as money flows through all the different parties involved. At times, slow payment can lead to customers paying late as they await their own payment from the general contractor.  Connect with us on LinkedIn: @ Nacm-National @ FCIB

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! AI companies are paying up for new AR hires—what are they looking for? AI is rapidly changing the future of credit, collections and accounts receivable. A recent $250K+ AR job posting from a leading AI company specifically sought experience using AI and large language models (LLMs) within finance operations. What does that...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! As new technologies give way to more advanced forms of check fraud, it is important that credit managers reevaluate fraud prevention measures. From learning the red flags to establishing a procedure to follow when a customer exhibits suspicious behavior, the strongest defense against fraud is a multifaceted one.  Connect wi...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! When it comes to construction credit, there is nothing more critical, or complex, than contracts. With so many unique terms and contract language shaping each project, it is important that credit professionals know what’s headed their way at the onset.  Connect with us on LinkedIn: @ Nacm-National @ FCIB

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Construction credit managers know the importance of a completed job information sheet and the added protection the sheet offers by making the preliminary notice process easier. While the benefits are clear to those in credit, customers may not understand why they need to complete them.  Connect with us on LinkedIn: @ Nacm-N...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Though immensely rewarding, business credit is fraught with hardship, from economic uncertainty to unforeseen crises. Without a clear path forward, people can feel disorganized to the point that they not only feel lost but adrift in their work. Like an anchor stabilizing a ship, credit leaders offer support and guidance to...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Rising global tensions are adding to existing challenges, including higher input costs and thinning profit margins. A surge in crop production in 2025 driving prices down combined with ongoing tariff pressure, has left the agricultural economy in a difficult position.  Connect with us on LinkedIn: @ Nacm-National @ FCIB

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Mechanic’s lien laws are the bedrock of the construction credit field, offering credit managers protection as they await payment during long projects. As credit managers work in multiple states, they will encounter two distinct types of liens: full price liens and unpaid balance liens. While both offer protection, it is cri...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! When a credit professional retires or leaves a company, the organization is not just losing a valuable team member—it is often losing unparalleled knowledge and expertise. Transferring what took years to learn requires time, patience and a willingness to share and receive.  Without a proper succession plan, credit departmen...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Artificial intelligence, or AI, has taken on a life of its own, integrating itself into almost every facet of our professional and personal lives. What started as a tool to research customers and draft letters has evolved into a means of streamlining various credit functions.  However, AI is only as useful as the informatio...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Credit card fraud has loomed larger in the business credit community in recent years, whether it’s during counter transactions or online ordering. As fraud evolves with advancing technologies, it is more important than ever that credit teams learn how to effectively spot and stop it wherever it may rear its head. Connect wi...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Credit leaders are constantly making decisions on behalf of their customers, teams and companies. With the right technology and data combined, they can find more accurate solutions more efficiently. Why it matters: Overreliance on digital solutions can quietly erode confidence and weaken critical thinking. By exercising sou...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! For many credit departments, the pursuit of stronger practices and better performance is a constant and ongoing effort. As economic and market trends fluctuate, the need for improvement only grows. Through benchmarking—comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices—credit teams are...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! In the credit profession, strong customer relationships aren’t just a nice-to-have—they’re essential. From the first conversation to the final payment, the strength of those connections can make the difference between delayed receivables and dependable cash flow. Especially in uncertain economic times, trust and communicati...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Having a customer that pays on time and represents a large portion of your earnings may be a dream for the sales team, but when too much revenue sits with one customer, it can create vulnerabilities in otherwise healthy portfolios. While a consistent, large customer can be good for business, sudden changes to their payment...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Business-to-business credit management can sometimes be viewed as a behind-the-scenes function, focused solely on risk control and compliance. Yet the true role of the credit profession reaches far beyond internal processes. Each day, credit professionals apply their expertise to support growth, build lasting relationships...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Career development is the key to long-term success within any profession. In a rapidly changing field like business-to-business (B2B) credit, professional advancement is essential. Yet not all professionals know how to advocate for it, and not every organization prioritizes it. Without meaningful support, both professionals...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Leadership is often associated with job titles or years of experience, but the truth is, most people demonstrate leadership long before they even receive a promotion.  Credit professionals, in particular, go beyond account management—making decisions that influence cash flow, customer relationships, risk management and cros...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Noticing your customers troubling habits is one thing, but finding the root cause of the issue and a long-term solution that protects your company’s interest while maintaining a strong customer relationship takes time and dedication. Root cause analysis is the process of researching a problem to identify and treat the under...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Effective negotiation goes beyond “winning” an argument; it’s about reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. No matter how conflicting each party’s interests may seem, the right negotiation tactics help credit professionals increase the likelihood of finding a resolution while also mitigating risk and preserving the relati...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a powerful catalyst for growth, enabling organizations to innovate faster, operate more efficiently and unlock new opportunities across almost every part of business. As the expert system evolves, more credit professionals are looking to adapt, or at least explore, what it...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Everything in life is a balance—an even distribution of weight that allows someone or something to remain upright and steady. Without balance, even the strongest structures falter. In credit management, the same principle applies.  For credit professionals, major decisions are not driven solely by numbers or intuition, but...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! Working in credit management requires a keen eye for strange customer behavior, whether it’s a customer whose payments have slowed or a company you’ve had an increasingly hard time getting on the phone. But even the most eagle-eyed credit professional will have customers abruptly shut down without warning. Your first instin...

Tell us what you love about Extra Credit and what topics you want covered! No aspect of credit management epitomizes the give-and-take nature of your relationship with your customer quite like disputes and deductions. Whether it’s a complaint about an erroneous charge on a bill or items left unaccounted in your order, deductions and disputes can consume a lot of your time as a credit manager, whic...