Credit management is so much more than credit limits and collections!

For some individuals it is a chosen profession, for others they have kind of just fallen into it. Let's face it, even if someone fell into credit, it has been a choice to stay. I personally fell into credit and would not change one moment about it. I have a fantastic network of credit and career minded individuals that I have served on committees and the local NACM board with, they are my peers and I would consider some of them very good friends. I have attended training seminars, conferences, and been able to ask questions or reach out a hand to help other credit managers with some tough credit ideas. In my mind, we are all in this together.

NACM has made my job more rewarding with their certification programs, and the benchmarks needed to meet along the certification process. Without the tools that NACM provided and a previous manager introducing me to the credit network, I am not sure I would be where I am in my career today or be striving to share the knowledge that I have learned throughout my years in credit.

Why is education important for credit managers? Most credit managers wear many hats ... accounting, financial analysis, legal, secured transactions, banking relationships, fraud prevention and much, much more. For some of the legal and secured transactions, keeping up on local legislation can be tough, but there is a local NACM in many markets, or there is a lot of information on the NACM National website.

If anyone has questions regarding the certification process, please reach out to our affiliate education coaches Lisa Keller, CCE, CGA Lisa@nacmint.com or Georgette Bevan, CCE, CGA  Georgette@nacmint.com

NACM provides classes, seminars, online education and conferences that provide the latest information and newest ideas for managing business credit in today's environment. All the programs support and qualify towards the NACM Professional Certification Program, the most highly recognized and respected credit certification program today.

Some of the upcoming education opportunities are:

• Credit Congress, Phoenix, AZ June 11-13
• Fraud Prevention Seminar, Phoenix, AZ July 26 
• Western Region Credit Conference, Salt Lake City, UT Oct 10-12  

Taking the path to professional certification is a commitment to excellence in credit management, paves the way for career advancement and your ongoing pursuit of knowledge. Our affiliate makes certification simple they even track your education and participation and help complete your paperwork.

The credit management field is a rapidly changing, requiring constant updates to your knowledge base. It is important to keep up to date so that the company is armed with the ability to combat any situation.

My last piece of advice is to get involved, get involved in groups, trainings, meetings, anything. The more a credit manager knows about their field and utilizes their network and education the better decisions they make for their company and team.