CHAPTER I
THE CREDIT DEPARTMENT
Responsibilities of the Credit Man.
The old saw, “The credit man can make or break a busi- ness,” contains a great deal of truth. Although he will hardly be considered to alone “make” a business or single-. handed to “break” a business, yet he can contribute largely to bring such a condition of affairs to pass, for his is a work of equal importance with that of sales, and one which directly affects the finances of a concern. If he be. over- conservative and curtail sales by his timidity in extending credit, he may deal the business a staggering blow from which it may take months to recover. If he be over-zealous in the granting of credit and blindly allow orders, no mat- ter to whom or of what magnitude, to be shipped, he may tie up the firm’s capital to an alarming extent and place the company in an equally undesirable position.
The heavy responsibility resting upon the shoulders of the Credit Department, should be felt definitely by every one connected with the department. Ever increasing sales are vital to every business, but other factors are also vital, and the sales, therefore, must be watched carefully. Fi- nancial statements must be secured regularly, studied and
compared carefully, and the manner of payments watched
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