The Washington herald., 1913-01-19


counting he is a student with an analytical
mind, and as rule he is tactful and can
read human nature to the extent of deter
mining when, a man Is telling him the truth
or Is '' blufiinS" and, Of course. the lawyer
has the necessary knowledge Of law.
Then. too. the credit man must be a good
correspondent: not fair one. but good. BacI
Of this must be intimate knowledge OF the
man TO whom he writes-even more than a
knowledge Of the conditions IN and around
the mans buEness. Often the value Of the
letter he writes is entirely dependent upon
the way he sizes up the character OF the ad-
dresee. The credit department has the least
use Of all for form letters. One tactless
word IN a single letter may not only make It
dificult to collect an outstanding account but
also drive away that account to a competitor
although the good credit men these days
do not consider the possibility of a compet-
itor getting the account Their Judgment is
and should be Independent OF that influence
They must confne the basis OF their tudg
ments to fundamentals. Whether or not a
competitor might get an account that will
prove profitable II he doesn't take It never
enters the mind Of an efficient credit man
Invariably when this element doee influence
the acceptance or the rejection Of an account
or an order. the credit man boosts the
percentase Of ios--by which his efficiency
to a great extent IL gagged
Must Be Law Unto Himself.
HIS mind must be so trained that he will
not be Influenced by anything but funda-
mentals. He must feel that he Is a law unto
himself. Interference on the part Of other
officers Of the business usually hampers
more than It helps his work. both in the mat
ter OF refusal and the acceptance OF definite
risks and the adoption Of general policies.
And this IL another reason why the credit
mans job 10 . good one. He must be the
caliber Of man that commands the unwaver-
ing confidence OF all the other men in a busi-
ness, especially the statesmen and the sales
manager with whom he works as closely
as he does with the financial head OF his
firm: II. indeed. he himself be not that fnan-
cial head. as Is frequently the case.
The credit man must be Of an unwavering.
to weigh al facts. essential along with nom
essential, and straddle the fence a long time
before he lines up on one side or the other
had better avoid the credit department,
where the big pay work consists OF a con-
slant succession Of decisions, rapid but not
hasty. quick yet based upon specific facts
present, past. and future, and made in the
light Of the credit mans general knowledge
of his own business, his customers business
and trade conditions and prospects in the
immediate locality Of his customers busI-
ness.
II young man aspires to be a credit man.
let him first be sure he is a student with a
knack for digging deep below superficial
appearances. His main task is to recognize
artificial and superficial and false appear
ances when he meets them-and the average
credit man meets plenty Of them! And LET
him resolve TO put in more than the average
number Of years In a probationary capacity,
preferably In the credit department of a big
concern At the same time let him study
commercial law and business finance and
accounting methods. and the relative values
Of the various sources of information as
TO the financial standing of business con-
Germs; also the most practical methods Of
keeping the essentials OF all this information
with respect to each customer readily ac-
cessible-and let him in season and out study
human nature. for. before all else, a credit
man must be good Judge intuitiveiy Of the
intentions and the motives of men