Improving Interactions with Your Sales Department

Here are ten ways to improve interactions with your sales department:

Return calls from sales the same day. Typically, sales calls you because their customer is calling them.
Take time to explain your decision making process. Don’t debate the decision, but do make time to explain it.
Avoid accounting jargon. Speak plainly, and make certain the salesperson understands your comments.
Be proactive. Try to notify sales of potential problems with their customers before it becomes an actual problem requiring action by the credit department.
Once a negative decision has been made, such as a decision to hold orders, notify the salesperson before informing the customer.
Invite sales to provide additional information that might enable you to change your mind and reverse a negative decision.
Ask to be made a part of the new salesperson orientation process.
Work proactively. For example, rather than waiting for purchase orders to arrive only to find out that your credit limit is not sufficient, ask each salesperson to tell you the credit limit that each of their customers will need going forward.
Use the resources available to the credit department to pre-qualify potential new accounts, or to help the sales department to prospect for qualified new customers.
Create a mechanism in which the salesperson can appeal a decision they disagree with to your manager

Encyclopedia of Credit