Ask any seasoned credit and collection professional what keeps them up at night, and you’ll get a knowing smile — the kind that hides years of hard-earned experience. For many in our field, insomnia isn’t caused by caffeine or late-night screen time; it’s caused by the constant awareness that tomorrow’s cash flow may not look anything like today’s.
Credit professionals live at the intersection of optimism and realism. We want our customers to succeed, our sales teams to thrive, and our companies to grow. But when invoices go unpaid and cash reserves start thinning, it’s the credit department that feels the pressure first — and often the most intensely.
Lately, that pressure has been mounting. Between the prolonged government shutdown, global tariff tensions, and tightening credit conditions, even well-run companies are feeling the squeeze. Many credit managers privately admit they’re seeing warning signs they haven’t seen since the early months of the pandemic:
- Customers paying later and communicating less.
- Executives quietly discussing expense freezes or staffing cuts.
- Banks reviewing lending facilities with new caution.
For credit professionals, those signals hit close to home. When corporate leadership starts talking about “reducing overhead,” the credit department can suddenly find itself on the list — even as it’s working overtime to protect cash flow. It’s a cruel irony: the team that keeps the lights on can end up in the dark.
What makes these sleepless nights worse is that so much of the stress is invisible. Credit managers can’t easily share the burden with others because their work sits in a gray zone between finance and sales, diplomacy and discipline. You’re expected to be both tough and understanding, analytical yet empathetic, and calm while everyone else is panicking about collections. That balancing act takes a quiet toll.
But there’s also strength in that awareness. Credit professionals are, by nature, realists — the ones who see trouble coming before it hits. By tightening credit controls, communicating clearly with management, and taking early action with high-risk accounts, credit teams can prevent today’s worries from becoming tomorrow’s layoffs.
So yes, there will always be sleepless nights in credit. But they don’t have to be nights of helplessness. When credit professionals stay proactive, stay informed, and stand their ground, they’re not just protecting the bottom line — they’re protecting the people who depend on it.
Your thoughts and comments (nseiverd@cmiweb.com) are most welcome!
Nancy Seiverd, President
CMI Credit Mediators, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Image by freepik.com
