Graydon boss pledges post-departure channel support

Credit referencing agency's outgoing boss will continue to help small dealers with their credit strategies

Martin Williams: Smaller firms need credit education

The head of Graydon UK will continue to help the channel avoid the pitfalls of bad credit management, despite announcing plans to stand down next year.

The credit referencing agency’s managing director, Martin Williams, told CRN that he will continue to work with Graydon post-departure, to deliver training courses aimed at helping SMEs understand credit information.

“There is a great deal of education that needs to be done to help smaller firms get to grips with credit management, especially given the level of economic uncertainty,” he said.

Williams singled out small VARs and PC dealers as prime candidates for credit education. “They tend to focus more on sales and building market share, rather than risk avoidance,” he explained.

“Also, when you are a smaller company, there are not always the resources available to employ someone to look after that part of the business for you.”

Conversely, in the distribution channel, Williams said the approach to credit management is often more “sophisticated and tightly-run”.

He said: “They understand that, because margins are so tight, it only takes a small number of customers to delay payments by 60 days or so for a profit to become a loss."

Williams was also keen to quash rumours that his decision to stand down was a sign that all may not be well at Graydon. "I leave the company at a time when it is continuing to grow and exceed its profit targets. It is in very good health, " he added.

Nitin Joshi, founder of ChannelMoney, praised Williams and his time time in charge at Graydon.

He said: "He has made an invaluable contribution to the company and played a very important part in getting Graydon to where it is today."