In any economy there is one job that never seems to slow down – Accounts Receivable; namely Chargebacks/Deductions.  Even in a robust economy, the sheer volume and types of these deductions can be enough to get in the way of a company’s growth & profitability.   However, in this particular environment – with Retailers becoming more aggressive & creative because of a greater need to protect gross margins – it is imperative that companies equip their employees with the latest information, tools and strategies to protect the bottom line. 
A properly trained employee handling chargebacks should recover more than triple their salary in a given year.  This does not include the value they bring by properly identifying and eliminating the causes of these profit draining deductions.
Key issues employers and employees face every day are:

• The inability to block out the time necessary to learn the job correctly the first time
• Finding the tools necessary to increase an employees’ corporate value
• Learning processes that can boost profitability
• Establishing the accountability that eliminates the need of having to know everyone else’s job in order to properly research and dispute a chargeback
• The ability to negotiate Markdowns based on “Real” dollars by understanding “Retail Math”

These days you have to do more work in less time.  This workshop will address these issues and more!

So whether you decide to take one Session or both – you will be able to take these ideas back to your workplace and initiate changes that are sure to make an immediate impact.

Workshop #1 – CHARGEBACKS 101: Presented for people who are new to or want to enhance their existing knowledge of chargebacks. A person completing this class will have a better understanding of how to manage, recover and avoid deductions.  Conceptual guidelines are presented that can be immediately applied and translated into day to day duties regardless of company size or industry.

• Learn about chargebacks - what they are and why they happen
• Basic Tracking & Reporting
• Factored vs. Non-Factored chargebacks
• Learning what differentiates between people that just work chargebacks and those that make chargebacks work for them
• The undeniable value of creating and maintaining relationships
• Special Session: How to begin or enhance a relationship with the Major

Department/Chain Stores
Understanding & Negotiating the Vendor Agreement
Setting up policies & procedures in advance to avoid charges later
Why understanding the Purchase Order is not enough

Workshop #2 – ADVANCED CHARGEBACK MANAGEMENT - Creating Value from the Chaos:  Focused on developing skills that give “C” level management the Key Performance Indicators it needs to make critical financial decisions. Special Sessions focus on key issues that affect profitability such as Violations and Markdowns 

• Moving beyond simply tracking, working and collecting Chargebacks
• Creating Recognized Value - When can a Chargeback be a “good” thing?
• Developing reports that Analyze Profitability, Root Cause & Performance
• Establishing Department Accountability
• Special Session 1:  EDI/ASN, Routing & Compliance
  How to properly research, utilize & manage these charges
  Keys to recovering ASN/EDI, Compliance & Routing charges
  Policies & resources that help eliminate these issues
• Special Session 2: Retail Math
  Understanding how Retailers calculate Markdowns
  Negotiate True Dollar vs. Requested Dollar Markdowns