In this episode of the TCLM’s Credit on the Go podcast, host Bob Shultz sits down with Dee Bowden, a dynamic revenue recovery consultant and author of Collect the Cash. Dee shares the remarkable story of how she recovered $6 million in just 60 days for a struggling IT firm, only to learn a hard lesson about the critical importance of liquidity when the company shuttered its doors just weeks later.
This conversation is a must-listen for treasury, trade credit, and corporate finance practitioners who are navigating an unpredictable economy where cash flow is the ultimate lifeline.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The “Four Keys to Collect the Cash”: Dee breaks down her signature framework for resolving payment disputes through proactive problem-solving and building strategic relationships with Accounts Payable departments.
Overcoming the “Heebie-Jeebies”: Why many businesses fail to collect because they fear damaging client relationships, and how to reframe those difficult conversations as essential customer service.
Mastering Government Contracts: Selling to the government is a “whole other ball of wax.” Dee provides a masterclass on navigating federal and state payment systems, highlighting why a single missing dash on a contract number can stall millions of dollars for months.
The “Why” Factor: How the simple act of asking “why” an invoice is unpaid can uncover data entry errors, system bottlenecks, and the “story” behind every delinquent account.
Boosting Your Bankability: Bob and Dee discuss how disciplined receivables management directly impacts a company’s ability to secure better lending rates and higher credit limits from banks.
Key Takeaway:
As Dee famously says, “The sale is not complete until the money is actually in the bank.” Whether you are managing small-to-midsize accounts or multi-million dollar government contracts, this episode provides the tactical “mechanics” needed to blow past your cash targets and maintain solvency.
Listen now to transform your collections process from a source of stress into a competitive advantage.
About our Guest:
Dee Bowden is a revenue recovery expert with a proven track record of helping small businesses recover millions of dollars in unpaid invoices. She specializes in teaching accounts receivable departments how to implement a systematic approach to collections, ensuring improved cash flow and financial stability for their business. Before starting Collect the Cash, Dee was a Contract Closeout Specialist for the US Coast Guard and then the US Department of Defense. Her expertise in government contracting brings added value to her clients. Dee can be reached at deebowden52@gmail.com.
