If Michael Krogermeier could give his younger self advice, it would be to allow yourself to take risks. Throughout his career and his time as the chief financial officer at Creditsafe USA Inc., Krogermeier said that time has been his biggest sacrifice. “A company has many constantly moving pieces and it takes time for one leader to fully understand all the little details that dramatically impact results,” he said. “While it is important to rely on people, it is also critical that a leader understand how to mentor, motivate, measure and support employees.”
In order to develop his skills as a leader, Krogermeier said he has taken the time to develop relationships, metrics, and procedures while also focusing on his health and well-being. “A leader has to have the ability to mix and manage time between leading the company and taking the personal time for physical health, recreation and quality time with family,” said Krogermeier.
At Creditsafe, Krogermeier has taken the time to dig into the numbers, perform in-depth data analysis, and partner with the marketing and sales organizations to improve lead generation and drive incremental sales revenue. As a result, the company has pushed year-over-year sales growth into the high double digits as Krogermeier developed over 50 third-party sales agents to use their connections and expertise to bring prime sales targets into Creditsafe.
Creditsafe USA Inc. delivers the most accurate and up-to-date information in an easy-to-use format on over 430 million businesses worldwide. With 16 offices worldwide, Creditsafe offers instant access business credit reports in nearly every country in the world.
Krogermeier has been instrumental in leading Creditsafe to a continual 95+% customer renewal rate and achieving every annual profit and cash-flow target over the past 10 years. “Michael has been able to do this because he is an action-oriented business partner with an integrated voice in driving strategy and financial performance,” said his colleagues. “He builds relationships and partners with cross-functional leaders to identify new opportunities and help his colleagues evaluate, develop, and execute creative ideas to improve products, procedures and ultimately profits.”
According to Krogermeier, his biggest successes have come from collaborating with employees in other departments, senior executives and other professionals. “The real secret here is that I speak with everybody in the company and any customer, vendor or competitor that I can,” he said. “By talking to the people that live, eat, and breathe their specific function on a daily basis, you accumulate knowledge and ideas to better understand where true opportunity may lie.”
