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Does Your Customer Talk Back To You?
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Solving the Late Paying Customer Blues
Nothing can drive a business down faster than customers who
don't pay their bills as agreed. When you sell to customers on
credit you are making an agreement with them. You will provide
them with goods or services in exchange for their payment within
the terms you agree upon. Period.
What I'm seeing more and more of is businesses using their
suppliers as banks. Taking 60-90 days or more to pay a bill is
becoming more and more common. I've seen some business owners
shrug their shoulders and just accept that nothing can be done
about it. That's just the way it is.
Naturally, I disagree with that approach. The reason you grant
credit is to increase sales. But, the sales you want more of are
the sales that pay and don't drag your business kicking and
screaming into the Cash Flow Swamp.
So, what's a business owner to do?
Late paying customers can create a serious threat to the
survival of your business. Whether you're just starting out or
you've been in business for awhile, it's a critical business
function to develop a solid plan to get paid.
Here's an example of a solid plan:
You decide your business will not grant credit. You decide to be
paid up front before you provide services or products. You get
set up to accept credit cards or use Paypal (or both). You
communicate in no uncertain terms (nicely but firmly) what your
payment terms are. You explain that payment is due before (or
at) the time of service or purchase and that you accept
cash,
checks, money orders, credit cards and Paypal. Period. Then, you
stick to it with no exceptions. You make that a condition of
doing business. Communicate it firmly and respectfully. Don't
waffle or apologize. People who take advantage of others can
sense weakness. So can people who always have a tale of hard
luck and woe. It's human nature.
Remember, late paying or nonpaying customers are endangering the
survival of your business. These are not the customers you want
to do business with. You'll have nothing to show for your work
but stress and poverty. If you want to do some of your work for
people in tough situations, donate your time but do it with the
understanding that the majority of your time has to be spent on
work that pays.
If you're working on a big project, set the expectations before
you start so that a condition of doing the project is
incremental payments. A percent before you begin, a percent
during the project at specified intervals, and the remainder due
on completion. This gives you the option of stopping work if
you're not getting paid. As with all areas of business, the best
Defense is a good Offense. Set the standard for how you'll be
paid, communicate it, and stick to it.
About the author:
Caroline Jordan, MBA helps small business owners understand,
diagnose, and improve cash flow in their businesses. For more
information and free resources to improve cash flow visit
http://www.TheJordanResult.com/mastering.html.
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