At its most basic form, running a business is essentially about the bottom line: – the profit. Does the sales revenue exceed the costs to achieve said profit? In making a sufficient sales revenue, a business owner can pay off his expenses and thus maintain the business as a going concern.

However, with the introduction of credit as a means of improving business flexibility, a complication now occurs in managing business cash flow. A business owner needs to be able to time the business inflows to match the business’ outflows (expenses). Of course, credit management offers businesses the option of obtaining …

Receiving money from clients for goods and/or services provided from your hard developed business is undoubtedly one of the best feelings in the world. As the topic rightly suggest prevention is always better than cure. It is always wise to take precaution before you get loads and loads of debts above your shoulders. No matter your situation, you want to have planning in place to ensure that your goods and/or services you provided gets money that it belongs.

As you prepare for long-term success, here are factors you need to know about receiving payments on time for your business:

Suitably covered Terms …

Good debt collection techniques start even before the debt is issued.

Some businesses can afford to avoid debt. They can apply a ‘no release until payment’ policy, enforcing strict cash-on-delivery. This isn’t always the case though. Many businesses run on the 90-day-payment rule. Unfortunately, once your 90 days stretch to 180 days, it’s far more difficult to recover, so before you sign that three-month line, check your client’s credit status and financial background. Run due diligence and keep clear records.
Have it all on paper
Once you’re satisfied that your client can pay, draft distinct legal documents (have your lawyers approve them). They …

When someone offers you goods on credit, you’ll probably agree. That’s why many credit card companies offer their unsolicited cards by mail. They know giving you the card will drive you to spend. That way, they can make money via interest charges. Many people who receive unplanned credit will use it up without thinking about repayment. And once the unexpectedly high bill arrives, they have to spread their repayments, accruing interest, and allowing the card company to recoup profits.

From a business perspective waiting for late payments affects your cash flow, among other things.

 
Why (not) credit?
If your outstanding payments are …

An effective way to lower stress levels around debt collection is to hire a debt collection agency. They have more experience in amicably recovering funds, so it’s a more effective approach. Still, whether you’re pursuing your debtors on your own or using third-party debt collectors in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or anywhere in Australia, you have to abide by Australian debt regulation.

 
ACCC and ASIC
The institutions responsible for formulating, policing, and enforcing debt collection law are the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). They set the terms under which debt can …

There are lots of challenges involved in running successful businesses, and they come from areas you don’t expect. For example, everyone will tell you to be sure you have a marketable product. Your offering has to be something people want, and that they’re willing to pay money for. We all love to sleep, for instance, but we’re unlikely to pay someone to sing us a lullaby, even if they composed it just for us and put our names in it. (After all, we can get sleeping music for free on YouTube). And so, we put a lot of effort into …

Do you have an elevator pitch for your business? It’s defined as a succinct description of your unique selling proposition (USP), ideally in 30 seconds or less. It can be helpful for networking events, or for turning casual run-ins into business leads. It can also be beneficial to your debt collection policy because the way your business is set up has a direct influence on how your payments are structured, and what you can do to recover them.

For example, a clothing retail chain shouldn’t have an issue getting paid, because customers pay before they can take anything home. However, they …

The process of debt collection is often a stressful one for both parties. It can really put a strain on both the creditor and the debtor, as well as the personal relationship between them. Business owners and other creditors have therefore found good use in the services offered by debt collection agencies if only to avoid the hassle of chasing down a debtor. However, it is worth noting that a debtor’s debt can be wiped clean, preventing the creditor from getting back what is due. This is because debts are legally subject to the statute of …

Unpaid invoices are a thorn in the flesh of many a business that can easily result in a slow painful death of businesses. And while unpaid invoices are usually blamed on the customer, often the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the company. Many business owners forget that their customers have numerous bills to pay and that their invoice is just another bill on a heap of bills. Most times customers pay their bills off in order of priority. So how do you get your invoice higher up on the list? How do you get your customers to pay …

Credit and collections is a process most companies have to deal with regularly. What you want out of it is to turn invoices into cash while adhering to the terms of payment. This is however not an easy task. For most companies, to achieve a smaller accounts receivable and increased cash flow, the points of gain must be smaller and incremental, but with an overall consequence of achieving this stated objective.

In order to mitigate the hassle, the best way to do this is to compartmentalise the problem and turn it into smaller points of return on your way to combat …