Tag: Credit Management

Credit procedures can be improved before a sale is made, at the time of invoicing using Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online and in the followup stage of chasing late payers.

Improving each of these stages in your cash conversion cycle can make a massive difference in the financial success of your business.

Learn about the Credit Management Training Course.

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The first moment Credit Risk happens

Credit risk is the probability of not getting paid, simple. Some business owners think that just having some special clauses in their terms of trade is all they need to do but there’s more involved.

When you offer anyone credit you are entering into a whole separate debt agreement. It’s no longer just providing goods and services and the warranties which come with that. When you offer credit (to anyone, even friends) there is an expectation that the borrower will repay the loan in good faith – in other words as quickly as possible. But many things can get in the way and the credit component of the transaction can get awkward.

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What does voluntary administration look like?

Mentor Education ASIC notification of Voluntary Administration and Creditors Meeting - will students be notified

I wrote earlier this week about Mentor Educations fate under the hands of an administrator and it all comes down to Credit Management. The “business for sale ad” touts that they earned $5M in revenue but they appear to have a cashflow management issue. Should someone have completed EzyLearn’s Credit Management Course?

This is quite a serious matter for existing students and it is a good case study example about important steps that every business needs to take if they are giving credit. It appears that one or more of Mentor Education’s creditors did have good credit management procedures in place..

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CommBank and Xero Integration to Help Small Businesses Get Paid Faster

It’s not a secret that in order to stay afloat businesses need to be making money.  Access to funds is essential for businesses to not only pay off debts, but also to finance everyday operations and pay their staff and suppliers.

It can become problematic, however, when a business’ cash flow is tied up in unpaid invoices.  If a business sells on credit – as many do – they might be in the unfortunate position of waiting to get paid by their customer and struggling to make ends meet in the meantime.

There are a few solutions: one is to use credit management apps like ChaserHQ or Debtor Daddy to help automate the process.  Things like chasing up unpaid invoices and escalating debts can be made easier by using these apps that integrate with your accounting software.

The other is to get a loan.  Commonwealth Bank’s (CBA) Stream Working Capital is a digital solution for businesses to access the money tied up in their invoices.  Here’s what you need to know about it:

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Will This Xero Integration Replace Your Accounting Job or Just Lessen the Load?

With so many integrations, Xero has become a leading software for small business accounting.  From ecommerce add-ons to payroll and workforce management software, there is a Xero integration for most aspects of business management and administration. It’s little wonder that Xero Courses are becoming so popular.

And credit management is no exception.  Chaser HQ is a credit management app that promotes its ability to automate the whole process: from credit checks to chasing up invoices.  It’s a UK-based company, but its integration with Xero could see it being used more and more by accounting staff globally, including Australia.

Daily Transactions like creating quotes and invoices is the bulk of most junior level bookkeeping and accounts jobs and running Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Reports then provide work following up with customers so what could this automated process mean for accounting staff that have been doing these tasks manually?

Continue reading Will This Xero Integration Replace Your Accounting Job or Just Lessen the Load?
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Get Paid Faster By Using Clear Terms of Trade

The worst-case scenario for many businesses is having to chase up overdue payments from clients.  Not only is it stressful and frustrating for employees, but it can mean cash stays tied up for longer, lengthening the cash conversion cycle.

Considering how many industries – from retail to construction – extend lines of credit to their customers, it’s essential for businesses to know how to collect their accounts recievable with as little time and hassle as possible. 

But what if there was a way to make it easier?

Continue reading Get Paid Faster By Using Clear Terms of Trade
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Here’s What You Need to Know About the Cash Conversion Cycle

flowchart of the cash conversion cycle

There are a lot of things that contribute to a successful business, but there’s no doubt that cash is a pretty significant one.  Whether or not a business can generate enough revenue to not only stay afloat, but make a profit, determines whether or not that business can continue to operate.

But collecting that cash is not as simple as swiping a customer’s credit card.  From the first cent a business spends in buying its stock, to the final cent the business receives in payment from a customer, the cash conversion cycle can tell a lot about just how efficient and effective a business is.

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Tired of Chasing Unpaid Invoices? Here’s Which Credit Management Apps Can Help

Credit management and collection is the important part of business that can easily become problematic.  The awkward phone calls chasing up late payments, the back-and-forth emails and reminders that disrupt your workflow, and – of course – the ageing invoices filling up your accounts receivable as you wait to get paid.

Countless credit management and collection apps have stepped up to automate and streamline the process.  If you take a look at Xero’s app store you can see just how many are on the market.  Yet for achieving ultimately the same purpose, these apps each have their own features and pricing that will influence which one works best for different businesses.

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How my 7 year old son learnt about credit risk and how that can help tradies

QuickBooks Online Training Courses - Acquired CreditKarma to help clients check on credit scores and get loans

My 7 year old son lent me $5 (which I then lent to his 12 year old brother) and then he lent his brother a further $10 directly so the older brother could buy something he really wanted at the time. Is it getting complicated already!?

This lending happened over a month ago and a conflict is brewing over the $10 he lent to the 12 year old because it was underwritten by his pocket money which had not been paid at the time. 

So simple isn’t it. All this credit offered and accepted and it seems less relevant because it relates to my kids but these lessons last a lifetime so it’s important to explain credit risk and recourse. Continue reading How my 7 year old son learnt about credit risk and how that can help tradies

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Terms of Trade and Credit Risk Controllers

Air Conditioning installers and suppliers in Central Coast, Ourimbah, Gosford, Wyong, Long Jetty, Erina

All of a sudden I’m hearing about terms of trade from everyone! Maybe it’s because things are tight and customers need credit? Or maybe it’s because we have started offering course funding at $20 per week!!

We are busy updating our Credit Controllers Course right now. Check out some of the topics included that will get you up to speed.

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Should You Send Reports to Late-Paying Clients?

paid on time reports for credit management accounting software

Want to learn how you can really manage late payers? Simply by reconciling more regularly, you can use a “real time” snapshot of your cash flow in your accounting software, rather than relying on your bank balance.

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Are Online Payments using PayPal and Stripe Right for Your Business Cashflow?

woman stressed about credit management and cashflow management

Getting paid seamlessly, online

woman stressed about credit management and cashflow management
Lack of cashflow in a business is still the chief cause of insolvency – which is why proper credit management procedures are as essential as ever.

WITHOUT SOUND CREDIT management processes, any business can come asunder. 

Credit management, in a nutshell, is the process of ensuring your customers pay you on time, every time, of which technology has played a big part.

Cloud accounting, for example, has sped up the time it takes a business owner to create and send invoices to their customers, which smartphone and tablet accounting apps has further aided too.

Continue reading Are Online Payments using PayPal and Stripe Right for Your Business Cashflow?
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What if a Credit Check Comes Back Negative?

Do You Have to Drop a Client Because of a Bad Credit Check?

customer-with-bad-credit-rating
It’s only business: but sometimes a bad credit rating doesn’t mean you have to end the working relationship.

A Credit Check is one of the most important first steps of good credit and debt management but you can still do business if the check comes back negative.

In a previous post on credit and debt management, I recommended that all businesses — regardless of whether they offer credit to customers on a 30-day account or not — perform a credit check on any new client who will spend more than $1000 on goods or services in one sale, on an ongoing basis.

What should you do if the credit check comes back negative, and shows that the potential customer is guilty of late payments, pending legal action or already carries a significant level of debt? Continue reading What if a Credit Check Comes Back Negative?

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Is Credit Management Just About Getting on the Phone?

comp_credit-management_bookkeeping-business

It’s Good Business to Set Out Your Credit Management Policy at the Outset

CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF ANY BUSINESS is the ability to maintain a healthy cash flow. But doing so requires effective credit management processes.

Unfortunately, too many business owners feel uncomfortable talking about credit and debt management upfront with new clients.

They (falsely) believe it begins if, and when, a customer doesn’t pay a bill. But, in fact, credit management starts much, much earlier than that — long before the two businesses even agree to work with each other, to be precise.   Continue reading Is Credit Management Just About Getting on the Phone?

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Bad Payers Cost 12 Working Days to Collect $13,200

flowchart of the cash conversion cycle

Credit Management is an Extra Job

credit-management-training-assessment-management-and-enforcement

I’ve always believed that as soon as you offer credit you’ve got yourself another business – a credit management business.

When we first created our MYOB Daily Transactions course we designed it to take students through the cashflow process of where money goes when it first leaves your bank account and these are the main steps:

  1. Money in the bank (cash asset)
  2. Buy stock (inventory asset)
  3. Products sold on account (accounts receivable asset – Trade Debtors)
  4. Customer pays their account (cash asset)

The interesting part of this business process to me is the marketing (choosing the products, pricing, marketing message and advertising) and the credit management to get the money back.

Continue reading Bad Payers Cost 12 Working Days to Collect $13,200
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QuickBooks and PayPal Want To Help You Get Paid QUICKER!

Quickbooks is stealthily forming partnerships to fight MYOB and Xero

Quickbooks Online is back and they want to beat MYOB and Xero

Small business owners know better than anyone the difference an an invoice paid on time (or early) can make to their cashflow.

Yet, getting paid on time, never mind early, remains as elusive as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

A union between PayPal and QuickBooks Online hopes to change that. Manage your Credit Risk! Continue reading QuickBooks and PayPal Want To Help You Get Paid QUICKER!

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Zoho Books, You don’t want to be a high risk do you?

There’s always Zoho Books

Zoho Books and Bank Feeds

You may have a different opinion when it comes to paying your suppliers but I believe you should pay quickly. I’m talking mainly about service providers rather that product suppliers, but I think in small business it doesn’t matter.

Everyone loves to be paid on time and if you can get paid earlier, even better. It once took me 16 minutes to pay a supplier – OK, I was making other payments at the time, but still, it looked impressive.

I mention it today because one of my team told me that I was categorised by their accounting software as “high risk” and I wasn’t too happy.

Continue reading Zoho Books, You don’t want to be a high risk do you?