When you want to take the “temperature” of your business so that you can check its health and vitality, examine the patterns of your cash flow for an accurate reading. The lifeblood of any company is the cash that flows into and from the coffers to pay staff members, suppliers, and vendors with whom you do business. The sign of a successful entrepreneur is smooth-flowing cash into your accounts that allow you to expand your company, buy new technology, and acquire new equipment that keeps your company competitive with others in your niche. Let’s look at some effective tips for managing your cash flow successfully.
- Managing your cash flow successfully will require that you know the details of your business operations. You should know when invoices are sent to clients, what follow-up procedures are used for collection of late or non-paying customers, and what incentives and discounts are being used to encourage clients to pay ahead of scheduled due dates. Each month you must know how much money you have, how much you will need, and what you’ll do if these amounts don’t balance out properly. There are some excellent options to assist you with cash flow problems, for example, those provided by www.ashleyfinance.co.uk.
- Inspect your invoices so that you can make sure all of the pertinent information is placed in very visible locations on the bill itself. You must have the due date, what services or goods were provided, and what type of charges or fees will be added to late remittance. When you find an area that is unclear or information that may confuse your clients, be sure to remedy it as quickly as possible.
- With our very mobile society today, you must provide clients with a variety of payment options that accommodate their technology preferences. Your website should be designed to communicate with mobile devices; this means that your clients can pay whenever and wherever they want from any hand-held device that they carry with them. You should extend credit to clients who can qualify, offer discounts for cash payments, and stress the importance of paying on time with any discount.
- Communication is the key for maintaining a positive cash flow. You should communicate consistently with your clients so that you can establish a good working relationship with them. This will allow you to approach them should their payments be late or a pattern of delayed payments begins to develop. Someone on your staff should also do a personal follow-up when payments aren’t received; there can be a plethora of reasons but knowing what has happened can help to evaluate and solve cash flow problems that occur when remittances are not on time.
Studying your current business operations and making modifications where necessary can keep the cash flowing smoothly into your company so that you can continue to expand your organisation. You’ll retain control over your finances and be a viable, competitive entity in your niche.
