How to handle your overdue accounts receivables in a recession, a recovery and beyond
by Lindsey Norris
The Good, the Bad and the Tardy
Canadians have a reputation for being nice. Thanks to the financial crisis, we also have a reputation for being fiscal tight-asses – in a good way, of course. Yet, as bizarre as it sounds, many companies don’t do enough to get their accounts are paid on time. And even if you think you have a solid credit strategy, you may be missing a few key details. Here, three problems with your accounts receivables that you didn’t even know you had.
The Good: Your cash flow is in decent shape and you can offer extended terms to entice certain well-heeled customers. The Bad: Like rubbernecking at a car crash, its human nature to delay paying for things as long as possible. If you offer incentives to pay early, say, a 2% bonus, that may help. And if you’re going to offer a carrot, a stick in the form of a late payment penalty is just good yin yang. The Good: You send a written copy of your credit terms to all your customers before any goods or services are delivered. The Bad: Your credit agreement isn’t signed. Ian Lydiatt of InRisk Solutions Inc. says that for an agreement to be binding, you must have a signature. The Good: If you’re a small company selling to a large one – we’re talking suppliers for Walmart or oilfield services company dealing with Syncrude – you may think you’re golden: they’re too big to fail. The Bad: If your largest customer decides to pay late, the power dynamic is not on your side. “Often people will say, if the Syncrude’s of the world decide to pay me in 120 days, “there’s nothing I can do. That’s not true,” says Lynn Brown, the owner of DG Credit Management. You must take the same steps: call the right people and ask the right questions – politely, as you would any customer. Don’t be intimidated.
RELATED LINKS Action Plan 2010 in Print, Part 6 of 12: How to Handle Tardy Receivables
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