Your goal is to run a successful business and that means creating strong relationships with your clients. During the sales process, your business is going all out to impress and that positive impression may last for a few months. After a while, you and your clients may hit a period of leveling out and, even more serious, discontent. Just as with any relationship, it can be challenging to maintain happy, long term clients.
When a client owes you money, any interaction can be strained or even awkward. You want to maintain a good quality business relationship but you also have to talk about money... and that can be an uncomfortable conversation. While there are no guarantees that your clients will always pay on time, there are some things that you can do to get them to pay faster.
One of my closest friends is "hanging out her shingle" as an independent after spending her entire career working for large corporations. We've always texted fairly regularly but our conversations lately are less about our kids and more about self-employment taxes and setting up accounting software. To leave the relative comfort and paycheck predictability of the employee life is no joke and has me revisiting my own brave step into the world of entrepreneurship.
In order to achieve any measure of success, one must be able to survive failure. This adage applies to inventors, scientists, athletes, entrepreneurs and anyone who chooses to venture outside of their comfort zone. Failure is simply a sign that you have tried to better yourself or to create something that hasn't been done before. To survive failure or the chance of failure, it must be put in perspective.
In business relationships, money is part of the equation. The thing to remember is that both parties are looking for value and trust. Your client may ask for discounts. You may want to be paid up front. Your client may need to settle old debts with you. These conversations don't have to be uncomfortable if you know where to start.
On this blog, we stress the importance of signed agreements, payment terms and getting everything in writing. This can seem like yet another step in the B2B relationship process but if you want to get paid, it's completely necessary to have proof that both parties knew what was expected of them.
As a great example, a poster on Reddit asks, "Am I the a$$hole for invoicing a client when they changed their mind?"
In this particular case, the client requested work on a website and then changed their mind during project. When the website developers invoiced the client for what had been done, she refused to pay because she didn't have a completed project... yet she had asked them to stop work because she found a cheaper alternative.
Reader asks:
"I started my business as a freelancer and have now grown into a full creative agency. My largest clients frequently pay their bills at Net 90 days, even though I ask for Net 30 or 45. Should my agency ask for payments upfront?"
Our answer: It depends.
Read more to learn why.
When you're running a business, especially a business that works with other businesses, you know the hard fought battle that it takes to build a long-standing relationship. You have to earn the trust of your client so they know that your products or services are available to help their business be better. That relationship can turn sour if you've committed to your agreement and they're not paying you for it. Instead of taking it personally, it may be time to litigate.
As a business leader, it can be challenging to keep up with everything that's going on. Your focus may be sales or attracting venture capitalists. You may be the creator of your product or service and spend more of your time manufacturing what you're selling. Whether it's an upcoming recession or lax accounts receivable management, you'll want to know if your business is in trouble.
Is the United States headed for a 2019 recession? According to economists, the risk is high though there was strong financial growth in the first half of the year. Even the whisper of a recession can trigger business owners with even the strongest constitution.
Do you know if your business is recession-proofed or prepared? Do you feel secure that you can continue operating in an economic downturn? Here are some steps you can take now to feel better about the future of your business.
