Are you stuck with great but slow paying clients? It is interesting how your biggest asset (great clients) can also be your biggest liability. But that is how business is. And as an owner you must adapt.
Whether you like it or not, slow paying customers are here to stay. As a rule of thumb, commercial clients pay their bills in 30 to 60 days. And lately, the trend has been deteriorating. So, what do you do if you have slow paying receivables.
Many owners try to go to the bank to get a business loan. Not surprisingly, few business owners get business loans. As a rule, banks will only finance companies that have long and established histories. This is not your case if your company is new or emerging from tough times.
If your biggest challenge is that you cannot afford to wait up to 60 days to get paid by your customers, then the solution is accounts receivable factoring. Most commonly known as factoring, this type of financing eliminates the usual wait to get paid. It provides you with the necessary funds to pay suppliers, meet payroll and take on new business opportunities.
And how does factoring work? Simple:
1. You finish the work and send an invoice to your client. You also send a copy to the accounts receivable factoring company.
2. The financing company advances you 70% to 90% of the invoice (a small reserve is held to handle disputes, etc.)
3. You get the funds in 24 hours
4. As soon the customer pays the invoice to the financing company, they rebate the reserve (less a small fee)
As you can see, accounts receivable factoring can easily be integrated into your business, providing you with prompt invoice payments. Usually, funds are advanced within 24 hours of submitting invoices.
Accounts receivable factoring is easy to qualify for. Accounts can be set up in as little as 4 business days. As opposed to business loans, the main requirement for factoring is to do business with strong credit worthy customers. So if you do business with good commercial clients (or the government), be sure to add factoring to your business tool chest.
Can accounts receivable factoring help your business grow?
Financing Your Business with Receivable Factoring
Do you do business with commercial or government customers? If you answered yes to that question, that means that you are also used to waiting up to 60 days to get your invoices paid. One of the most challenging facts of doing business with big companies is that they pay slowly. Sure, they pay all right – they just take their own sweet time to do it.
But you have expenses that you have to pay now. Suppliers need to be paid. Payroll must be met. This creates a big challenge for small and medium sized businesses.
Is the solution a business loan? It seldom is. They are hard to get. And when you get them, your hands are tied until the loan is paid off. With loans, you can only get one at a time. So if your business grows and you need more money, you are out of luck.
If your biggest headache is slow paying customers, a better solution is to factor your receivables. Receivable factoring provides you the necessary financing to pay employees, suppliers and taxes. Above all, it provides you with peace of mind by eliminating (or at least minimizing) your financial worries.
Receivables factoring works on a simple premise. Your invoices are valuable assets that can be financed. Basically, the factoring company advances you money for your slow paying invoices and waits until your customer pays. Of course, they charge a small fee for this service. This is how it works:
1. You do your work, as usual. You bill your customer but then submit a copy of the invoice to the factoring company for financing
2. The factoring company provides you an immediate advance on 70% to 90% of the invoice (there is a 10% to 30% reserve). You can use that money to meet payroll and pay expenses
3. The factoring company waits to get paid by your customer
4. Once they are paid, the transaction is settled and the factoring company rebates any reserves
As you can see, factoring gives you immediate money for your slow paying invoices, enabling you to run and grow your business. Qualifying for factoring is really easy. The biggest requirement is to do business with credit worthy customers. So, if your customers are good (but slow paying), you can finance them.
Receivables factoring is a great tool to finance your business and grow it to the next level.