The event, which took place in March, was a successful joint venture by Success Network and Waterloo Brown who also sponsored the event, together with RBS.

‘Breaking Through Barriers’ provided the perfect balance of thoughts, ideas and strategies for women in business, as well as recognition of the many broader challenges they face, such as lack of confidence, family commitments and a tough economic climate.

The list of talented speakers included: RBS Business Manager Helen Hughes, Jayne Reddyhoff who runs Adword Adviser, Ethics Director of the National Council for Hypnotherapy and RSA Fellow Sue Roberts, toastmasters Mell Sheppard & Julie Farrell, as well as the hosts – Success Network founders Ute Wieczorek-King and Mary Fraser from Fraser HR.

Rita says: “The event was a fantastic celebration of women in business and proved that by connecting and supporting each other, we can all achieve our goals. I felt really inspired by the speakers, and the issues they discussed were relevant both to women and the broader business community.”

A highlight of the evening was the charity raffle supporting Oxfam’s new International Women’s Day fund, which supports women all over the world, in all their endeavours.

Rita believes that supporting local business and charity events is paramount to running a successful business, not only to develop her skills as a businesswoman but also to support others who face tough challenges along the path to success.

Rita says: “I would like to thank the organisers for putting together such a purposeful celebration of International Women’s Day. I left the event feeling more empowered as a woman in business and with a wealth of ideas that will greatly enhance the service we provide to our clients, and help them function more effectively during tough economic times.”

At A.R.M. Credit Control, our team is growing! We are bringing in even more expertise to strengthen our specialist team.

Tamara Flumignan  and Emma Wilkinson  are the two newest team members who have joined A.R.M. to meet the growing demand for our unique and highly effective ‘positive approach’ credit control service.

Tamara Flumignan is fluent in Italian and English and has a natural flair for verbal communication. Her warm approach turns the most challenging conversations into positive interactions. Tamara uses her expert knowledge in accounting, general ledger and credit management to assess each individual case and negotiate successful outcomes.

Emma Wilkinson is an expert in accounting and credit control software. In addition to her extensive credit control and customer service experience, Emma is a fine artist. She applies her commitment, attention to detail and calm approach when communicating with customers to achieve positive results.

Increasingly, SMEs are recognising the need to maintain communication with customers when it comes to payment. A.R.M can help ensure payments arrive on time and queries are dealt with promptly, which can really help improve cash flow.

Many large agencies offer a full credit package and are successful in recovering payments from customers, but their approach can have an adverse long-term effect and result in the loss of important customer relationships.

At A.R.M., tact, diplomacy and tenacity is our top priority when dealing with debtors. We don’t use automatic processes, instead our highly knowledgeable team members use their expertise to negotiate with customers and harness positive results.

A.R.M. works with many types of businesses, including printers, web designers, accountants, construction sub-contractors and IT support companies. Contact us today to find out how we can help you maintain and strengthen your customer relationships whilst staying on top of credit control.

When suppliers grant credit, it eases cash flow, something that is essential for all businesses. It also means that we can in turn extend credit to our customers and that can help to clinch a sale. 

When you ask a supplier for credit, they need to have confidence that they will be paid and for that reason, it is essential to have a good credit rating. So how do you ensure that your business’s credit rating is as good as it can be? 

•  Prepare and file your accounts carefully and on time.

•  Pay your bills on time, every time.

•  Avoid “red flags” – CCJs and other disputes will stand against you, even if you win.

•  Talk to your suppliers. Having an open, cooperative relationship will make them more likely to offer credit.

•  Talk to the credit reference agencies and find out how they score businesses. Each agency uses different criteria, so talk to several and fix any problems that may have  a negative impact on your credit score.
   

I’ll leave you with the words of the ICM:

 “Credit is an essential business tool, but the granting of credit is not a given right.”

We are now  offering two workshops for SME’s.   “Be your own Credit Manager” and  “Telephone Collection Calls made easy”  will be held in High Wcyombe on  15th April and 20th May 2011.   To book contact Rita@armcreditcontrol.co.uk or call 01628 487 849.  

Be your own Credit Manager – Workshop One

 This practical workshop will help you take action and learn how some basic credit control processes can help to minimise your exposure to risk.  You walk away with a credit control policy for your business.   We will look at:

•  New customer  – What now?
• T & C’s  – Do you have them?  When and how are you communicating them?
• Payment Terms, which ones?
• Order to Cash process – documents
• Late payment legislation
• A sale is not a sale until it is paid for – your credit control policy

Date:   Friday, 15th April 2011 

             from 10am to 1pm (Registration from 9.30am)

Venue: Seymour Taylor Chartered Accountants,

             57, London Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BS

Cost:    £ 55.00 each or book both for £ 90.00         

Telephone Collection Calls made easy – Workshop two

Another practical workshop which will help you to take a different approach to making calls regarding payment.  You will walk away with a plan on how to tackle those late payers with enthusiasm.  We will look at:

• Planning the Collection Process                 

• Tools
• Call Preparation
• Making the call
• Dealing with difficult calls
• Reminder letters  / follow up

Date:   Friday, 20th May 2011 

            from 10am to 1pm (Registration from 9.30am)

Venue: Seymour Taylor Chartered Accountants,

             57, London Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BS

Cost:    £ 55.00 each or book both for £ 90.00      

We believe in building good business relationships with suppliers and customers alike.  As part of this commitment, we have joined a number of businesses in signing up to the Payontime initiative.

This means that we abide by a simple set of principles that are as important now as they ever were:

We agree payment terms at the outset of a deal and stick to them.

We explain our payment procedures to suppliers.

We pay bills in accordance with any contract agreed with the supplier or as required by law.

We tell suppliers without delay when an invoice is contested, and settle disputes quickly.

By paying on time, businesses don’t just create goodwill, they also improve their reputation in the marketplace, enhance buying power, bolster the economy and avoid late payment charges and legal costs.

To join a growing list of Payontime supporters and form good relationships with your customers and suppliers that are based on cooperation and trust,

please click on the link: Payontimesupporter

The timescale for the process is as follows:

2009 – Decision taken to set a target date to close the cheque clearing.

2010 – Criteria to be used in 2016 to make afinal go/no go decision are set: that alternatives are available; people are aware of them; they are considered acceptable and that they have been adopted.

2011 to 2014 – Identifying and delivering alternatives to cheques.

2014 – Undertaking a major review; identifying the thresholds for the criteria to be used to make a final fo/no go decision.

2016 – Major review of progress against published criteria.  Final decision taken on whether to close the cheque clearing.

2018 – Target date to close the cheque clearing

We will, of course, keep a close eye on developments and keep you right up-to-date on how this will affect your business.  In the meantime we encourage all businesses to promote payment by BACS.

When starting a business it’s easy to focus purely on making the first sale without having the right processes in place to protect your income.

Avoid payment delays or default by adopting some simple “best practice” measures:

1. Know your customer

• Check the exact name and legal status of the company
• Use their letter head to verify company details, carry out a free check on companies house and make sure you have the trading and registered address
• Understand your clients’ purchasing processes and make sure purchase orders are from the company you invoice
• Invest in a credit check report for invoices over a certain amount or ask for trade references from other suppliers

2. Agree payment terms, price and other terms before you supply in writing

• Never “assume” anything and be very clear from the outset how you conduct business
• Obtain written acceptance of your terms and check that your customer’s order does not suggest different terms
• Set out late payment charges & interest in your terms – you don’t have to invoke them but it’s useful to have the right to do so
• Ensure that the payment terms you offer your customers are not more generous than the terms you have agreed with your suppliers. i.e. offering 45 day terms but having to pay within 30 days presents an immediate cash flow issue.
• Confirm verbal orders in writing and obtain customers’ signatures on delivery

3. Invoice accurately, clearly and promptly, attention to detail makes all the difference

• Invoice promptly – it can’t be paid if it hasn’t been received
• Invoice correctly – insufficient details regarding services or goods result in disputes and payment delays
• Quote customer references – missing PO references mean “payment hold”
• Address invoice correctly – incorrect company name or address on the invoice means it will be returned or ignored

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for payment, the only good customer is a paying customer, and if you don’t ask, you might not get

• For large invoices make a pro-active call before due date to make sure all is o.k.
• Don’t delay contacting the customer if payment is delayed
• Be assertive about when you expect payment
• Make consequences of non-payment clear
• Follow up payment promises
• Do what you say you are going to do when you said you would

1. Run a credit check on potential clients to avoid problems in the first place.
2. Have your Terms and Conditions clearly stated on your invoice and in your initial contract agreement.
3. Make it easy for them to pay. Include Bank Account Number and Sort Code, address, and purchase order number.
4. If you do not have a purchase order number or any written communication, make a note of the date when the verbal agreement was given, and confirm this by email or letter.
5. Submit unpaid invoices regularly each month.
6. If your customer is responsible for paying your bill, mention it in conversation, and if it is apparent there are difficulties, agree a date which suits you both.
7. Stop their account as a last resort if payment is not forthcoming.
8. For larger SME businesses make it a priority to speak to the accountant or FD who makes the decision. Find out when you can speak to them, and don’t be put off. You want to get to the top of the pile, so be very professional but persistent.
9. With corporates there may be technical reasons why you have not been paid. Make sure you have jumped any administrative hurdles and present your invoice in the correct manner for their internal process.
10. Stay on top of your own financial situation. Modern software is easy to use and can provide real-time reporting provided the data is input regularly.

Persistence and transparency are the key to getting paid. Use your relationship with your customers, and don’t wait until you are considering taking out a loan to pay the VAT bill even though thousands of ££ are owed – as one of my clients did.

If you feel it is all going to take up too much time, get in some external help. Staying on top of your accounts helps you claim the money that is rightfully yours, and avoid being investigated by the Inland Revenue. They have internal financial targets to meet, and financial disorganisation is an indicator of an easy target.

For a free no commitment phone call please ring
01628 487 849 www.armcreditcontrol.co.uk

CreditPal is an innovative new service allowing you to assess your clients’ default risk using their monthly management accounts rather than having to rely on their statutory annual accounts.

As the world’s first service to enable credit recommendations to be based on monthly management accounts, CreditPal has been designed to improve the flow of information to ratings agencies, insurers and banks. This revolutionary new online service, provided by credit reference agency Graydon UK and software developer Future Route, enables businesses to make accurate assessments of all their clients’ default risk using monthly management accounts.

SME businesses can upload their data for free via the web portal so all you need to do is encourage your suppliers and buyers to use it. In this way you can gain access to their up-to-date credit recommendations.

CreditPal extracts a copy of the management accounts from the users’ accounting package, encrypts and uploads the data to a secure web-based portal, then standardises and analyses every transaction to identify any anomalies. It then produces monthly profit and loss and balance sheet reports which the user can approve before they are fed into Graydon’s credit scoring system.

One business that piloted the service during its testing phase, described the process as “dead simple, a five-minute job” and saw its credit recommendation increase fourfold compared to when using statutory annual accounts. Another business saw its recommendation increase by twelve times.

For more information go to:

www.creditpal-online.com/home/