Jan's Collection Tips

Whatever problem you face about getting your invoices paid, I bet I’ve faced it too.

Search in 'Categories' on the right to find what you're looking for. If you can’t find it, contact me and I’ll give you my best solution.

My Best Advice on How To Get Invoices Paid By The Due Date (It Works).

In my own business, I found that most invoice payments were delayed because there was some small thing missing from the sales process. Fix that one samll thing and the invoce got paid super fast...

21
Aug
Big Business and Late Payments – Are You Really at Their Mercy?

Small business failures due to late payments have led to the appointment of small business commissioners in several countries. It’s a welcome idea but the truth is that most help offered is for ‘after the horse has bolted’....

19
Aug
How to Stop Stressing Out in Your Small Business

If cash flow is a constant problem in your business, you’re not alone. Over 60% of SMEs struggle with cash flow problems Generally, late paid invoices are the cause…. 60% of all invoices are paid late. I didn’t chase up unpaid invoices in my first year of business. BIG MISTAKE…...

17
Aug
GET INVOICES PAID FASTER MINI QUIZ…

What is the #1 reason why customers don't pay their invoices on time? [take the mini-quiz]...

14
Aug
clients who pay late
How to go from Clients Who Pay Invoices Late, To Clients Who Pay on Time

Here's some simple tips on what you need to ask your clients to make sure they pay your invoices on time....

01
Jul
overdue invoice
How to Get Overdue Invoices Paid and Look Like A Rockstar

You’ll soon be a ROCKSTAR when the money from those overdue invoices is in your bank account and not in your customers....

05
Jun
The 4 Most Powerful Words to Use When Chasing Past Due Accounts

My ‘light bulb’ moment came from an ‘award-winning service’ workshop, where I learnt that the secret to happiness is helping others. It sounds odd I know but it made perfect sense....

03
Jun
The Power of Avoiding Bad Debt Expense

“Oh, that unpaid invoice was only $1000, it’s just a bad debt expense. It’s not so much in the whole scheme of things…” This is what a business owner, whose profits are so small that she can’t pay herself a decent wage, told me last week....

01
Jun
The Surprising Secrets of Politely Asking For Payment

Jane and Robert* have a successful service business. They'd like to grow thier business but have been turned down for a loan... ...they hadn’t been politely asking for payments so have too many outstanding debtors…...

25
May
A Nice Way to Ask For Payment

From what my clients tell me, they don’t realise there’s a nice way to ask for payment, so there’s a deep-seated (but unfounded) fear around asking....

25
May
Frequent Late Payment of Commercial Debts?

If you are experiencing late payments of commercial debts, check your invoices and confirm that you've included all the pieces of information your customer needs to be able to pay you....

18
May
The Fast Way to Feel Confident Asking For Payment Nicely

We realised that the more we knew about our client and their interactions with us, the more confident and powerful we felt about asking for payment nicely....

13
May
Late Invoice Payments? The Power of Being ‘Worried’

One of my clients was recently struggling; she had a very overdue invoice payment. A senior manager had promised to pay the invoice a few times, but the money never arrived....

13
May
I Can’t Ask for Payment Before My Invoice is Due

It's a MYTH! You CAN ask - all you need to do is disguise your request as customer service - like we did. We used what we called our 'Courtesy Call'. It's a 'stand out winner'. It works like a dream....

11
May
What I Learned From ‘Elusive Debtors’ 

I didn't want to lose my recruitment business just because elusive debtors couldn't pay, so we developed strategies to get through to them and secure their payment....

06
May
Cash Flow: 5 Lessons SMEs Learn Too Late

Learn the 5 simple cash flow lessons that enabled me have strong cash flow, pay myself an MD's wage and grow my business, profits and equity to fund my retirement....

04
May
effective leadership abilities
11 Effective Leadership Abilities – Part 3

If you’re already in a leadership role, you’ll know that displaying effective leadership abilities means that you are performing personally at an optimum level and uplifting the performance of others....

28
Apr
effective leadership habits
11 Effective Leadership Habits – Part 2

Effective leadership habits need long-term vision and approach. Serious effort is involved too, but the results are worth it for everyone involved....

16
Mar
effective leadership skills
11 Effective Leadership Skills – Part 1

Developing effective leadership skills needs a long-term approach. It takes serious effort, but the results are worth it....

11
Mar
A Simple, Easy Invoice That Gets Paid Fast

All it takes is a simple, easy invoice to get clients to pay super-fast. A simple invoice that reminds clients of the value you’ve provided....

10
Mar
past due invoice
How to Avoid A Past Due Invoice (with Ken Blanchard)

Who would have thought that good old-fashioned customer service can get your invoices paid by the due date, banish overdue invoices for ever and get your customers to grow your business for you?...

09
Mar
past due invoices
No Confidence Asking for Past Due Invoices? Try the 7 Habits

Build your confidence with the ‘7 Habits’ and see your invoices paid on time, your stress levels disappear and your cash flow grow....

04
Mar
invoices paid on time
How I Got My Invoices Paid On Time, Thanks to Michael Gerber

I was almost one of the 44% of business owners who close the doors every year. That was super-scary, and that’s what led me to Michael Gerber’s book, The E-Myth....

02
Mar
collection strategy
4 Expert Collection Strategy Tips

It seems that often, people don’t say or do anything about asking for their money back simply because they aren’t sure exactly what to say or do....

24
Feb
ask for paym
How to Ask for Payment Professionally and Get Paid Fast

I wrote‘GET PAID!’ after learning that 60% of small businesses fail every year, mostly because they don’t know how to ask for payment professionally. GET PAID! shows you the simple 5-Step admin process we used in my business to make sure clients paid on time, every time....

20
Nov
asking for payment professionally
Boost Your Cash Flow: Invoice Fast

If your cash flow often needs a boost because your customers pay late, it might not be your customers’ fault. It might be something you can fix in a jiffy!...

19
Nov
Avoid Overdue Accounts With This #1 Top Tip

Everyone loves to celebrate a sale – but when the invoice is unpaid, it destroys your profit. Too many can destroy your business. Try the simple sentence I've often used to get my invoices paid super-fast....

14
Nov
managing cash flow
The Easy Answer to Managing Cash Flow

If late payments are constantly keeping you short of cash, try the simple strategy that worked in my business. Customers thought we were customer service heroes and paid on time, every time. ...

13
Nov
polite request for payment
Will A Rocket Scientist Get Your Invoices Paid On Time?

Follow these 5 tips, make all your payment requests polite, and watch your cash flow, AND your business, grow....

12
Nov
outstanding invoices
Cash Flow Alert: How to Avoid Bad Debts

If a customer refuses to pay you or goes out of business owing you money, then your unpaid invoice turns into a bad debt. You’ve lost that money forever....

12
Nov
cash flow crisis
Cash Flow Crisis? Fix Invoice Control

Do you hesitate to chase up your customers for payment, and then wait so long for your money that you have a cash flow crisis? Lots of small business owners think it’s not ‘their right’ to ask for their money back. They send their invoice and then just wait for...

07
Nov
cash flow at risk
How To Avoid Cash Flow Risk With Customer Service

Good 'old-fashioned' customer service, in the right place and at the right time, can get invoices paid painlessly, avoid cash flow risk and save your business!...

05
Nov
asking customers for payment
Asking Customers for Payment? The 2 Best Ways to Feel Confident

Taking notes in ‘collections shorthand’ will help you build your knowledge about clients. The more knowledge you have, the more confident you will feel asking customers for payment....

03
Nov
increase your cash flow
Why The Words You Choose Can Increase Your Cash Flow

What you say, and how you say it, has a big impact on how your client feels about you and when they pay your invoice. Choosing the right words will help increase your cash flow....

31
Oct
Clients Slow to Pay Invoices? Try This Winning Tip…

Here's an easy strategy for a simple friendly reminder. Use this 'winning tip' so you don't have to worry about demanding payment and upsetting your customer when the invoice is overdue for payment....

29
Oct
making collection calls
Making Collection Calls in a Small Business

The key is to get customers to pay their bills by the due date by following a few admin and customer service processes.  When they pay by the due date you can avoid making collection calls altogether!...

10
May
Jan Reeves - Polite ways to ask for Payment
12 Polite Ways to Ask for Payment

If too many invoices aren’t paid any business will eventually fail. Regardless if we call it debt collection, accounts receivable, collections or credit control, invoices do have to be paid so it's essential to find the polite way to ask for payment....

30
Apr
outstanding invoices
Outstanding Invoices? 4 Ways to Avoid Them

This 4-Step process features some of the simple strategies I used to get invoices paid in my business. All our customers paid on time so we avoided having outstanding invoices altogether....

21
Apr
ask for payment nicely
How to Ask for Payment Nicely

Knowing how to ask customers nicely for payment is super-important because SMEs wait 55 days on average to receive payment from customers, which causes cash flow shortages....

11
Apr
collection process
A Proven Collection Process for Small Business

Without a simple collection process, small business owners can struggle to get invoices paid. That can make it difficult for them to pay their staff, suppliers and themselves....

02
Apr
get paid
4 Quick Ways to Get Paid Sooner

One of the easiest ways to get paid sooner is to over-service your customers all through the sales process. There's 3 more equally easy ways - no specialist skills required....

25
Mar
simple invoicing
Simple Invoicing Hacks to Improve Cash Collections

Secure and simple invoicing, and a process for getting those invoices paid fast, is essential for steady cash flow. This simple guideline will help you understand the process better....

14
Mar
late payments
Late Payments? First Things First

The failure rate of small business is very high and can devastate the owner. The cause is often poor of cash flow due to late payments. Here's how to avoid late payments and improve cash-flow....

04
Mar
collection call scripts
The 19 Collection Call Scripts You Need to Get Paid

Collection call scripts are an absolute ‘must’ to ensure every business gets their invoices paid without upsetting their customers. Here’s the list of scripts that worked well in my own small business...

20
Feb
overdue payment
9 Tips to Avoid Overdue Payment of Invoices

Overdue invoices can be fatal for any small business. Here are some of the strategies we used in my small business to make sure that customers paid us on time, every time...

13
Feb
Jan Reeves - Ask for Payment and Improve Cash Flow
How to Ask for Payment and Improve Cash Flow

Small business owners go out of their way to provide services to customers and then feel too embarrassed to ask for payment. Why?...

06
Feb
cash flow problems?
Cash Flow Problems? Just Get Your Clients to Love You

If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve had cash flow problems. This is the second of two posts that will show you why good customer relations are important to help you get paid, get more orders and improve your cash flow....

28
Jan
improve your cash flow
Improve Your Cash Flow With Good Customer Relationships

With good customer relations, customers are more likely to pay you before other suppliers, reorder and recommend you to other potential customers. This is the first of two posts to show you proven, easy ways to improve your cash flow....

28
Jan
Ways to Increase Profit
9 Quick Ways to Increase Profit

When I first started my business, I knew I had to make a profit to survive. I also knew it was going to be tough. I'd read that small business owners considered their top 2 challenges to be not enough profit and poor cash flow....

02
Jan
Jan Reeves - Best books for business
Best Books for Business to Make Dreams Come True

These are some of the books I read that inspired me to build my successful small business and sell it 15 years later for millions of dollars....

13
Sep
how to ask for a payment when you're too scared to ask
Too Scared to Ask for a Payment?

Not knowing how to ask for a payment can be a disaster for your business. Try these 10 simple tips to get your customers to pay you on time, every time....

13
Aug
the polite way to ask for payment: 12 steps
The Polite Way To Ask For Payment: 12 Steps

How can you find the polite way to ask for payment of your outstanding or overdue invoice? Just follow these 12 simple steps...

25
Jun
Jan Reeves - Outstanding Payments
Sick of Outstanding Payments? Try These Tactics

Some people get so stressed about collecting outstanding payments that it makes them sick. Take the stress out of getting paid with these simple tips....

25
Jun
the best payment reminder
The Best Payment Reminder: Top 10 Strategies

Collecting overdue invoices can feel like the dreariest of all business tasks, but once you find some proven payment reminder strategies, and figure out what works best, it can be really fun and very rewarding....

23
Apr
how to ask a client for payment
How to Ask a Client for Payment Politely: 9 Simple Strategies

Worrying about how to ask a client for payment politely can cause cash flow shortages and problems. How less stressful would it feel if you could ask clients to pay on time and they LOVED you for it? It can be done. Easy!  ...

23
Apr
making collections to put you $$ back in your bank account
Making Collection Calls To Put Your $$ Back In Your Bank Account

No-one wants to make collection calls, but overdue invoices = poor cash flow and often a business can't survive. The good news is that a bit of admin upfront gets twice as many invoices paid on time. Easy!...

04
Jan
4 friendly reminder email templates
4 Friendly Reminder Email Templates To Get Invoices Paid

In my small business we often successfully used friendly reminder emails when we chased our customers for payment. Email can be a very helpful tool when it's used in the right way. These template show you how ...

01
Jan
7 ways to keep sane when disaster strikes your business
7 Ways To Keep Sane When Disaster Strikes Your Small Business

As small business owners, we are all learning. Sometimes through a series of disasters, we get to know that we definitely don't know everything. We’ve all been there. Things can go wrong. We need success strategies to get us back on track...

27
Dec
9 powered-up leadership styles
9 Powered-Up Positive Leadership Styles

When I think about my biggest lesson on leadership, I cringe. I soon learnt, in the words of the great author on leadership, John C Maxwell... "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way"...

01
Dec
6 ways small business owners get more done with less stress
6 Ways Small Business Owners Get More Done with Less Stress

As small business owners, we are responsible for everything and everyone in our company. Here's how I reduced my stress levels and increased my output....

01
Dec
3 Simple Strategies to Increase Your Bottom Line
3 Simple Strategies to Increase Your Bottom Line

Don't feel embarrassed about making a profit in your small business. As a director, that's actually your job - to make a profit. So how do you increase your bottom line? Here's 3 things I did which saw me achieve the highest profit margins in my industry....

01
Dec
5 tips to survive small business disasters
5 Tips To Survive Small Business Disasters (When It All Goes Pear Shaped)

As any small business owner will tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. The ABS reports that over 60% of small businesses cease operating in the first 3 years These simple tips helped me survive and thrive...

07
Nov
7 Payment Reminder Strategies To Get Invoices Paid Fast
7 Payment Reminder Strategies to Get Paid Faster

Customer hasn't paid their invoice? It's very easy to jump to the conclusion that they don't want to pay - but that may not be true. Before you send a payment reminder or call your customer to demand payment, check out this article...

31
Oct
Not All Customers Are Profitable Customers – Choose Wisely
Not All Customers Are Profitable Customers – Choose Wisely

Some customers make you money and some cost you money. Here's how I uncovered our most profitable customers and grew my business with them...

10
Oct
Having Trouble With Outstanding Invoices? Here’s How To Get Paid
Having Trouble With Outstanding Invoices? Here’s How To Get Paid.

How many times have customers not paid your invoices by the due date? Don't get mad... Use these simple, proven tips to get paid and keep calm, relaxed and stress-free...

23
Sep
18 Tips That Helped Me Build A Multi-Million Dollar Small Business
18 Tips That Helped Me Build A Multi-Million Dollar Small Business

I started my small business with zero business knowledge. I think most small business owners do. I learnt everything I needed to know from other successful business owners. I went to their seminars, I read their books and sometimes I had one as a personal coach....

19
Sep
Asking for Payment. Why We Resist – And 3 Ways to Get Paid Without Asking
Asking for Payment: Why We Resist – And 3 Ways to Get Paid Without Asking

Why do so many of us provide products or services to customers but then feel that asking of payment is too embarrassing? If we don’t get paid, we might just as well have opened the window and thrown out the dollar bills. ...

10
Sep
3 Reasons You Should Ask for Payment of Invoices By Email
3 Reasons You Should Ask for Payment of Invoices By Email

Here’s three instances where, done properly, email can really help you with on time payment of invoices. Having a strong working relationship with customers is a real bonus...

05
Sep
Unpaid Invoices – 5 Tips to Get Paid Fast
Unpaid Invoices – 5 Tips to Get Paid Fast

Collecting overdue and unpaid invoices can be a challenge. But with the right collection strategies in place, getting customers to pay on time gets easier (and dare I say more enjoyable!)...

03
May
Jan Reeves - Collection Strategy | Getting invoices paid fast
5 Collection Strategy Tips – To Get Invoices Paid Fast and Stronger Cash Flow

Overdue Invoices? Top collection strategy tip: people pay people they like! All these collection strategy tips have been proven to get invoices paid on time, every time without upsetting customers...

01
Nov
a proven collection call script
A Proven Collection Call Script

Hate making collections calls because you don't know what to say? Think you might upset your customer? Here's the perfect collection call script for small business owners, proven to get invoices paid without upsetting your customers....

09
Sep
Collection of Accounts Receivable: The Process For Success
Collection of Accounts Receivable: The Process For Success

This simple system for the collection of accounts receivable works like a dream. Follow this easy cycle to get invoices paid on time, every time, even if you have zero collections training....

18
Jul
Collection of Accounts Receivable: The Process For Success
9 ‘Must Read Business Books’ That Helped Me Grow And Sell My Small Business

Books by 9 of the 'Gurus' that taught me how to make my business more profitable, more valuable and attractive to buyers. I would never have been able to grow, develop and sell my business without them. Brilliant reads....

02
Jun
Overdue Invoices? How To Ask For Payment Politely – In 4 Easy Steps
Overdue Invoices? How To Ask For Payment Politely – In 4 Easy Steps

Does wondering how to ask for payment politely strike fear in your heart? You aren’t alone. But don't worry, there’s an easy way to ask for payment of your invoices without upsetting your customer......

30
Mar
The 2 Hour Business Action Plan For Growth and Success
The 2-Hour Business Action Plan For Growth and Success

A business action plan is an essential ingredient to grow a successful small business. Use this template to complete your plan and budget quickly and easily....

02
Feb
How to Write a Simple Invoice: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Write a Simple Invoice: A Step-by-Step Guide

49% of invoices sent have errors on them and don't get paid on time. Learn how to write simple error-free invoices that get paid on time....

02
Feb
How to Use a Business Plan For Small Business Success
How to Use a Business Plan Template For Small Business Success

Small businesses with written goals are 80% more likely to survive and thrive. Here's the business plan template pdf I used to develop my very profitable small business...

25
Jan