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  1. Is your Debt Recovery a distress purchase only ?

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    Whoop, whoop ! ! We’ve just lost one of our credit control clients and we’re so glad for them…. ?

    Some people might read the above and think :

    They can’t be that great can they, they must have done something wrong, I’m not going there !

    However ‘they’ couldn’t be further from the truth…

    Many clients don’t come to us because they have mountains of debt.

    Most clients come to us simply because they want an effective process for the recovery of their invoices because cashflow is a cornerstone to running a successful business.

    Our involvement ensured that this particular client consistently recovered their funds and filled their bank account. This influx of funds allowed them to then reinvest into their business. This reinvestment inwardly led to sustained growth outwardly. This outward success led to them being firstly noticed and finally bought by an industry peer.

    Yes, your conclusions are correct !  We’ve now lost a client because we did the job that they asked us to do fabulously well and now that client has rightfully reaped the rewards of their endeavours.

    Just confirms our belief in our business mantra :
    We exist to ensure businesses survive and then grow to their full potential.

    Can’t wait until the next piece of (good / bad) news…

  2. April – Can account reflection and financial change improve your bank balance.

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    For many, April brings the new financial year. A time for looking back, analysing accounts, learning from them and planning a route forward.

    Sadly one negative account tasks is to determine the invoices that are to be written off.

    People can give many reasons for writing off an invoice : It’s too much work to pursue them, it’s not cost effective or quite possibly, I simply don’t know how to go about it !

    In actuality, there should only be two legitimate reasons for writing off an invoice : A customer insolvency or a legitimate dispute on items.

    Should you suffer a customer insolvency, then sometimes there’s very little anybody can do. Companies go bust daily, often with little warning and the numbers continue to rise. But what can you learn from an insolvency ?

    If the insolvent company owed you monies within the last 30 / 60 days, you’ve probably done all you could to chase your monies. Sadly this is a cost of running a successful business, you’re going to encounter such challenges more and more as you get busier and busier. However if your debt ran beyond 60 days, ask yourself… ‘Should I have passed this on quicker (Yes), was there a chance of getting paid prior to the insolvency (Probably).

    Should your write offs include disputed goods or items, ask yourself… ‘Could we have done something better to secure our money ?’

    Disputes, queries and errors are part and parcel of everyday business but did you know it is unlawful to withhold the payment of either a different invoice, or an undisputed portion of an invoice, in relation to a separate query. If only some element of your invoice is queried, you have a legal right to demand the remainder be paid, it just takes the skills and knowledge to know how to secure your payment whilst maintaining that valuable client relationship.

    Did you know you have SIX years to pursue your accounts. Even if you’ve recorded them as write offs in your annual accounts, you can continue to pursue them, you simply have to let Mrs Reeves know if you get paid back your hard earned monies.

    If you find you have lots of ‘standard’ write offs, where there’s no real reason for not pursuing them other than it’s been a long time since you did, or you don’t know how to, now’s the time to act.

    Let’s not forget, your invoices represent not only the cost you’ve incurred in completing the project but also your profit. Make no bones about it, if you continue to allow debts to simply be written off, you will not only continue to lose the money that you’ve invested in the project but you’ll also be losing the profits that you could have invested into your business.

    So what can you do about it ? Simple, don’t just accept it, take action to recover it. It’s not too late !

  3. Not all Superheroes wear capes ?

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    Corp & Comm’s growth trajectory continues and as a result, we’re eager to help more and more businesses manage their cashflow and avoid the pain of bad debt.

    We’re pleased to announce we’re recruiting for another cashflow superhero.

    Do you know somebody who can help us, help others ?

    We have a part time position open in our Credit Control department.

    Hours will start between 16 / 20 hours per week, based in our Skipton office set on the beautiful Broughton Hall estate.

    Would suit a local school parent as we’re happy to work around school hours and holidays.

    Hoover is our key phrase when it comes to recruiting as we hire on V.A.C.

    VALUES – ATTITUDE – COMMON SENSE.

    If you know of somebody who fits the bill, drop us a line to introduce them, or indeed ask they to drop us a line direct.

    We’re a nice bunch and we don’t bite (that’s Beau, our Wellbeing Officer’s job)… Relax, she’s a Bocker !

  5. Bad debt (credit) insurance, is it really worth it ?

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    We insure our cars, our house and sometimes even ourselves – but how many of you have considered insuring the life blood of your business – Your cash flow.

    We’re at the coal-face of the credit and debt industry and we have seen a steeped rise in companies failing over the last 12 months.

    A recent BBC editorial highlighted the fact that company insolvencies were at their highest since the 90’s and effectively every 1 in 200 active companies closed in 2023.

    Frightening statistics ! But what can you do when a customer enters insolvency ?

     

    Credit insurance is like most insurance… it can be costly and you hope you won’t want to use it but when you do, it can be life saving.

    Now we don’t profess to being experts at insurance but we have trusted contacts who are. We picked the brains of Tamlynn Siddle at Allianz for her thoughts as to the whys and wherefores of credit insurance and how it all works.

    Effectively with the appropriate cover in place, should you suffer the shock of having a customer enter insolvency, in straightforward cases a client can receive up to 90% of their losses back from the insurance company.

    Even when you’re experiencing a late paying customer, your insurance can help. For example, if Corp & Comm were retained to recover your account but sadly all of our actions were being ignored (which is rare but we have to admit it does happen from time to time) then after a pre-agreed period of chasing, you can pass this account to your insurers and should they also not be successful, you again could receive up to 90% of the debt value back via the insurance company.

    In short, although there are no guarantees that you won’t experience a customer’s insolvency, there are ways that you can avoid feeling the full brunt of that pain.

     

  6. A good walk spoiled… Not when you’re helping others.

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    Golf… a good walk spoiled they say…
    Well not if you’re raising money for charity and helping others less fortunate than yourself.
    (But to be honest, the way I play the walk is probably the most enjoyable aspect !)
    Here at Corp & Comm we’re all about giving back, simply because we can and to be honest, we all should.
    Now in our 11th year, The Friendly Golf Society is a bunch of like-minded business owners who have a bat once a month during the fairer days.
    We’re always on the look-out for a stressed business owner who fulfils these criteria :
    1, They’re looking for a little time to themselves.
    2, They’re looking to do some good for others.
    3, They can smack a bit of plastic around a field…
    The aim – to give themselves a little reward whilst all the while doing some good for those less fortunate for ourselves.
    Last year we raised £1,500.00 for Rob Burrow’s MNDA.
    If you know somebody who fits the bill, click on the link below and point them in our direction.
    If their heart’s in the right place, then they need to be too…
    The Friendly Golf Society
    Our 2024 events are : 
     
    3rd May – Knaresborough
    31st May – Normanton / Hatfield Hall
    28th June – Huddersfield / Fixby Hall
    20th July – Rotherham
    23rd August – Woodsome Hall
    20th September – Shipley / Beckfoot

  7. Never mind three wise men, what about three wise tips to getting paid…

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    The invoices you raised in October are your Christmas Cash-Flow.

    To maximise your chances of being paid these invoices before the Christmas break, it is vitally important to you have all your checks and balances in place.

    This year, a lot of companies will shut down for Christmas around Friday 22nd December (if not before…) and the likelihood is, they won’t be returning until the New Year.

    This means that you’ve only got three weeks to recover four weeks worth of invoices.

     

    Don’t be phased though, use the last weeks of November to action your Christmas Cash-Flow Plan.

    With a bit of careful thought, planning and action, you can maximise your chances of December being all… Ho-Ho-Dough !

     

    1 – Review all of your invoices that will soon be falling due.

    Have all of your invoices been sent ? Can you send them again by email also to ensure receipt ? Do your invoices contain all the information they should ? Most importantly, do they contain your bank details ?

    Now is the time to make any amendments to any invoice and get them sent again to the customer.

     

    2 – Find out when your customers are closing.

    Pick up the phone. Use the opportunity to continue to grow your business relationship but also find out when your customers are closing for Christmas. Make a note and you’ll ensure you’re able to chase your invoices when they’re actually around. Finally use the opportunity to make sure they’ve got your invoices and that they don’t need anything further.

    It may seem cheeky to ask about invoices that aren’t yet due but it’s better to resolve challenges now than when the time is ticking.

     

    3 – Set two dates in your diary for credit control.

    December can be a manic month, we’re trying to fit four weeks of work into the three weeks on offer. As a result, we have a tenancy to concentrate on sales and revenue and NOT financial admin. By physically putting two mornings into your diary, be it Outlook, Google or whatever method you use, you ensure that you spend time of the important function of Christmas Cash-Flow.

    A good tip is to diarise the first and second Thursdays of December. People often take Fridays off Christmas shopping.

     

    There’s just a few tips as to how to reduce your Christmas financial stress, whilst all along increasing your chances of Christmas Cheer.

    Don’t worry if it seems a lot, we’re always on hand to discuss, advise and guide how you can implement same and should it all seem too much time and effort, then we’re there to pick up the baton for you instead.

     

    Enjoy the rest of 2023, from all the Team at Corp & Comm. 

     

     

     

     

     

  8. Talk is cheap… Not here, we think talk is priceless.

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    A huge thanks to business mentor Gary King for affording us the opportunity to share with The Association of Business Mentors, our knowledge and advice as to how their clients can not only survive but also grow in these troubled times.

    Through their Podcast series about Business Essentials, we share our tips, advice and guidance as to how to maximise the return of your business invoices…

     

  9. Overtrading – Once a myth, now a reality.

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    Is there one word that sums up the cost of living ‘crisis’ on the credit management of a business…
    One word we use – Overtrading !

    The sky rocketing cost of raw materials, the utilities to convert them and the fuel to distribute means companies need to spend more to simply purchase the same value of items as before.

    To cope with this reduced money making, some businesses are gambling on what we call ‘overtrading’, where they commit to larger and larger contracts to bring increased revenues.

    The downside to committing to larger projects is the necessity to buy more materials. Buying more leads to an monetary increase in orders, meaning much larger potential debts.
    Yes, we can hear you say… ‘but this increased demand is fine because they’re going to earn more from the larger project to pay the bills’… but are they ? ?
    All it takes is a snagging query on a site, or a manufacturing query at source and the customer’s payment chain comes to an inevitable halt, restricting cash-flow into their business. This lack of funds forces them to pass on their pain through none-payment to suppliers.

    So how do you spot the tell tale signs of overtrading ? Look at your ledger for these…
    1, Has a regular customer started to order increased volumes beyond their limit ?
    2, Has a customer’s payments started to become delayed later and later ?
    3, Has a normally ‘talkative’ customer become unexpectedly silent ?

    If the answers to 1 and 2 are Yes, then grab your credit control script, give them a call and look for some answers.
    Tell them you’ve noticed an increase in orders and ask them is this for a specific larger project, or are they simply doing more and more work.
    Tell them you’ve noted recently that ‘everybody’s’ payment terms are getting stretched these days and you just wanted to make sure they had everything they needed to ensure there were no delays with the payment of your invoices.

    Let’s not forget, until you’re paid, you’ve funding their business. It’s cost you money to fulfil these orders, it’s not all pure profit and until you get paid, it’s you carrying their debt, not them.
    Finally, if you sadly don’t get a response from your attempts, then it’s time to grab the bull by the horns and take some action. You know where to find us to source your solution.

  10. If we could all be a better friend, the world would be a better place…

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    Those immortal words, spoken by the legend Sir Kevin Sinfield about his mate Rob Burrow, keep us driven on our quest to do good for others.

    Fancy making a difference too…

    Good, then ask yourself these three very important questions….

    Do you strive to help others less fortunate than yourself ?

    Do you live / work within an hour of Leeds ?

    Do you play golf (badly) ?

     

    If the answer to all of these questions is a resounding YES, then you’re the perfect candidate

    to join our merry band of business owners in The Friendly Golf Society.

    Now in it’s 10th year, the society was created with the sole aim of helping raise funds for various local charities.

    They are proud to state that to press they have raised over £10,000.00 for good causes.

    Made up from an ever growing list of local business owners, the society plays a monthly round of golf at different marquee courses around West Yorkshire.

     

    The purpose : To take some time out for themselves, make meaningful connections, grow their businesses and have a leisurely bat, whilst all the while doing good for others that need it most.

    If this is something that appeals to you, click to our website The Friendly Golf Society for further details and then drop us a line to register your interest.

    Al si thee,

    Cheers, Rob.