News : Valerie Moore
November News
As surely as winter follows summer (now that the clocks have gone back winter looks so much nearer) small businesses continue to experience the problems of being paid for their services – particularly when offering credit to customers.
This is a subject that I did cover last year – and I see that it had quite a number of “hits” – so feel that it is worth revisiting this subject.
We all need our customers to pay us – unless we have decided we would like to be a charity !?. Not a route I would recommend as most of use need to earn a living.
The majority of customers do pay on time and without prompting and a "thank you" occasionally to them for their payment will not go amiss. Look after your good customers - a quick word or email will be much appreciated.
For some reason people do not like asking for money due to them - why ? It is their money once the service has been provided or the goods delivered. A few of the more unscrupulous firms will play on this - but would your bank give you an interest free loan - because that is, in effect, what you are giving your customer who hasn't paid - an interest free loan.
Don't want to upset a customer ? May I say .................
A customer is not a customer until they have paid for the services rendered – such a person/ organisation is a liability – and the two should not be confused !
Follow a few simple guidelines and ensure that you get your money.
STOP PRESS
Postal scam warning
Businesses are being warned about a scam to trick them out of money. Anyone who receives a post card from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) asking them to call a number in order to receive an undelivered parcel are being told not to do. The telephone number is a premium rate call, and the caller is billed £15 as soon as a recorded message starts to play. Anyone receiving such a card is being asked to contact Royal Mail Fraud or the premium rate service regulator Phonepay Plus.
Read more at:
http://www.red-tape.org/scams.php?id=22
The regulator's website is at:
http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk
Several more businesses have joined the “B2B & More Section”; do take a look to see if any of those businesses can be of assistance to you also consider if your business could be of assistance to anyone else – if so click on the link at the bottom of the page and submit an entry
I reserve the right to accept or deny any request for inclusion and to edit any text. Entries will usually only be accepted from people/businesses that I know; or who have been strongly recommended by someone that I know. Remember as I get older the memory goes – so do also email to say that you have an entry to be considered and remind me who you are if we have not been in contact for a while.