Start up again intelligently, give preference to amicable procedures, instill a cash culture in your company… Here are a few tips to help you cash in on sales as quickly as possible.
There’s nothing new about the fact that payment times in France are historically long. But today, it’s even worse. According to a study by KPMG, in partnership with the publisher Sidetrade, around 3.5 out of 10 invoices are overdue by more than 10 days, compared with around 2 out of 10 before containment. At the beginning of May, the crisis committee on payment terms issued an alert on the situation, notably on the emergence of new practices on the part of certain companies (absence of invoice validation, delay in issuing purchase orders, prices revised downwards, etc.). Today, all invoices are going to be important, even those worth 500 euros”, warns Fabrice Delevay, CEO of GCollect, a collections marketplace. This is particularly true for companies that have not obtained a state-guaranteed loan (PGE), but whose sales are “sleeping” outside the company. Getting back what you owe is no easy task, especially in times of crisis. JDN asked a number of experts for their advice on how to reduce payment delays.
Have a valid invoice
To collect an invoice, first make sure it’s in order and not in dispute. “Check that you at least have a signed quotation, purchase order, contract or delivery note. Otherwise, the payment deadline and debt collection will be ultra-complex”, reminds Alexandre Bardin, CEO of Rubypayeur, an online debt collection platform. “It’s also important to display lump-sum compensation correctly on the invoice, and make it clear that if the invoice isn’t paid, the company won’t hesitate to call in a collection service,” he adds.
Prefer dematerialized invoices
If you haven’t already done so, switch to electronic invoices, which are much more practical and traceable than paper. What’s more, there’s a good chance that paper invoices will no longer be accepted at all in a few years’ time, so you might as well be prepared. Since January 1, 2020, it has been mandatory to use electronic invoicing if you sell goods or services to public bodies, and to accept dematerialized invoices between private companies. There are many invoice dematerialization services available, as well as cash management software that integrate this feature.
Intelligent reminders
Relaunching an unpaid invoice may seem awkward, but it’s an absolute must. The first reason for late payment is that an invoice has never been dunned. There’s a certain amount of bad faith on the part of debtors, who tell themselves that if no one reminds them, they won’t pay because they want to conserve cash”, analyzes Aymeric Dupas, CEO of Aston iTF, SaaS software for collecting trade receivables. “Collecting a receivable that’s over a year old divides the chances of success of getting paid by 10.” If you’re a small business, you can individually dun your customers the day after the invoice is due. If you still haven’t heard from them a week later, you can put them on formal notice. “This makes it official that you’ve been paid”, insists Alexandre Bardin. Above all, you need to follow up as quickly as possible. “The longer you wait, the more complicated it is, especially at the moment. Collecting a debt that’s more than a year old divides your chances of getting paid by 10,” he adds. You can also use reminder software, of which there are many on the market(Aston iTF, Clearnox, Dunforce, Sidetrade Augmented Cash, Upflow…). Some are aimed specifically at SMEs , and are either totally or partially free at the moment, due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Propose a schedule
If your customer can’t pay his bill because he’s in a difficult situation, you can offer him a payment schedule. “A payment schedule is reassuring, because the company knows that it has a chance of recovering its money over several months, and that it doesn’t need to launch costly legal proceedings,” points out Alexandre Bardin. “What’s more, it strengthens the business relationship and creates a kind of solidarity,” he adds. Rubypayeur claims that over 50% of its customers currently accept payment plans, compared with 20% under normal circumstances.
Favoring amicable settlement
“Always favor amicable procedures and dialogue. That way, you’ll be able to come to an arrangement that won’t leave anyone by the wayside,” advises Fabrice Delevay. What’s more, out-of-court settlements cost nothing, unlike legal collections.
More than 50% of its customers currently accept payment plans, compared with 20% under normal circumstances
“Your customer may have a good reason for not paying you because he’s having financial difficulties. On the other hand, if he is acting in bad faith, you have the option of calling the Médiateur des entreprises,” says Olivier Novasque, CEO of Sidetrade, publisher of an artificial intelligence platform dedicated, among other things, to managing overdue payments. “There’s no point in continuing to serve a customer if they don’t pay you, otherwise you won’t be able to pay your staff and suppliers”, adds the CEO.
Transparency
Our experts advise companies to be transparent with their customers. “Don’t hesitate to explain that if they don’t pay you, you’ll go out of business. It doesn’t work every time, but you have to try,” advises Alexandre Bardin. “You have to be closer than ever to your customers, and empathize with them because they’re in trouble themselves. I recommend raising the subject of payment deadlines right away”, adds Olivier Novasque.
Understand the value of cash to the company
Managers need to get to grips with the subject of cash management, even if it’s not very sexy and seems anecdotal. On the contrary, it’s a priority. “You have to communicate with all departments, give them objectives and roles on the subject of cash, and define indicators to monitor the objectives set,” stresses Aymeric Dupas. Sidetrade recommends focusing on weekly or even daily cash receipts. And try to forecast your cash flow as much as possible (see our article Nine tips for looking after and forecasting your cash flow). “You have to integrate it into your sales negotiations. It’s the perfect opportunity for two isolated worlds to finally talk to each other: the world of finance and the world of commerce. It’s very important to instill a cash culture in sales people. You have to explain to them that payment terms are not the last wheel on the wagon, that they are an essential part of commercial negotiation, and that they will be called upon if there are any disputes or if payment is late,” explains Olivier Novasque. In short, we want them to understand that “Cash is king”.
