Wednesday, March 25, 2009

SendOutCards Featured on eWomenNetwork, SUCCESS from HOME Magazine and Other Media Outlets

It may be "news" to you that SendOutCards is constantly mentioned in the media. In fact, we've been showcased in everything from radio and television shows to newspaper and magazine publications.

More recently, Kody Bateman talked about SendOutCards on the weekly eWomenNetwork radio show. eWomenNetwork is recognized as the #1 source for connecting and promoting women and their businesses worldwide.



This week we wanted to feature a few of our favorite interviews, publications and features! Keep in mind that these are great tools to help you promote your SendOutCards business, just like the Success From Home magazine, and can be shown to prospects to help them understand the credibility and excitement behind SendOutCards! Just go to our homepage and click on "SOC in the Media."

Radio: eWomenNetwork Radio Show Interview



TV: America's Best Products Feature



Magazine: Direct Selling News Article



Send Out Cards offers a Ground Floor In-Home Opportunity. You can make big money from your home by sending out cards and sharing this unique concept.

Set-up a sample account. You can put 1 to 10 greeting cards in their sample account, show them how to send out a card and then allow them to send additional cards, save contact names and review their own calendar with saved birthdays and special occasions. This works like magic. If a person or business takes the time to sample the system, they are sold almost every time. This is a fun and simple way for you to build a residual business.

Join the SendOutCard Movement today!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

10 WAYS TO PREVENT AND COLLECT PAST DUE ACCOUNTS

When you've worked hard to get a sale, and then deliver your goods or services, you have a right to expect to be paid for your efforts. However, anyone who has been in business for even a month has learned that prompt payment is not always the case.

Often, accounts become seriously past due, or there are insufficient funds in your customer's account to cover his or her check. Besides becoming frustrated, here are ten steps you can take to fight bad debt losses.

#1 DEVELOP A DEFINED CREDIT AND COLLECTION POLICY
One of the major causes of overdue receivables is that the company has not defined to its customers and staff when accounts are to be paid. If customers are not educated that accounts are to be paid on time, then chances are, they'll pay late or not at all.

#2 OFFER A DISCOUNT FOR EARLY PAYMENT
Giving your customers an incentive to pay early is another way of assuring payment. While it is standard to offer a two percent discount within ten days, you can structure whatever type of discount suits your business. Then make sure that your customers know about the discounts.

#3 INVOICE PROMPTLY AND BILL REGULARLY
If you don't have a systematic invoicing and billing system, get one! You'd be surprised at how many customers delay paying simply because they haven’t been reminded. If you have to do it manually, set up a calendar "tickler file" to remind you to send out regular statements. Pick a day each (maybe the 3rd Thursday) and send out your statements. Or hire an outsourcing service to handle this for you. If you have a computer, there are software programs that can be of enormous help. Find a way to bill regularly. You can also contact MoneyQuest Corporation additional ideas.

#4 CONTACT OVERDUE ACCOUNTS MORE FREQUENTLY
There is no law that says you can contact your customers only once a month. The old adage "A squeaky door gets oiled" has a great deal of merit when it comes to collecting past due accounts from your customers. Here's a special tip: contact your late payers every 10-14 days. Doing so will greatly increase your company's cash flow.

#5 DEVELOP A SYSTEMATIC PLAN TO FOLLOW UP PAST DUE ACCOUNTS
Determine ahead of time what action you will take and at what time you will take it. Write out a visual "flow chart" of the steps you can take. Post this on your wall to remind you and your staff of what to do when you have a past due account. A sample plan might look like this for a company that has net 30 terms:

SAMPLE FOLLOW UP PLAN
DAY ACTION TO TAKE

1 Give customer opportunity to pay when
service is rendered or products delivered.
Prepare invoice with terms clearly stated.

30 Send 1st statement.

45 Make phone call/ Send letter.

60* Send 2nd statement.

75** Make phone call/ Send 2nd letter.

90 Outsource to MoneyQuest for systematic
follow-up

* Consider sending final notice at this time for service providers.
** Send to RX Business Solutions

Tip #1 - REVIEW ACCOUNTS ONCE A MONTH AND TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION.
Tip #2 - GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS THE QUALITY OF SERVICE AND MERCHANDISE TO JUSTIFY YOUR PRICES AND TERMS.

#6 USE YOUR AGING SHEET - NOT YOUR FEELINGS
Have you ever let an account age beyond the point of ever being collected because you "felt" that your customer would eventually pay? If so, you're not alone. Besides, are your terms of payment Net Eventually? While there certainly are a few isolated cases of unusual customer situations, the truth is that if you aren't being paid - someone else is being paid. That's why it's so important that you stick to your plan of systematic followup.

You'll soon know which customers intend to pay and which don't. Once you know where you stand, you can take the right action to get paid. First, you have to know where you stand.

#7 MAKE SURE YOUR STAFF IS TRAINED
If you or the members of your staff have not had any special training in bad debt recovery, get some. Not only are there specific skills involved in collecting money, there are also legal issues to consider. (If you're not aware of these laws, look for upcoming newsletters: "What's Your Legal I.Q. Regarding Collections", "Hot Water Collection Tactics That Can Get You Into Big Trouble", and "It's the Law- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act".)

Some of the skills that need to be acquired for collecting past due accounts and bad checks are:
• Dealing with difficult people
• Asking questions to get information
• Overcoming stall tactics debtors use to avoid paying
• Negotiation skills to resolve conflicts

Because collecting past due accounts is a communication skill, your collection staff could benefit from customer service and sales training.

#8 ADMIT AND CORRECT ANY MISTAKES ON YOUR PART
Sometimes your customers don't pay because they feel you've made a mistake. If you have, quickly admit it and correct it. Your customer realizes that mistakes can happen in any business. If you deny an obvious error, you'll just fan the fire of resentment your customer may already feel. When dealing with a customer who is upset over a mistake made by someone on your staff, the best thing you can do is listen to their complaint completely before making any comments. Accept the blame and diffuse the situation. If you try to ask for payment before your customer has a chance to air his complaint, you'll only compound the problem. Once you agree with him that it's your mistake, you've taken away any reason for further argument.

#9 HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
A professional collection service can motivate customers to pay in ways you simply cannot. There are different types of debt collection assistance from which you can choose. Some of your options include small claims court, collection attorneys, and collection agencies. Before using these expensive and time consuming options, consider using the services of RX Business Solutions. Your accounts can be collected for as little as 5% - no matter how much is owed or where the account is located.

#10 REMEMBER THAT NOBODY COLLECTS EVERY ACCOUNT
Even by setting up and adhering to a specific collection plan, you will probably have a few accounts that will not get collected. By identifying these accounts early, you will save yourself and your company a lot of time and energy. Even though a few accounts may slip by you, you'll find that the overall number of slow pay and no pay accounts will greatly diminish. That's a victory in itself!

ACTION TO TAKE
As you review each of these points, ask yourself these questions:
1. Which of these steps are we already successfully doing?
2. Which steps must we implement that we're not doing?
3. What should we do first to have the most impact on our situation?

Once you've settled on the answers, don't hesitate - INNOVATE!

RESOURCE INFORMATION
If you are currently experiencing accounts or checks that are aged 90 days or beyond, consider using the services of the RX Business Solutions. To receive complete information on how you can get your past due accounts collected for as little as 5% regardless of how much is owed to you or where the account is located, contact an RX Business Solutions Cash Flow Consultant for a no obligation accounts receivable analysis.

Monday, March 23, 2009

More indication that patients need help

More than ever, Americans need all the help they can get when faced with paying medical bills. We have services that can help, such as the Patient Payment Plan. Call RX Business Solutions for more details at 916-226-6940.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-10-gallup-medical-bills_N.htm

View More Details on our Patient Payment Plan here!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Marketing Tips for Businesses



Internet Marketing Tips - Even Gurus Make Mistakes | Steve ...
Home Business Tips - Recognizing Killer Opportunities � Internet Marketing Tips - Even Gurus Make Mistakes � Copywriting Tips - The Long And Short Of It � Copywriting Tips - A Little Humor Never Hurts � Network Marketing Tips ...

Blog Content Generator

2 more doctors leaving medicine...

If only they had talked with one of our Medical Reimbursement Specialists first...

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2000/06/12/story8.html

http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article980289.ece


Problem/Solution

- Ever-rising mountains of paperwork / Our system reduces paperwork, and gets it online.
- Less time for patients / Outsourcing allows doctors to spend more time with patients.
- Deepening federal reimbursement cuts / Our RAC audit service will assure the doctor is getting paid properly.
- Workdays that typically stretch into nights / Again, outsourcing is the key to less office hours.

Learn more here!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Two Words Wal-Mart

This is big. When Wal-Mart gets in on something, you know there is a market (a real need) for it. What this means is that the retail giant is going to broaden awareness in the medical community, and doctors are going to realize even more how important it is for electronic solutions to their billing woes. Here's a key point this article fails to make: They don't mention the savings involved with outsourcing. That's where we come in. We are saving doctors TIME and Money now by handling their electronic claims and patient billing.

For more information on our outsourcing solutions click here!

To view the walmart article click below:
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/wal-mart-plans-jump-emr-market

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

More FRAUD on the rise...

Using our system, doctors are assisted in filing properly, so as to
avoid any possible Medicare audits/fines.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-12-healthfraud12_N.htm

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

SendOutCards Creates Custom Cards for American Idol Contestant, Megan Joy

SendOutCards design team has created a series of cards specifically for American Idol contestant, Megan Joy. For those of you who haven't heard, Megan is a SendOutCards distributor and a close friend to the company. She actually helps create the personalized fonts that our card senders use everyday. In fact, during an episode this week they mentioned that Megan was a "font analyst."

These custom cards will be a great way for us to express our support to Megan and show the world the capabilities of SendOutCards. We hope you'll join with us on this campaign to send her as many cards as we can! We can only imagine what everyone at American Idol--the judges, other contestants, and producers of the show--will think about the hundreds of custom cards being sent her way.


WHERE TO FIND MEGAN'S CUSTOM CARDS (For Current SOC Clients and Distributors):
In the old card editor, just go to the "My Cards" section and click on the category "SendOutCards" to view and send a few to Megan. You can create a campaign, share it with others, or just send card periodically her way.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO JOIN SendOutCards!

Last week on American Idol, they eliminated two contestants and 11 remain, including Megan. The judges also introduced a new rule where they will be able to save one person if they are voted off, if they feel that individual should still continue on in the competition.

The next show will be Tuesday, March 17. Tune in to FOX TV and check your local listing to see when American Idol will be broadcast locally.

For More Information about Send Out Cards watch this video!

SendOutCards Cruise, Eagle's Leadership

Each year at SendOutCards there are two large events that cards senders around the world look forward to other than our Treat 'em Right Seminars. These are those exciting times where we come together and celebrate the amazing journey we're on together. The first, if you haven't guessed it already, is SendOutCards National Convention held towards the last half of the year. The other is the held during the first half of the year and is already at our doorstep: the SendOutCards yearly cruise.

This year we've added to the cruise agenda, and if haven't read our latest SOCStars publication, you'll want to get your hands on a copy as soon as possible to learn all the details. Inside we detail the new event, an exclusive Executive Retreat, that will be held on March 25, the day before the cruise.


This event is for Executives and above, and we're excited to see all the recent new Executives who will be able to join us! If you were not able to qualify this year for the retreat, keep in mind that you'll have your chance next year. If you are a Senior Manager make a goal to qualify for the Executive Retreat of 2010!

JOIN the SOC Movement!

Monday, March 16, 2009

SendOutCards Creates Custom Cards for American Idol Contestant, Megan Joy

SendOutCards design team has created a series of cards specifically for American Idol contestant, Megan Joy. For those of you who haven't heard, Megan is a SendOutCards distributor and a close friend to the company. She actually helps create the personalized fonts that our card senders use everyday. In fact, during an episode this week they mentioned that Megan was a "font analyst."

These custom cards will be a great way for us to express our support to Megan and show the world the capabilities of SendOutCards. We hope you'll join with us on this campaign to send her as many cards as we can! We can only imagine what everyone at American Idol--the judges, other contestants, and producers of the show--will think about the hundreds of custom cards being sent her way.


WHERE TO FIND MEGAN'S CUSTOM CARDS (For Current SOC Clients and Distributors):
In the old card editor, just go to the "My Cards" section and click on the category "SendOutCards" to view and send a few to Megan. You can create a campaign, share it with others, or just send card periodically her way.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO JOIN SendOutCards!

Last week on American Idol, they eliminated two contestants and 11 remain, including Megan. The judges also introduced a new rule where they will be able to save one person if they are voted off, if they feel that individual should still continue on in the competition.

The next show will be Tuesday, March 17. Tune in to FOX TV and check your local listing to see when American Idol will be broadcast locally.

For More Information about Send Out Cards watch this video!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Medical Billing For Doctors



Electronic Medical Billing - Doctor's Key To Getting Paid | Life ...
The responsibilities embraced by electronic Medical Billing are as diverse as this particular field of medicine is. Electronic Medical Billing is often.

Can You Do This?

A concept and service that is changing people's lives.

You can send a printed greeting card with your message in Less than 60 Seconds.

• Choose your card
• Write your message
• Click send

SendOutCards prints it, stuffs it and mails it, all for less than a greeting card at the store.

When was the last time you sent an unexpected card at an unexpected time to someone you care about?

Send Someone a FREE card today and start Changing Lives One Card At a Time!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Why SendOutCards?

Some of the greatest minds of the past century have been telling us the keys to success involve showing constant respect to others.

Abraham Lincoln stated that "everybody likes a compliment." This is how he ran our country and became the greatest political leader of all time, he simply complimented people.

William James said: "The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." Notice the strong language he used. He said the CRAVING to be appreciated.

I can already hear you business minded people saying, "OK, this is all great, but what does this mean to my bottom line? How can I prosper financially by implementing these principles?" Let's answer that question with a true story:

A man by the name of Charles Schwab was picked by Andrew Carnegie to become the first president of the United States Steel Company. The year was 1921. Schwab's salary was $1 million per year. When asked why he was paid so much money, Schwab replied: 'I was paid this salary largely because of my ability to deal with people.' When asked how he dealt with people, he said: 'I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.' Charles Schwab went on to become one of the greatest business leaders of all time.

Dale Carnegie said: "We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self-esteem? We provide them with roast beef and potatoes to build energy, but we neglect to give them kind words of appreciation that would sing in their memories for years like the music of the morning stars."

When was the last time you told your son or daughter that you were proud of them? Or your employee that they did a great job, or your wife or husband that you love them, or your friend that you appreciate your friendship, or your customer that you appreciate their business. Remember, we as human beings crave appreciation. When we show it, people will respond to us in the most positive ways possible.

Everyone has promptings to do these things but we seldom act on those promptings... The difference between success and failure in your life will depend on your ability to act on the promptings of sharing kind words or deeds.

There have been numerous studies in human development that suggest it is easier to express ourselves in writing versus in words. Send Out Cards gives you the tool to respond to your promptings instantly by expressing your appreciation in writing. And the best part, you can do it in seconds.

With today's technology, you can implement simple rules that will make a significant impact in your personal and professional life. You will be able to make a big difference for good in the lives of everyone you associate with.

With Send Out Cards, you will receive the following:

• Online Contact Manager where you can store names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates and other key information about everyone you know.

• Online Calendar and Reminder system that will never let you forget birthdays or other special occasions that your people have.

• Online Greeting Card Catalog with over 2000 greeting cards to choose from. You select and write your message; we print, stuff and send in the mail for you.

• Transfer Group Lists to other Members: This gives you the ability to send your family list, complete with names, birthdates, etc, to other participating family members.

• Ground floor Opportunity: This product and service is in high demand. This provides a great opportunity for customers to rep resent the product as distributors where they can earn substantial income in a home based business.

• Custom Cards for Business or Personal use: You can design a card with your company logo and artwork. You can also design a family Christmas card or personal cards.

The personal benefits you gain are astounding:

1. You create and maintain lasting relationships, personally and professionally
2. You can express yourself at impromptu times and make a positive difference in others lives.
3. You will motivate, encourage, uplift and show appreciation in ways that you never thought possible.
4. By sending out cards, you will create a positive activity that will make you a better person in every aspect of your life. Your Relationships will be stronger, your self confidence will grow, your ability to express yourself will increase, you will change the world's pattern of negative thinking into positive thoughts and activities.
5. You will be remembered as someone who remembers
As a result of all of these things, new opportunities will surface in your life. You will meet and befriend people that will help you accomplish goals and dreams that you never thought were possible.

We also realize that personal development and relationship building are difficult to do when you cannot pay your bills. Financial stress is one of the biggest problems in our society today. Our dependency on money creates a strain that makes it difficult to focus on anything or anyone but ourselves. People need fair opportunities that will help them get themselves on the road to financial security and independence. A financially stable person is better able to focus on things outside of themselves.

Because of this, Send Out Cards provides financial opportunities that can not only bring financial stability but a vehicle for residual income and financial affluence. These opportunities can be done in the home where a person needs and wants to spend more time.

Business opportunities are created when you have a product or service that fills a need in the market place. Send Out Cards fills a huge need:

American Greetings, a multi billion dollar greeting card company, conducted a study to find out the buying habits and needs of their consumers. They found that the average consumer buys 10 greeting cards per year but has a need for more than 70 greeting cards. The 2 primary reasons they don't buy 70+ cards per year is due to 1) inconvenience, and 2) They forget. Obviously, Send Out Cards has created solutions to those problems and built a distribution system that will educate people on how to use their system. You can be a part of that system, fill a consumer need and make big money.

Send Out Cards offers a Ground Floor In-Home Opportunity. You can make big money from your home by sending out cards and sharing this unique concept. This is what you can expect:

A unique concept that is in high demand with little competition.

The ability to sell greeting cards on demand for less than retail value. The average greeting card costs $3.00. The retail price for a preferred customer at SendOutCards is $0.98. You can purchase cards for as low as $0.62 each.

Added Value with no extra cost. Not only do you get a printed greeting card, you get it stuffed, stamped and sent in the mail for you. You also get an online contact manager and calendar reminder system that is included in the price of the card.

Offer Follow-up services to businesses. These services include custom greeting cards, promotional postcards and pre-scheduled campaigns that businesses can send to prospects and customers.

Front-end Compensation that delivers big commissions fast.

Back-end Compensation that delivers residual commissions long-term

Your own internet website complete with shopping cart and credit card processing

Strong support from a distribution network that benefits from helping you succeed. You are in business for yourself but not by yourself.

The biggest challenge to any business is how do you sell the product and gain a customer and distribution base. This is where the rubber meets the road and most people fall short because they don't have the contacts or the experience to get the job done. The Send Out Cards opportunity is extremely unique because:

The Product sells the product! The number one activity we train our business associates to do is to Send Out Cards . Why? Because the product is so unique that people you send cards to will call you and ask you how you did it. This alone, creates an opportunity to share what we have. It's that simple, it works.

In addition, Send Out Cards uses the product to help its associates professionally contact their warm market with personalized postcards and greeting cards. You can make multiple lists of people and send them pre-scheduled campaigns on 4-color postcards and greeting cards. These cards are personalized with your name and their names on them. They are designed to get straight to the point. You found an incredible service on the internet that sends out printed greeting cards on demand; you will call them to show them how it works and set-up an account for them so they can send out cards.

Now when you contact your people, there is nothing awkward about your call. You simply say, did you get my postcard, and then you sample them with the product.

Set-up a sample account. You can put 1 to 10 greeting cards in their sample account, show them how to send out a card and then allow them to send additional cards, save contact names and review their own calendar with saved birthdays and special occasions. This works like magic. If a person or business takes the time to sample the system, they are sold almost every time. This is a fun and simple way for you to build a residual business.

Join the SendOutCard Movement today!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Myth Busted!

Oh yeah?

"SAYS WHO?"

Myth 1: All work from home opportunities are schemes and scams.

Myth 2: They all rely on hype and false promises rather than fact.

Myth 3: They're here one day... and gone tomorrow!

MYTH BUSTED: Send Out Cards Concept started in 1989...19 years of growth... over 5 million cards have been sent. In just 1 day, Christmas 2008, we sent 250,000 cards.

The bottom line:

SendOutCards is about changing people's lives for good one card at a time. We believe we can change the world one card at a time. We are showing that we can create residual income one card at a time.

No matter what level you choose to be involved. This service will change your life for good.

For more information on how to purchase product or become involved as a business associate click here for the website.

We're obviously not your average company. We're not your average team. We are a bunch of dedicated, motivated "go getters" who accept nothing less than success.
Want to change your life for the better? Wish you had the means to escape the rat race... once and for all?


Then get on board partner! - Click Here

Your "blueprint for success" is already written...

All the best,
Don Franklin
SendOut Card Representative
916-226-6940

Why We Do It?

When was the last time you sent an unexpected card at an unexpected time to someone you care about?

Do you think it would make a difference?

Do you remember people's birthdays and other special occasions? Do you think that matters to them?

How about a simple thank you or expression of appreciation. Do you think that would make a difference?

With this incredible tool, not only can you remember people and share appreciation, you can motivate, uplift, encourage and truly make a difference. Here is the interesting thing, the more you do this, the more you realize that you, the sender of these cards, benefit the most.

We are changing people's lives for good one simple card at a time.

Join us in the Send Out Card Movement!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

SOC Radio Show Tonight Featuring Jordan Adler - Don't miss it!

Please join us for our next LIVE episode of SOC Radio held Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. MST (8 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. CST, and 5 p.m. PST).

As a special guest, this show will have author and SendOutCards Senior Executive, Jordan Adler. Jordan will be talking with Michelle Bateman about his bestselling book, Beach Money, and will answer questions from callers. At the beginning of the show, listen for the number to call if you'd like to participate.

HOW TO LISTEN IN:
Go to www.SOCRadio.com and click "Listen Now" at the scheduled time.

Click here for a FREE Send Out Card Account or to learn more!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Scary Statistics

There's a frightening trend in America.
What's worse... it effects even the hardest working, most deserving men and women.

Visit My Website Here

Out of 100 people that start working at the age of 25 - by the age of 65...
• 1 is wealthy
• 3 are still working
• 4 have enough money to retire
• 63 depend on Social Security or charity
• 29 are deceased

This information comes from a study done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it indicates that only 5% of people over the age of 65 are able to retire!

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be working until I die. I want to enjoy my "golden years" as much as the next guy.

Fewer and fewer people are putting their trust and faith in "Big Business," because the first rule for success according to J. Paul Getty is...

"You must be in business for yourself.
You will never get rich working for someone else."

Fight back against this frightening trend. Start today, building a business for yourself that can put you onto the fast track to success. The blueprint is written, and we're ready to hand it to you...

All you have to do is grab it!

We're changing lives one card at a time!

All the best,
Don Franklin
SOC Representative
916-479-1277

Thursday, March 5, 2009

The March 2009 SOCStars Magazine is Here!



35,000 copies of the March 2009 SOCStars magazine just arrived at the SendOutCards office. We wanted to let everyone know that copies are now available to send with cards from our "Daily 8 Tools" section, purchase on the Purchase Products page in packs of 10 and 50, and that they will be sent out to everyone who is on an autoship for points. This is one of the many benefits of being on our autoship list!

Though the SOCStars magazine is primarily a recognition piece, it also doubles as a great marketing tool to show others how much fun SOC really is. You can share with prospects the excitement of being an SOC distributor and can motivate your downline by sending them the newest SOCStars issue.



Included in the March 2009 Issue:

A Review of 2008
Previously unreleased "United We Send" images
Details on the Executive Retreat on March 25
Tips from our top performing distributors
A special CEO message from Kody Bateman

That's just a shortlist of what's included in this issue of the SOCStars magazine. We hope you'll take a moment to see who is featured inside. They've done an amazing job, and the recognition they receive in this mini-magazine is well deserved.

Click here for a FREE Send Out Card Account or to learn more!

Tips for Collecting Past Due Accounts Receivable

During a consultation with one of my clients this week, he proudly stated, "Don, our past due accounts receivable are down from over $100,000 in October to less than $30,000 at year end! I still can’t believe what a difference those simple steps made in our collection process.” Later the same day, I spoke with a prospect who told me that more than half of hiscurrent past dues were more than 120 days. “I’ve tried everything I know to try. I’m just going to have to start beating the bushes for more business or I’m not going to make it." If both continue down the same path, which one do you think will be the most successful?

My client has been very busy over the last few months taking action so he would NOT be in this position. Unfortunately, the second owner is typical of many business owners today. Complacency when things are going well can be an absolute killer. Sales were good. Profits were good. What else could you ask for? Did you realize that many businesses who closed their doors last year had record sales? Did you realize that many of them also had record profits? The difference between profits and cash flow can be the difference between success and mediocrity, or even failure. One of the worst drags on cash flow is lack of accounts receivable management. How do I know this? I have been through it personally and I learned the hard way that failure to properly manage your accounts receivable can seriously damage your bank account. I was once forced to write off more than $40,000 in receivables to two separate clients…clients that I trusted…clients that I did special favors for and let them slide when they were late. I did it because I liked them…and I trusted them. Big mistake when you let emotions cloud your judgement in the collection area. When that happened it was painful and I don't like seeing that happen to others when I know how it can be avoided.

But from all adversity, there is a lesson to be learned. Everyone needs a system for collecting accounts. A system alerts you to specific steps at specific times and takes the guesswork out of sending letters and making calls. A system uses a letter that has been proven to work again and again, a call script that has been proven to work again and again and utilizes it increase your cash flow and significantly reduce your past due accounts receivable.

To survive in business, you must always keep your finger on the cash flow pulse. Many business owners I know are so focused on sales and profits that they forget that profits don’t pay the bills…cash does. Some of the most cash flow challenged companies in the world are those that are growing the fastest. One of the best ways to keep the cash flowing is to manage your receivables with flawless consistency.

Make sure that accounts receivable management has dedicated space on your calendar every single week.

And remember, accounts receivable management is not an event. It's an ongoing process that requires regular action. It requires a plan, constant attention, and dedication. Complacency and procrastination can kill you.

For more information on how to reduce your past due accounts receivable and give your cash flow a boost, visit the website at http://www.rxbizsolutions.com/ser_prs.php

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Increase Your Business



George S. May Business BlogIncrease Your advertising results
Increase Your advertising results. Are you currently advertising for Your small Business, but not getting the results you had hoped for. Below are some points to help set you thinking outside of the box. Each one can be used on its own ...

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

800 People at California Send Out Cards Treat'em Right

In San Diego, we recently held an enormous Treat 'em Right that was completely sold out. The venue was filled with 800 excited card senders and their guests. We're now heading to Chicago for an equally exciting event! More than half our seats are already filled so sign up soon. The Chicago TER takes place on March 14.

Learn more about Send Out Cards here.

Here's a few images of the San Diego Treat 'em Right:




Learn more about Send Out Cards here.

Slow Payments Squeeze Small-Business Owners

Small businesses are getting hit with another aftershock of the credit crisis: Customers who are delaying payment of their bills for weeks or months.

The growing wave of late payers is hurting many companies that were already reeling from the economic crisis themselves. It's also damaging healthy companies.

Small businesses are hugely dependent on their cash flow, so they must either cut costs or scramble to find alternative funding if they aren't being paid on time. With money tight and bank loans hard to get, a cash-strapped company can easily be pushed to the brink.

Making matters worse, big companies typically delay payments to their smaller suppliers first -- in part because small businesses are unlikely to have teams of people devoted to chasing down their accounts receivables.

"If you look at a big company that pays in 45 days instead of 30, that's a huge amount of cash. And everyone's looking for cash flow" right now, says Les Kirschbaum, president of ANI International Inc., a Chicago-based network of commercial receivables attorneys.

He adds that the problem for small companies is compounded because banks are even less likely to lend to a company that can't use receivables as collateral for loans and credit lines.

Artisan Shutter Co., which makes custom shutters for high-end residential and commercial buildings, started having problems with late payers as the real-estate market around its headquarters in El Cajon, Calif., tumbled last year. But the situation has gotten much worse in the past few months.

Half of the company's customers are paying late, up from about 5% before the real-estate decline started.

"The bigger they are, the less they want to give us up front," says Trish Wolfe, co-owner of the 12-year-old family-owned company.

The biggest blow came a couple of months ago when an architecture firm with several hundred employees called to say it couldn't pay the final chunk it owed on a shutter project Artisan completed for a high-end hotel development.

The hotel's construction depended on financing from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and building ground to a halt when Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection in September, Ms. Wolfe says. Artisan is out $40,000 of its $180,000 bill, she adds.

A few days ago, Artisan laid off about 15% of its staff, leaving it with 25 employees. Ms. Wolfe and her husband, the company's founders, have raided their personal retirement accounts and racked up credit-card debt to pay bills. Now they're considering selling the building they work from and renting instead.

Melody Townsel, who runs a public-relations agency from her Dallas home, says four of her eight clients are behind in their payments, and a local start-up has been $4,500 in arrears since June.

Ms. Townsel, who had revenue of about $165,000 in 2007, took a $5,000 loan from her father in July as late payments started falling further behind. "It was the critical bit of cash flow I needed to keep going," she says.

Late-paying customers have forced some small companies to fall behind on payments to their own suppliers. Steve Goldberg, co-owner of TLS International LLC, a Needham, Mass., hat and winter-cap maker with four employees and roughly $1 million in annual sales, has about 15 customer accounts that are more than 100 days late.

"It's very difficult for us," Mr. Goldberg says. "We have bills that we need to pay, and now we fall into the cycle of paying our bills late."

Many small companies, seeing more payment problems ahead, are taking steps to reduce their risk. Ms. Townsel has begun charging clients a couple of thousand dollars as a down payment on services, and later this month she will begin charging a 10% penalty on late balances.

Digital Blue Inc., a Marietta, Ga., maker of children's electronic products with $100 million in annual sales, says about 60% of its clients are paying late, with the arrears averaging about 10 days.

In recent months, the company has restricted the amount of credit it extends to about 20% of its customers. One company that spent about $2 million annually with Digital Blue had its bond rating reduced to "junk" in August, and Digital Blue has since demanded payment up from.

In the past few months, Digital Blue has also seen a sharp increase in customers who claim they didn't receive shipments or had a problem with their orders, says Chief Executive Tim Hall.

The company has reduced inventory for this holiday season because of all the late payments and is bracing for a worsening financial situation over the next five quarters.

Mr. Hall says he believes at least a couple of the company's retail customers will be out of business after the holiday season.

Write to Kelly K. Spors at kelly.spors@wsj.com and Simona Covel at simona.covel@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B1


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Monday, March 2, 2009

Marketing Tips for Businesses



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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Special Message from American Idol Contestant, Megan Joy, for Her SendOutCards Friends

First of all, we want to thank everyone who's been helping us send cards to Megan Joy! She still has a chance of going on to the next round if she is selected as a "wild card," so in the next week let's show some additional support!

Megan's mother called and expressed to us Megan's thoughts on all the cards she's been receiving. She mentioned that nobody seems to be coming close to receiving the fan-mail that Megan gets everyday; you can imagine how that makes her feel, and what everyone at American Idol is thinking about all the cards pouring in.

Megan wanted to thank everyone for their love and support and the 100's of cards she's been getting. She wanted us to know that they've given her a strength that only the love of thousands of supporters could give!

Thanks Megan! So let's continue to send her some heartfelt cards and get others to do the same. Here is the address where cards can be sent:

Megan Joy
c/o American Idol
7800 Beverly Blvd. Suite 251
Los Angeles, CA 90036 USA

Megan Teams up with SendOutCards SOC Gives Charities
As another FYI for everyone, Megan has teamed up with SOC to help single-moms through the SOC Gives charity program, and a recent press release has been circulating that talks all about it. If you'd like to participate, you can learn more on our SOC Gives page. Here's one of our favorite excerpts from the press release that talks about all of you:

"Megan recently began receiving hundreds of support cards from members of Utah based SendOutCards.com, a company she and her family have been closely involved with for years."

Thanks everyone. We wish you all the best.

For more information about Send Out Cards check it out here.