CREATING FASTER CASHFLOW

I was just visiting a potential customer today who is disobeying the number one commandment, "Thou shalt not slow down thine own cash flow." The is the scenario, this shipper waits for the trucking company to send them a freight invoice before they invoice their customer.

Come on folks, it is 2007! Every night, after a less than truckload freight carrier picks up your freight, they post their charges on their site. Why wait for the snail mail? That could add 3 to 5 days before you even receive a freight invoice. Then another 3 to 5 days before your customer gets your invoice. That is 6 to 10 days slower than you would get a check from your customer. And that doesn't consider weekends or holidays.

Plus the freight carriers make it so easy to view. You don't need to put a reference or a pro number. Just log in with your user ID and you are good to go. You can even set this up to be emailed right to your A/P person so all they have to do is open their email in the morning.

This tool is also great for customer service people as it almost always lists estimated delivery times and lets you know when it does deliver.

Keep it simple folks. And don't get in the way of your own cash flow!