RIABU - Tips and tools for getting paid on time by your customers

Stuck receivables? Get help from your sales team

If you have a good chunk of money stuck with your customers, you might need to get help from some unlikely colleagues: your sales team.

Salespeople want to sell. Collecting on sales ...well, that's another story.

Betting your salespeople to understand that working capital matters, and their role in this, this will pay off in the long run.

RIABU’s Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi explain how.

Meantime, we are counting down the days to the launch of our book, "Let The Cash Flow".

 

"Let The Cash Flow" is published by Marshall Cavendish and is available in bookstores, on Amazon and other online channels.

 

Get it here:

https://www.goguru.com.sg/let-the-cash-flow-simon-j-littlewood-mark-laudi

https://singapore.kinokuniya.com/Let_The_Cash_Flow/bw/9789814928298

 

How freelance creatives benefit from clear, conscientious communication

Like small business owners, freelancers are no strangers to nightmare clients who backpedal on their decisions, attempt to lowball them and worse still — try to wriggle out of paying them at all.

So what can freelancers do to protect themselves from such clients?

Cheryl Marie Tay, a former freelance writer who is now editorial director at RIABU, tells Simon J. Littlewood and Mark Laudi about some essential steps freelancers should take when dealing with clients, the importance of conscientious and proactive customer service, and how to place a value on your work.

This discussion about being a creative freelancer echoes some of the practices we advocate in our book, Let The Cash Flow, which is now available at major bookstores.

Get the book here: https://www.amazon.sg/Let-Cash-Flow-practical-customers/dp/9814928291/

If you are a freelancer or small business owner, we’d love to hear from you — you could even be a guest on our next podcast! Simply email us at service@riabu.com to introduce yourself and find out more.

Pay attention to your receivables!

FACT: If you don't pay active and close attention to your receivables, you WILL start to get paid later and later.

As your company grows you might be tempted to focus more on sales. The terms you grant to your customers will likely start to become more generous.

The painful truth is, unless you actively manage your receivables, you will find your company being owed more and more money. 

Why does this happen and what can companies do about it?

Join RIABU’s Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi as they talk about how you can enforce payment discipline on YOUR terms.

Meantime, we have just launched our book, "Let The Cash Flow".

"Let The Cash Flow" is published by Marshall Cavendish and is available in bookstores, on Amazon and other online channels now.

Get it here:
https://www.amazon.sg/Let-Cash-Flow-practical-customers/dp/9814928291/

PN Balji shares his way of getting paid

Media consultant PN Balji got into some unpleasant business when he started running his own consultancy and did not get paid on time by a client.

Balji, who is a well-known former journalist in Singapore, tells RIABU's Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi how he reacted to a late-paying client, which got him paid within an hour, and why the local media does not report enough on late payments.

Getting paid during the pandemic: What lies in store for SMEs?

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected businesses to varying degrees, and the latest safety measures in Singapore are threatening to further disadvantage SMEs, especially their liquidity.

As Singapore counts down the days to the end of a second 'Circuit Breaker', how can SMEs ensure they remain liquid and get their customers to continue paying them?

The brains behind RIABU and co-authors of Let the Cash Flow (now available on Amazon), Simon J. Littlewood and Mark Laudi, discuss how SMEs can best get their accounts in order and minimise cashflow issues.

Order our book from Amazon Singapore here:

https://www.amazon.sg/Let-Cash-Flow-practical-customers/dp/9814928291/

Is 2021 the year of insolvency?

COVID-19 made 2020 a trying year for businesses everywhere, but a government intervention softened the blow for many, providing sufficient financial aid to keep them afloat.

Now that government aid has slowed down — or stopped in some sectors — while the pandemic rages on, how much can we expect insolvency and bankruptcy rates to rise?

RIABU founders Simon J. Littlewood and Mark Laudi discuss the Atradius Collections report on Western Europe's 2021 outlook, and how APAC will fare in comparison.

Why did we decide to name our website RIABU?

In the ancient Akkadian language, RIABU means "fairness". Because paying your suppliers on time, especially SMEs, is an act of fairness.

So, how do you define fairness? To some, fairness is what their lawyer says they can get away with!

RIABU’s Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi talk about how we could define fairness in payments, and why it matters.

Meantime, we are counting down the days to the launch of our book, "Let The Cash Flow".

"Let The Cash Flow" is published by Marshall Cavendish and is available in bookstores, on Amazon and other online channels.

When selling on consignment goes wrong - listen to this to find out how to avoid the pitfalls

Local brand platform Naiise has closed its physical stores, and its owner Dennis Tay said he is filing for personal bankruptcy.

Its vendors, who have sold their goods to him on consignment, are demanding that he pay them.

What should a small business owner do to make sure their consignment deal does not go awry?

RIABU’s Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi talk about the importance of working capital and what an SME owner can watch out for in dealing with a consignment vendor.

Meantime, we are counting down the days to the launch of our book, "Let The Cash Flow".

"Let The Cash Flow" is published by Marshall Cavendish and is available in bookstores, on Amazon and other online channels in April.

We are going to have a book out! It’s called Let The Cash Flow

We are counting down the days to the launch of our book, "Let The Cash Flow".

 

We wrote it as a how-to guide - not a textbook - showing you some small steps with a big impact on getting your customers to pay your invoices on time.

 

But how do you do it, exactly?

 

RIABU’s Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi give you a sneak peek.

 

"Let The Cash Flow" is published by Marshall Cavendish and is available in bookstores, on Amazon and other online channels in April.

 

What procurement officers think about paying SMEs

Are large companies out to delay payments to their SME suppliers?

No, according to Peter Chipman, a 27-year veteran of the energy industry responsible for sourcing supplies globally.

But he acknowledges that MNCs have processes for buying and paying, while many SMEs have no processes for selling and getting paid.

In this discussion with RIABU's Simon Littlewood and Mark Laudi, he shares insights into what MNCs really think of their SME suppliers, and how you can build relationships at eye level with them.