Want your clients to pay you faster? Do you actually know who owes you money? Are you aware of people who pay you late? When it comes to your invoices you may be making it harder for your clients to pay you. And, one of the most impactful things you can do to ensure business growth is making sure you’re paid on time. Here are the top 5 things every single invoice you send should clearly state or have so you get paid faster. ## WHY DIDN’T THEY PAY ANYWAYS? Ever get distracted from completing a task? So do your clients. And, it’s as easy as a notification coming up on their phone or the wind blowing in a funny direction. It’s up to us to make sure we eliminate the obstacles for clients and make it clear how to pay you and when. Clients may tell you they never got the invoice or maybe it got lost in email or spam. Maybe they even got it, but just forgot about it. Or worse, it just wasn’t a priority to pay you, so they put it off. And sometimes a client is ready to pay, but they’re looking at your invoice and aren’t sure how to pay you. That’s why it’s absolutely paramount you’re aware of your financials (meaning, who needs to pay you) and you make it super clear how to pay you and when. ## #1 - AVOID BAD INVOICING HABITS Totally get it. You’re busy working day in and day out. So, you set aside some time on a Sunday night to get your invoices done and sent. However, sometimes, so much time lapses between when you’ve done a job and you actually send an invoice that your client may have kind of forgot about paying you. At that point, they’re not looking out for your email or you’re just not a priority to them anymore. Lnvo helps you invoice on the spot, on the go, wherever you are. That way you’re not invoicing late or chancing your clients feel less connected when too much time passes. Set aside time during your working hours to invoice regularly or make it a part of doing the job right there and then. ## #2 - DEFINE YOUR INVOICE CLEARLY Another reason a client may not pay you right away is because they’re confused about the invoice you’ve sent. Every invoice should have key items that clearly define who you are, why you’re invoicing them, and what they need to do. Sometimes a client may ask you to specify a note or item on the invoice and if that’s missing, they’re inclined to not pay, since they’ll want that corrected first. Make sure all your invoiced items are clearly described. If a client is confused or has questions they’ll stop the process of paying you and instead want to talk to you first. Lnvo generates every invoice for you automatically with these key points in place so a client is never confused and always ready to pay. ## #3 - BE CLEAR ABOUT PAYMENT Your payment terms should also be clear and displayed. The due date should be visible and obvious. As a helpful rule of thumb you should also define your payment terms before you even send your invoice. That way your client knows what to expect and isn’t surprised by how and when you want them to pay. Plus, be clear about how long you give them to pay you. Some people default to 30 days…but, does anyone really need a 30 day grace period to pay? What if they could pay you within 3 days or immediately? Or perhaps you’re just collecting a partial payment now and the rest later? Lnvo allows you to set these terms up so you can invoice and get paid your way. ## #4 - MAKE IT EASY Besides having clear payment details, you’ll also want to make sure it is super easy for your client to pay you. Paying you should be frictionless. Easy online payment options and links let clients pay the invoice as soon as they open it, even if it’s the middle of the night. Give them multiple options if available or just clarify how you prefer payment before you even send the invoice over. You did a great job, right? They want to pay you for your service. Make it easy for them. ## #5 - REMIND THEM TO PAY YOU You probably are already in constant communication with your client. So, let them know when you’re about to send the invoice. Then after you send it, give them a bit of time and then check and see if they got it. We all know sometimes emails just don’t get delivered or things weirdly end up in spam. Lnvo has done its due diligence to help make sure your email invoices aren’t flagged as spam. Plus, you can easily send invoices via a text message with a Secure Client Portal link. Text messages are way more likely to be received and opened. And, if they don’t pay you right away, make sure you send them a personal note and reminder. Personal notes actually help increase the likelihood of you getting paid faster. Lnvo will also send out a reminder email on your behalf as the due date approaches or if a payment is past due. And, Lnvo will help you keep track so you know if they’ve paid the invoice or not. All of these steps are important to help make sure you’re paid on time and fast. Doing your own due diligence of communicating expectations with your client can go a long way to make sure no one is confused and both parties agree.

Tracking and analyzing your business metrics can be the difference between setting yourself up for success or feeling like you’re running on an endless hamster wheel. Every decision you need to make in your business is founded in the details, actions, and data you’re already producing. This can be as simple as tracking lead generation, client follow-up, or financial reporting for example. ## **Have the Right Tools for the Job** First, we all have limited hours every day, so have the right tools and software to make tracking a breeze. For instance, if you’re looking for a snapshot of potential revenue to be collected, Lnvo shows you exactly what invoices you have sent or which are pending. The Lnvo dashboard shows you the metrics that matter to grow your business. You get a complete snapshot of your invoicing financials along with a complete history of activity done by you or your team. And, that’s just the reporting dashboard. ## **Improved Accountability** Once you have access to your metrics, you can rest assured the numbers don’t lie. If you’re tracking client or lead follow-up you can see how fast you or your team reached out, how many times you followed-up, and what the result was. Did you know that, according to a study published by Harvard Business Review, leads contacted within the first 5 minutes are 400% more likely to become customers? How about the fact that you have a 90% better chance of making contact with a lead after 6 call attempts? And, most businesses give up after the first call… if they even get that far! ## **Enhanced Organization and Efficiency** Beyond keeping you or your team accountable, metrics will help you stay organized. You’re more likely to be more productive (and miss less) if you’re operating off organized data. There’s a reason why fighter jet pilots operate off checklists. Not only will you be accountable, but you’ll also be more likely to get action items done if your data is organized. ## **Data-Driven Decision Making** Having metrics to track and organized data at your fingertips means you can make decisions based on what you’re seeing…not what you’re feeling. If you have goals you’re targeting, you’ll know exactly where you need to take action based on what your metrics show. Have invoices outstanding? Waiting on approval for estimates or proposals? Keep it all tracked and follow up. ## Efficient and Effective Tracking and analyzing your metrics is a sure-fire way to keep you efficient and effective in maximizing the success of your business. During these busy seasons of life it pays to have data at your fingertips that you can review. Use the right tools that simplify tracking and reporting for your business and you’ll find you’re making things just a little easier on yourself.