• Business and Finance
• Family
• Computers and Internet
• Auto and Trucks
• Education
• Health
• Hobbies
• Home Improvement
• Legal
• Marketing

• Home
• Arthur's Articles Home
• Browse Categories
• Browse Authors
• Submit an Article
• Search for Articles

Home » Business And Finance Articles » Sales 101 Learn How To Collect Your Money

Sales 101: Learn How to Collect Your Money

Getting paid. Isn't that the ultimate goal from each and every sale? It had better be, or you are in the wrong business! Why are you in the selling profession? It certainly isn't the easiest job. It certainly is not a career for everybody, and everyone is not qualified or capable to be in sales. At the core, we are professionals drawn to the potentially high level of earnings available. There are the scheduling freedoms, the new experiences every day, the self-discipline, the interaction with a variety of people, the networking, the fun and so much more that entices us to be in the selling profession. Typically however, we do not get paid until the customer pays for the goods and services rendered. It is extremely important to make certain that this happens, and in a timely manner.

Every salesperson has experienced the agony of having performed his duties absolutely correctly up to the point of the customer paying their bill, only to find that there has been no payment made, hence, no commissions earned. During the last few years, more and more companies have downsized or shut their doors for good, often with outstanding bills to pay. Lawyers, collection agents and sometimes the salesperson herself are employed in the effort to collect funds from delinquent accounts. It is not a role that we find comfortable at all.

How do we insure that our efforts are rewarded? How can we be certain that we will indeed see our commissions paid in a timely manner, or at all? Although there is no absolute guarantee, there is one technique that will certainly reduce or eliminate the incidence of non-payment and no commissions. They key to receiving commissions in exchange for our selling efforts is in the qualification process.

Do you really want to sell to just anybody? Do you really want to go out blindly and spend your precious resources attempting to develop an account that will never blossom into a paying customer? Aren't you really interested only in those prospects who have demonstrated a need for your product or service, who are ready to buy now and who have a proven track record for paying their bills promptly? Sure you are. These are the only type of prospect we should be interested in. When I investigate a new prospect, I have learned that it is critically important to pre-qualify them from a payment standpoint at the same time that I qualify them as a solid prospect, worthy of my additional sales time. It is not sales arrogance being demonstrated, but sales intelligence.

Spend your time wisely. Learn everything possible about each prospect, especially their current financial condition and payment history. In this manner, your selling time is rewarded by earned commissions, not endless headaches because of deadbeat accounts. It is somewhat akin to getting paid in advance!

Copyright 2005 Daniel Sitter

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

To Co-sign or Not to Co-sign for Family...That Is the Question

Those of you who recently filed bankruptcy (and those bad credit scores) may be tempted, like I was, to ask a friend, parent or relative to co-sign on a loan with you.

Don't do it.

It weakens your position with lenders. Once a lender sees a co-signer on one of your loansâ€"the lender will question your stability and move into "cover their butt" mode. And the way lenders cover their butts, is by forcing you to get a co-signer on your next loan...and the loan after that...and the loan after that.

Bottom line: When you have an existing co-signed loanâ€"the chance of a lender requiring a co-signer on your next loan increases significantly.

There are right ways to recover from bankruptcy (or just rebuild bad credit) properly and quickly. But having a co-signer only delays your recovery and sets you up for complications along the way.

If you are unable to qualify for the credit you need...take it as a sign that it is not meant to be...until you can qualify on your own.

What if you are asked to become a co-signer?

I have a core belief...and it goes something like this, "Lend people money only if you can afford not to get it back and you won't hold a grudge if you don'tâ€"but never ever lend people your credit."

If you're thinking about co-signing for someone...

Don't do it.

There is too much at stake.

If the borrower defaults on the loan, two things will happen to your credit reports and FICO credit scores:

1. If the loan goes into default, the lender looks to you to make the payment(s)...so have your checkbook ready.

2. Each time the loan becomes 30 days past due, a late payment will appear on your credit report(s) for up to 7 years...and as a result your credit scores will be lower than they could be.

Additionally, when you co-sign...

1. The payment you co-signed for is calculated in your debt-to-income ratio. So going in debt for someone else could actually prevent you from getting the credit you need when you need it. And it could increase the cost of credit since your scores may be lower.

2. When each lender reviews your credit report(s) to consider the loan, they will post a credit inquiry that will lower your credit scores.

3. Your own credit card interest rates could skyrocket due to the added debt. In what is becoming more common practice, credit card issuers are reviewing your credit reports and looking for how much debt you have with other companies. This is called a "universal review" of your credit reports and if the outcome is bad, your interest rates can dramatically increase with little notice (this just happened to one of my employees last week).

4. The added debt could lower your insurance credit scores to the point where it could impact your ability to get or keep homeowner's and auto insurance or cause your premiums to increase.

As you can see, there is very little value in co-signing a loan. But there is a lot of downside risk.

And these days your credit score is about more than just your ability to obtain credit...it's about your insurance rates and almost everything else in your financial life.

Co-signing for family members...

I can remember stories about my family members asking our Uncle David to co-sign. I should know, I was one of them.

What I noticed is that after one family member asked Uncle David to co-sign...all the other family members deemed it their birthright to do the same. Whether it was for a car, motorcycle, camera equipment, or business loans...Uncle David was (and still is) there to the rescue. (Does your family have an Uncle David?)

To a lot of my family, Uncle David turned into Uncle David Bank and Trust, Inc. The sad fact is many family members took advantage of his kindness. Some only paid him back after they passed away. Many times he was left high and dry, making the payments for the borrower.

It's a tough balance to be kind to others, even family members, and remain financially responsible. But one thing I know, I never...never... never...loan someone my credit by co-signing. It's just too risky.

What about co-signing for your children?

If you can easily afford your insurance rates to double, your credit card limits to be reduced, and your interest rates on your revolving credit to increase substantially, then go ahead and do it.

Not me.

I feel it's better to do other things to help your children establish credit.

When my wife and I have children, our plan is to show our kids how to accomplish their credit goals without a co-signer. Will we help them? Sure we will. But not by co-signing. By the time they need to purchase their first car, their credit scores alone will qualify them.

We plan to teach them about the importance of managing their credit and credit scores so they are able to reach and maintain high credit scores; save for a down payment using money they earn (not borrow); and how to compare and select a lender to work with.

What about having a spouse co-sign on a loan?

Well, that isn't co-signing. That's co-borrowing...a different animal altogether. Co-borrowing is common practice among married people on a loan for a car or mortgage. And there is nothing wrong with co-borrowing. The goal, however, would be not to have everything held together. You need to build individual and joint credit so you can weather a storm (i.e., death, serious illness, etc.) on your own if need be.

I only recommend co-borrowing with a responsible spouse. And if you're not married I would even go so far as to suggest reviewing your partner's FICO credit scores! (Should we call this a FICO Pre-Nup?) Consider me paranoid. A person's credit history tends to leave clues. If the clues unearth a trail of bad credit...don't be naive.