Hello all, I am currently investigating the most common timeframe you are paid with storefront accounts. I have only ever done residential which seems to mostly get paid as soon as you are completed. The question arises because in my local area I ran into a fellow wc’er who says his company collects right after completion (same as residential)
So what say you wcra forum? When do you collect payment for your storefront accounts?
I have 2 commercial accts. I always get paid the same day. I never liked the idea of waiting for money
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In my opinion you’re better off invoicing monthly and waiting for payment. Maybe you can pickup the check next time you’re there or it’ll come in the mail. I still prefer this than going in to get paid. You can do the store early when it’s closed, (often only option with restaurants) which is so much faster than wasting time collecting, waiting behind customers and just getting in the way. I’ve done both and it seems twice as fast to bang out the job and move on seamlessly to the next without a hitch. I’m trying to get more customers paying square invoices with a credit card. The few that have have been great, emailed invoice and got payment same day.
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Another thing, often the cashier doesn’t know how to work the computer/register to pay and you wait kicking yourself. And customers know what you get paid since the cashier will say it as they hand you money which could possibly give your price to competition.
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I try to invoice my customers via email and prefer to be paid thru bank transfers, As the person providing the service I believe I have a right to set my time frame, I give people a week to pay, some accounts i bill monthly other are bill upon job.
Thanks for the replies guys, I’ll keep it all in mind. Also steve, you said you set your own time frame for payments- does that mean you let the bigger jobs have more time to pay and the smaller storefronts are just bill at completion?
[MENTION=37699]artcdbooker[/MENTION]
From my experience…
1/3 will pay on the spot
1/3 will pay around 30
1/3 will stretch you to 60
^ Assumes your doing volume…
You could alter it to
1/2 on the spot
1/2 @ 30
If you hang around longer to get paid and ride the AR list.
I would do payment upon completion for any type of cleaning job unless u trust them then go ahead
There are a lot if variations to this depending on type of account
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You are right. The two commercial accts I service are locally owned. The owners are always there when I clean the windows
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Yup Burger King isn’t paying the day of service , if you do dealerships they are not paying that same day . When it comes to store fronts an commercial there is always going to be money in the streets so to speak
I bill once a month for biweekly an weekly. Monthly jobs depending on what it is I get paid that day
Even if someone wanted to pay me after each cleaning I don’t like it slows me down I hate waiting to get paid . Once a month is fine by me
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Not true for me at least i do two that pay at completion. It depends on the way you set things up with the client. I do hotels get paid at completion. Like you said there is always something owed some where.
Majority will be monthly if your doing volume… 30, 50, 70 accounts a day. If you had to wait even a few min at each, that adds an hour or whatever to your day. Whether they mail a check or hand you cash will vary.
I have a bunch that pay weekly, although i dont like it because it slows me down.
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I hate collecting . Like getting my money , but all the idiiosyncrosy that go with it drive me crazy . Like the nail salon that you hand a bill an they look at it for 2 minutes before they pay you . " "hello it hasn’t change since the last 20 times you look at it "
God forbid if it did . Or the dry cleaner that says ’ "didn’t I pay this already " . “No because if you did I wouldn’t be handing this to you "
Mike I had one customer swear she paid the bill already . I said to her " if you find a bill with the same date as this one I’ll give you one years service free”. Yes I took the invoice with me I’m not stupid lol
It’s always those type of stores lol
Btw went back the next week put the bill in the counter cleaned her inside when I was done money on the counter no words exchange just smiles 
Oh what a feeling lol. She is my best friend now she knows Mike don’t play no games
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[MENTION=7269]Majestic66[/MENTION] Hahhahaahaa i could go on and on of the scenarios but ill start getting angry. I hate when i have to stand there for more than a minute or 2… We do the same thing every month… You dont know you have to pay me when im standing here?.. Really? … Really?
My all time fav… This past march a customer tells me “oh i already paid this” (mind you i have never had a problem with her) i said impossible because i am holding the invoice. She hands me an invoice … I looked at it for a minute trying to figure out where in the world she got it from. I finally noticed that it was from last year and she pretended she didnt even realize… I was at a loss for words, still kind of am.
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Ya I could go on ,an on also, but I will bore you to death . Thank god it’s just that small handful of customers they make you shake your head an laugh . That’s a classic with the invoice from last year still doesn’t have the same invoice number lol. If they really wanna try an rob me what they need to do is scan last months invoice ,an say you double billed me that might work . The bill from last year it’s just an embarrassment how dare you don’t you know if anyone will be pulling something like this off it will be me . Hehe
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LOL go on Mike, It is amazing what some people say or do just to get out of spending any money. But we are smarter then the average bear…
And Mike [MENTION=3864]md cleaning solutions[/MENTION] I agree if you are make 30-70 stops a day on a route 2mins of collecting at each would add up fast.
Do you guys collect last week of the month or first week of the next month? [MENTION=7269]Majestic66[/MENTION] [MENTION=6741]wcs[/MENTION]
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[MENTION=6741]wcs[/MENTION]. You ain’t kidding. Here. Is a good one that really pusses me off cause I had a customer get over on me in the beginning because I didn’t know how to keep my books properly. But now I know .
Every one who mails out 100 150 200 300. Invoices Whatever you send
You are going to have people in the rears. So what happens at least to me ,but not any more cause I nipped it in the but. Someone would be behind sept oct an nov. What I do Is send a statement along with the invoice for that month after that it’s a phone call on the forth month.
So what they try to do is send you a check for oct an nov invoices but what about sept . I would make the mistake an put in quick books that they paid sept an oct . It would make it hard to find which one is unpaid. But not impossible . I called the customer an explained an she couldn’t figure it out in her system so she said. Didn’t want to get crazy over one months pay so I let it go .
Now I don’t make that mistake anymore if they do the same thing I send the sept invoice again an write on it this invoice was not paid or make a phone call
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I collect at the time of service on 80% and the rest at the end of the 28 day cycle.
