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billing out landlords and custom work, how to make it easier?
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jakescia
Posted 11/8/2012 10:18 (#2685714 - in reply to #2685279)
Subject: We have several clients in similar situations........



Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577

One that comes to mind is a one-man diesel shop..........one of the best technicians around........lives for his work.............which also means that he does not like office work, and therefore delays things for literally months, and even into years.

Most of his continuing customers..........we for example..........merely send him checks each month as "deposits" against we that we know he has performed.  In that manner, he gets a small cash flow, and the annual hit on us when we finally get the bill is less extreme.

With that in mind, he has requested that we come up with a better system for him where he can get bills out earlier and easier.

The "system" consists mainly of two items--------- there MUST be a competent set of daily notes from which a third party can accumulate a bill...........second, a paid third party will prepare the bills for the signature of the owner.

The guideline is---------- keep it simple.......if it gets complex, the key element--- the owner--- will procrastinate, and the system will fail.

So far, it is no more difficult than this.........

1.  His daily notes MUST be clear.........and he does a good job of that.........has to in order to be able to bill 12 months later.

2.  He is going to run copies of his daily notebook...........and in point of fact, I know that we are going to have to visit his location, and copy the notes ourselves------ most likely monthly.

3.  At the time the notes are copied, each page will be given a unique id before copying------ such as 09-20.............. for sept, page 20.  That number will be used as a reference id.  The notes will be maintained...........the original at his location, the copies at ours.

Everything starts with the notes, no different than any repair shop, or anyone else who charges by the hour.  Example------ I keep a desk book, and log in my time.  That book is then keyed into our software as raw data.........resorted then and printed by client.

4.  We then will key those note entries into the software (cheap billing software), where all data is resorted by customer........the same way the mechanic does it now, except for taking the time to do it.

5.  We will then print draft copies of the billings.  Those billings will present for each billed item the note page id..........customers will never "see" the ids, because the ids will be meaningless to them.

6.  Draft copies of the billings then go to the owner for review. (Each draft will bear a watermark "draft copy").  He can check his line items to his note page if he does not recall the items, or needs memory-refreshing.

7.  Owner makes changes on the bills as he sees fit.........merely crosses thru and changes numbers.

8.  draft copies come back to us...........we print the final bill.............then he has an option------- sign the bills and mail them in the prepared envelopes......or.......let us mail them.

Note that the guideline is simplicity for the owner, so that he can make everything happen.

As a favor to him............we are going to charge a flat 100. per month..........much below what I think the standard charges would be.........merely since I know the guy well enough to know that there will be a lot of hand-holding, and trips to his location (25 miles one way) in order to get his data, and go through it with him.

It is worth it to us.........since, when we break down on Sunday, he still is on our premises within two hours.

So.......someone else might charge more..........but, frankly, it should not be much more.........or, to say it another way, you should be able to find a retired lady who has bookkeeping sense who will do it for 20. an hour.........should not put in more than 5 hours per month.

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