Much can be said about modern business and the various practices and teachings to maximize potential ROI. But an even important aspect of modern business is to establish a line of communication with your customers and get paid easily.
For this, we have invoices to thank. If you don’t know what an invoice is, then do know it is the tool that allows the things we previously talked about.
An invoice will help you establish a line of communication between yourself and your client, while also allowing your client to easily pay for goods and services. This tool is nothing but a document generated specifically for business purposes. And in modern business, everyone uses it.
But that doesn’t explain why they’re so important. To help you understand the importance of invoices, we’ve written an article comprised of the 6 most important reasons why every modern business should use.
Without further ado, let’s start.
1. The Basics
First off, let’s discuss the basics you’d need to know about these handy tools.
Whenever a business transaction needs to be completed between two parties, an invoice will be sent. This is most likely the case when a vendor wishes to get paid for the services and goods they’ve provided to customers.
So, the document sent will hold information such as name and contact information of the vendor, a name and description of the goods and services, the cost of those goods and services, and the total amount that the customer has to pay.
Many modern companies tend to also include a payment due date. This payment due date must be respected by the person paying, and failing to meet it can result in a lawsuit. Also, the sender must include the preferred method of payment.
These all incorporate the basics that you need to know about invoices. Now, let’s discuss why they’re so important.
2. Easily Get Paid
If you’re a company owner that struggles to get his clients to pay on time, then using this document is a great way for you to solve your problems.
To put it simply and shortly, this document helps your company get the full payment owed and in an appropriate timeframe. If you conduct business on word-of-mouth, then you’re making it significantly harder for your clients to pay in full and on time.
This document allows you to easily get paid and dictate the terms of the agreement. For example, if you start implementing invoices for your business practices, then you can easily solve the “late payment” problem by simply adding in a late fee policy.
This fee can be anything you want, but it will make sure that most of your clients pay you on time.
3. They’re Convenient
Filling out an invoice is nothing short of convenient. While we do agree that some documents are more complicated than others, based on a particular industry, the vast majority are easy to fill out and even easier to redistribute.
Thanks to technological advancements, sending this document only requires the recipient’s details such as name, email, street address, zip code, city, country, and their business and tax IDs; information that is freely available to you if you’ve ever conducted any business before.
What’s even more important is that you can find this document for free out there on the internet. These free online tools are used by hundreds of thousands of company owners from all across the globe, and they’re instrumental in making sure these businesses stay in…well, business.
If you’re after a free invoicing tool, then make sure to visit this website.
4. It Allows You To Establish Legal Rights
It’s one thing to be able to send a document that asks your clients and customers to pay for your services and goods, but it’s entirely different to have proof of that transaction.
Well, this is exactly what invoices offer modern business. This document is proof that your clients and customers have engaged in business with you and owe money for it.
Even if you stamp a late fee onto it, many of your customers and clients still won’t pay in time. If this is the case, then taking a lawsuit against this individual or company is made very easy since your lawyers will have all the information needed (and proof) that you’re owed payment.
5. Keep You Safe From the IRS
No one wants the IRS, period. However, the IRS is doing a very important job in our society. The IRS is responsible for making sure that everyone has reported income and has paid their taxes.
Even if you don’t agree with it, paying taxes is your civil right. But we won’t get into politics, so let’s explain what this means.
Namely, the IRS is out there to get you. By sending invoices for business dealings, you are effectively protecting yourself from the IRS and what they can do to your business.
Since the IRS frequently conducts audits on businesses, showing proof of transactions and proof of reported income will be your saving grace. And as it stands, there is no better way to show this proof than to show them your invoices.
By keeping all of these documents in an organized fashion, you are presenting yourself as a confident and law-abiding business owner and citizen.
By simply showing these documents you are hinting to the IRS that you’ve reported your income correctly and fully.
6. Eliminate Tracking Problems
Everyone has experienced some tracking problems when conducting business transactions.
Papers get lost, numbers get mistaken, and anything in between can cause a lot of tracking problems. By sending invoices you are making sure that none of this happens.
These documents have a unique number that points out a particular transaction between two parties. It also makes sure that you’ve bulled the right products to the right costumers, so there won’t be any “mistakes” on your end.
Simply said, invoices eliminate tracking problems, potential frauds, it protects you from the IRS, and it allows you to get easily paid as well as, protect you legally.
