Using Professional Invoices for your Home Business

Many home based businesses find themselves getting paid well after work has been done or product has been delivered. But why do home business owners find this happening to them? Because their invoices do not look professional.

Because a business is a home-based one doesn't mean that it shouldn't be just as professional as a non-home-based business. But professionalism in invoices is what many of these business lack, and what causes their payments to be late.

Consider this situation. You purchase gift baskets from two different sources, both home-based businesses. The first invoice arrives right after you get the baskets, with full details including an itemized list of what you purchased, when you purchased, your total, and both addresses. It is done on a printer, and looks professional.

The second invoice arrives in an odd-sized envelope a couple of weeks later on a tiny 3x5 carbon-copy invoice with nearly illegible chicken-scratch handwriting, and just a phone number - no address or payment instructions.

Now, which invoice would get your first attention, and would be the one you would pay first? Obviously the first one. The second one, you would have to phone to get a mailing address and a translation of the invoice. That takes time - a chore that would likely get put off (and put off, and put off…)

When you are sending your invoices, do them on your computer. Many word processing programs come with invoice templates - all you have to do is insert your business and transaction information, then hit print.

Do your customers have a fax machine? If so, you can use your computer to send your invoice directly their fax machine, saving you money. And as an added bonus, they get their invoice even quicker (and hopefully will pay you even faster).

Put all the payment details on your invoice. Do you accept checks? Credit cards? When is payment due? Is there a late fee or service charge? What is your address, phone number and fax number? This should all be on your invoice too. Anything your customer could possibly need to know before paying you should be on your invoice.

Be descriptive. Do you sell dog treats? Don't just put "12 dozen treats". Be as specific as possible. Do you do graphic design? Detail the specific project or graphics that are included in this invoice.

By using your computer, take the time to design a professional invoice to send your customers and clients. Not only will it enhance your image, your home-based business will seem much more legitimate to those who owe you money for products and services, and will help you receive your hard-earned money on a timely basis.

About Us | Contact Us | Submission Guidelines |Privacy policy
Copyright 2001-2012