The famous French philosopher Voltaire once said, “The ladder of success must be set upon something solid before you can start to climb”. You can interpret this quote in a variety of ways and for me it really hits home when I look at our success in the factoring industry. We’ll get to that in a moment. The first question that always comes to mind when talking about success is how do you measure it? Talk to most folks and the answer is usually associated with the bottom line. Anyone that follows the financial markets knows what happens to a company’s stock price when they either beat or miss analysts’ expectations for a given period. Let’s face it, without profits companies cannot sustain their operations and continue to be a going … [Read more...]
How to Finance a Demolition Company With Construction Factoring
Getting financing for a company in the construction industry is very difficult. In general, lending institutions are not comfortable providing business financing to small or midsized construction subcontractors. Demolition companies often have additional problems getting funded because many institutional lenders view them as riskier - due to the perception that they are often the first ones to do work on a site, but the last ones to get paid. The biggest cash flow problem Demolition companies, like most subcontractors, don’t get paid as soon as they complete their work. Rather, their contracts demand that the provide payment terms to the general contractor. These terms often give the GC up to 60 days to pay. Many general contractors, who … [Read more...]
5 Traits of Highly Effective Factoring Salespeople
Anyone can get on the phone and talk to potential customers, but it takes a special person to excel at closing deals. Sales are a vital part of the factoring industry—without sales there would be no new customers, and therefore no growth. No factoring company wants to remain stagnant, so finding and cultivating highly effective salespeople is important. Using firsthand experience and the knowledge of experts, we have identified 5 traits to look for when hiring sales representatives for your factoring business. 1. Goal Orientation Success comes to those who want it most. Because sales are relatively objective and therefore easy to measure in the factoring industry, setting clear goals is a simple way to measure achievement. The best … [Read more...]
Why Factoring Works
Working capital - Every business needs it but at what cost? One of the main reasons why I enjoy working in the factoring business is that the concept is simple and easy to understand. Factoring companies provide businesses with working capital by purchasing their client’s outstanding receivables. Typically a factoring transaction is an arrangement between three parties (client, factor and vendor) all of whom are businesses. The business owner understands his profit margins and the expense associated with factoring while the factor evaluates the risk. In most cases the increase in cash flow will not only justify the cost but actually lower operating margins by increasing sales for the business. But why is factoring so popular … [Read more...]
How I Sell. My Preferred Factoring Sales Technique
Selling factoring services can be very challenging, especially in this environment where there is very strong competition. Not only do you have to help clients determine if factoring is right for them, you also have to show them how your solution is better for them that everyone else’s. This may sound simple, but selling factoring services in this market is very difficult. It’s a crowded market with every factoring company promoting their benefits. You can expect that most prospects will be talking to four or five different factors. One simple approach is to match what they are saying. But if you do that, you become a “me too!” factoring provider that will only get average results. So, how do you break through that barrier? How do … [Read more...]
The Do’s and Don’ts of Factoring Trade Shows
It’s that time of the year again… tradeshow season is upon us. Tradeshow exhibiting is a great way to attract new factoring business, but it’s also time consuming and expensive. Since relationship building is hard to quantify, sometimes it’s difficult to determine the value of attending industry shows or marketing events. PRN Funding has attended many shows across various industries. Based on our experience, we have compiled a list of trade show do’s and don’ts to help make your next trade show exhibit a rewarding experience. Do... Research Ask questions before considering any trade show. What’s the audience demographic? What types of companies will be exhibiting? How will the trade show contribute to business goals? Being … [Read more...]
Is Invoice Factoring Right for All Businesses?
So many authors, including myself, have written about the benefits of invoice factoring explaining how we help businesses in need of working capital. Just type something like, “benefits of invoice factoring” into your favorite search engine and you will find pages of articles telling you how factoring works and why it is the best solution for your business. As the owner of a factoring company I can definitely say that factoring is an extremely useful tool to help businesses grow by unlocking cash in the form of an account receivable. But is factoring a one fit all tool for all businesses to achieve growth? As a featured speaker and panelist at small business workshops over the last several years, I’m fortunate to be given the … [Read more...]
Fast Pay Factoring For Digital Media Receivables
Working with digital media receivables? It helps to know a factoring company that specializes in online deliverables. Meet Jed Simon, CEO of FastPay, in this recent Factoring Investor interview. What receivables will your factoring company consider funding? Jed Simon, CEO: FastPay primarily funds digital media receivables. We’ll advance on invoices signifying completed work including, but not limited to, ad campaigns, creative campaigns and delivered impressions. How did you get your start in the business? While I was responsible for digital media at DreamWorks, I recognized a universal pain point in the digital media industry - many big brands and agencies have onerous payment cycles (Net 90+) that hamper the growth of smaller digital … [Read more...]
Are They Really a Factoring Prospect? The Telephone Interview
In my early days in the factoring business, prospect calls were few and far between. Whenever the phone rang, I grabbed it quickly and hoped for the best. In those days, the process of qualifying a prospect could take me up to an hour. I would have long detailed conversations, learning everything I could about the client’s business. After these detailed calls, I would hand the client off to the factoring company I thought would help them best. But there were two problems with this strategy. First, it was not a very effective use of my time. Especially when I found out, 45 minutes into a call, that the prospect would not qualify for factoring. And second, it did not scale well. It wasn’t long before I was on the phone eight hours … [Read more...]
Qualifying vs. Working For Your Receivable Factoring Referral Fee
What is expected of the receivable factoring referral source? As a direct funder, we have requirements of our factoring brokers. Our brokers make monthly residual income and for that, certain things have to be done. The basic minimum requirement is to introduce a potential client to us and to complete/submit the necessary broker agreement. Once that process is completed and the transaction closes the broker has qualified for his/her fee and once payments are collected from payers, fees are distributed. The question here is “Should the factoring broker be satisfied with this?” If a referral source is to be successful that individual must look after, or nurture the prospect. It should always be noted that the broker is the first line of … [Read more...]