If you are considering factoring your receivables, you are probably already aware of its benefits. But other things are essential to know before you sign on the bottom line with a factoring firm. The most important is this: not every factoring firm is the same! Not only does every company have its own procedures and requirements, but some also have more experience in certain industries and factoring methods than others. Here is a list of questions you should ask before signing a factoring contract. 1. How many years has the company been in business? Over the years the factoring industry has grown considerably as more and more people realize factoring is an excellent method for increasing cash flow. However, with the increase in … [Read more...]
Protecting Your Factoring Company From Cyber Fraud – Proxy Servers
As technology gets more advanced, so do cyber crimes; so how do you protect your factoring company from becoming the next victim? In today’s world, doing business with customers Nationwide has become much easier, thanks to the Internet. With the advancement of technology, comes new threats. As more business is done online, the less face to face encounters you will have with prospective customers. If you are a factoring company, operating in one office on the East Coast, it’s not very likely that you will be flying to the West Coast to meet a new potential customer. It’s more likely that most/all communications will be through, emails, web forms, text messages, chats, phone calls and a host of other online methods of contact. With that … [Read more...]
What Now? Moving Forward in the Factoring Business After Being Defrauded
Behind every successful entrepreneur there are A LOT of failures, especially in the world of factoring. Being defrauded is a part of the factoring industry and it’s only a matter of time until it happens to you on some level. However, there’s a difference between coming out on top and going under. Here are some ideas on how to deal with being deceived and what to do when you find yourself asking, “What now?” (This article is a follow up to Protecting Yourself From Liars in the Factoring Industry - Part 1) Add it to your business plan We know—this sounds a little crazy. But calculating losses into your expenses before they even happen is a smart idea. Think of this as your ‘rainy-day’ fund: just like you wouldn’t go into retirement … [Read more...]
Protecting Yourself from Liars in the Factoring Industry
It’s no surprise to anyone in the factoring world that fraud is always a risk. If you ask any factoring company owner, it’s not even a matter of “if,” but, “when.” As much as we want to believe that all of our clients are honest and full of integrity, the truth is: some just aren’t. While most factoring companies go through very thorough measures in order to protect themselves, no business is completely immune. When there are hundreds and thousands of dollars at stake, what’s the solution? Unfortunately, there isn’t one—unless you want all of your potential and current clients to take lie detector tests—which probably won’t be great for future business. However, if you know what to listen and look for, it’s possible to avoid being scammed … [Read more...]
Bending But Not Breaking In Factoring?
The factoring industry is unique. If we had to write a mission statement for what we do it would read something like – “To provide cash flow to businesses to sustain and expand their operations”. The cash flow that factoring companies provide is through the purchase of clients receivables at a discount which allows the client to utilize the capital for expansion, take advantage of vendor discounts or any other reason they may have to keep their business an on-going concern. Over the past several years many new factors have entered into the asset based industry, as traditional lenders constricted credit to new and existing businesses. The aftershocks of the great recession had a rippling effect that was felt from Wall Street all the … [Read more...]
Prospect Yellow Flags: Factoring Deals to Approach with Caution
Last month, we covered a number of red flags for factoring brokers to avoid when working with a prospect. Besides those “back away now” situations, there are other things that can complicate your efforts to find a factoring company to work with the lead. While these are circumstances that may be resolved favorably, it is still worth your time to gather all of the information you can before investing your efforts in placing the deal. If you encounter the following situations, proceed with caution: Bad personal credit (with or without liens) To place a deal where the prospect has poor personal credit, you have to know which of your funders is willing to work with those deals. Tax liens fall into this category as well: because the … [Read more...]
Red Flags of Factoring: When to Walk (or Run) Away From a Deal
“Time is money” is a cliché, but also a reality of the factoring industry. Unfortunately, all too often we waste time – and money – chasing prospects and shopping deals to any number of funders without identifying the fundamental issues that will doom a deal before you make the first pitch. Before you invest in any deal you must ask: will any rational funder make this work? Without delving into funder preferences and gray areas, there are five red flags you should look for in any factoring lead you come across: Medical deals with very low dollar amounts Medical factoring in particular is very time and effort intensive. While some medical factoring companies will at least take a look at very small deals, the majority will determine that … [Read more...]
Peel Some Layers Back Before Funding Invoices
You’ve read the books, attended the training classes and finally have landed your first real prospect. They are eager to get started factoring their invoices and you can’t wait to get this deal closed. Whether you are working as a broker, business development officer or direct funder, this is the starting point where you will need to connect the dots to see if the deal will move forward or be declined. What Is The Business Trying To Achieve By Funding Invoices? Before the credit reports are generated, UCC-1(s) filed, or any other piece of due diligence is started, it is really important for you to understand what the prospect is trying to achieve by obtaining your services. Sure, we all know the easy answer is that the applicant is … [Read more...]
The Straight Truth About Invoice Factoring
Whenever you hear someone say they are going to give you the straight truth about a person or particular subject it usually isn’t good news. In a world where we are inundated with posts, tweets and instantaneous information it’s very easy to only get the information people want you to hear. When it comes to the factoring industry it’s very easy to get roped into thinking that it’s just about getting some capital, advance on receivables and make huge returns. What is the actual truth about the factoring industry? Anyone who works in this industry is entitled to their own opinion therefore, I will go on record and say that the views below are only mine based on my experiences as a broker, funder and due diligence coordinator. Truth #1 – … [Read more...]
The Sales vs. Underwriting Factoring Dilemma
I’ve written a bunch of articles about what to look for when funding a new client. Whether it’s proper notification or having an ironclad factoring agreement, you should always have a consistent set of due diligence procedures that adequately protects your company in every factoring transaction. With any new deal there will regularly be nuances that are unique and test the funder. In many cases getting past these roadblocks can make or break a deal. With any factoring company, one the biggest challenges is to scale the company for growth while keeping the proper safeguards in place. The friction caused by this dilemma is usually felt by the sales and underwriting divisions within a company. Salespeople complain that the underwriters … [Read more...]