- Home
- Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy Code
- Business Entities
- Departmental Operations
- Credit Practices
- Legal
- Risk Analysis
- Understanding Accounts Receivable Costs
- Accounts Receivable Forecasting
- Informing Customers of their Credit Limits
- Authorization for Bank to Release Credit Information
- Authorizing Release of Credit Information
- Bank Loans and Bank Credit
- Expediting Bank Reference Requests
- Understanding Banking Relationships
- Bounced Checks; Collecting on Bounced Checks, NSF Checks
- Business Credit; Trade Credit; Open Account Credit Terms
- The Five Cs of Credit Analysis
- Check Acceptance
- Check Kiting
- Classification of Risk; Customer Risk Score
- COD Terms; Slow Pay; High Risk; Risk Mitigation;
- Code of Ethics
- Confidentiality Agreement
- Consumer Credit Granting
- Commercial Credit Application; Necessary Components
- Credit Approval Process
- Credit Associations
- Credit Decision-Making
- Offering Open Account Terms; Credit Extension
- Customer Credit File; Credit File
- Credit Granting Authority
- Credit History and Strategy
- Credit Insurance; Trade Credit Insurance; Export Credit Insurance
- Credit Line or Credit Limit
- Credit Policy Checklist
- Credit References
- Credit Reporting Agencies
- Credit Risk Environment
- Credit Risk Management
- Credit Role/Strategy
- Credit Decision Making: Is it Art or Science?
- Customer Purchase Orders, Errors on POs and their Impact on Collections
- Customer Retention
- Grace Periods and Cash Discounts
- Direct and Indirect Credit Investigations
- Unearned Discounts; Unearned Cash Discounts; Cash Discounts
- Enterprise Resource Planning
- Ethics for the Credit Manager
- Evaluating Financial Health
- Exchange of Credit Information
- Extended Dating Terms
- Credit File Documentation
- Fraud Signs and Prevention
- History of Credit
- Cargo Insurance
- Insurance Brokers and Credit Insurance
- Internet as a Source of Credit Information
- Late Charges
- Minimum First Order Without Credit Investigation
- New Account Checklist
- Non-Disclosure Agreement
- Open Account Sales; Open Account Terms; Extension of Credit on Open Account Terms
- Order Approval; Order Hold; Credit Reviews; Pending Order Review
- Order Controls / Order Approval
- Pro Forma Invoices
- Requesting Financial Information from Customers
- Restrictive Endorsements
- Returned Checks
- Return Merchandise Authorizations
- Root Cause Analysis of Past Due Balances
- Safeguarding Accounts
- Security Agreements; Secured Debts
- Seller's Invoice
- Terms and Conditions
- Terms of Sale
- Terms of Sale: Examples
- Types of Credit: Consumer Credit; Bank Credit; Commercial Credit; B2B; Business to Business
- Written Credit Policy Manual
- Handling Post Audit Claims More Effectively; Post Audit Claims
- Do's and Don'ts of Business to Business Debt Collection, Debt Collection Practices
- Bad Debt Reserves
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Purchasing Credit Insurance
- A Letter of Introduction
- Addressing Chronic Slow Pay Customers
- More about Cash Forecasting
- Streamlining Order Processing
- Collection Practices
- Financial Analysis
- Financing Methods
- International Credit
- Laws and Regulations
- Payment Methods
- Performance Measures
- Security Instruments
- Career Management, and Job Change
- Credit Website Tools
- Upcoming Educational Events
- Credit and Collections Tools and Tips
- Tips on Creating Better Emails
- Generating Effective Credit Correspondence
- Exporting
- Accounting
Seller's Invoice
An invoice is a document notifying the buyer of an obligation to make a payment. It is arguably the most important document in the debt collection process. An invoice may be a hard copy, or it may be in electronic form. Any company's invoice should make it as easy as possible for the customer to issue payment. A well-designed invoice will:
1. Clearly state the fact that it is an invoice,
2. Prominently list the creditor's company name,
3. Prominently list the creditor's remittance address,
4. Accurately describe the products shipped,
5. Clearly show the price per item,
6. Accurately reproduce the customer's purchase order number (which is the customer's point of reference),
7. State the total dollar amount of the invoice,
8. Separately list the dollar amount of any cash discount offered, and clearly state the date payment must be received by in order to earn the cash discount,
9. Provide a separate line for sales tax if the item sold is taxable,
10. Provide a separate line for freight charges if freight charges are to be added to the invoice,
11. Include the creditor's telephone number if the customer has questions or concerns about the invoice,
12. List the seller's terms and conditions of sale.
© 2011. Michael C. Dennis. All Rights Reserved. Michael is the author of "Credit and Collection Handbook."