Keeping the business in a positive cashflow position is vital.
One way to re-balance the cashflow scales is to get in better control of your spending. This process of ‘spend management’ is all about reviewing your expenses, negotiating better deals with suppliers and getting a razor-sharp focus on reducing your cash outflows.
Review your current suppliers
Once you have a reliable supply chain set up, it’s very easy to fall back on using the same suppliers. But the reality is that there’s real value in reviewing the suppliers you’re using, so you don’t miss out on any better deals.
Prices will go up and down in the marketplace and new suppliers will appear in the market. So it’s worth regularly checking for alternative providers that can offer cheaper rates, better value prices or longer payment terms etc.
Negotiate better prices with your trusted suppliers
You may be happy with the supplier relationships you have but still want to cut down on your spending. In this scenario, it’s well worth negotiating. Very few suppliers will want to lose a valued customer, especially if you’re a long-term client who’s bringing in reliable revenues. If the relationship is strong enough they’ll be open to negotiating a deal that works for both of you.
See if you can push the prices down, or get discounts for buying in bulk etc. And, if possible, see if you can get them to agree to a trade credit agreement, where you can pay for the goods and services over a longer period of time, to boost your cashflow.
Rein in your expenses
One of the easiest ways to cut your overall expenditure is to be more frugal with your overall spending. Don’t overspend on stock, raw materials, subscriptions or services.
Where day-to-day spending has got out of hand. You can make a big difference to your expenditure by making small changes to your outgoings. Other cash-saving options could include putting a limit on staff expense cards or canceling unnecessary software and magazine subscriptions etc.
Use tech to get in control of the numbers
In an ideal world, you want as much oversight over your spending as possible. And with today’s cloud accounting software, expenses apps and inventory tools, it’s easier than ever to manage your expenses and stay in control of the main numbers.
You can use an expense management system, like Xero expenses, Expensify or DiviPay, to get better oversight of spending and put yourself back in the expenses driving seat.
If you want to streamline your spending, come and talk to us.
Do you need help managing your books for your business? Centegrity bookkeepers can help. If you are looking for a Xero Bookkeeper in Melbourne, Centegrity offers Xero Bookkeeping services and is a registered BAS agent. We also provide Business Mentoring. No matter what bookkeeping solution you need, we can help. Contact us or fill in the form below to get started.