Businesses head into the fourth quarter of the year with high expectations for spending before the Christmas period. Whether it's customers gearing up for the start of the New Year or consumers buying goods for gifts or entertaining over the festive season, Q4 has typically been a relatively strong time of year.
Dun & Bradstreet data from October points to an uncharacteristically weak Q4 for 2017.
However, Dun & Bradstreet data from October points to an uncharacteristically weak Q4 for 2017. On the Business Expectations Index, Q4 2015 scored a strong 29.9 points. Q4 2016 scored less at 17.2 points, but for 2017, the data shows just 9.7 points. Businesses could be set for a very slow, potentially damaging end of year and start of 2018.
What can businesses do to help themselves?
There's only so much that businesses can do when it comes to selling their goods or services to other businesses. Beyond that, financial security is key, so smart investments and forward-thinking for Q1 2018 are vital.
While overall business expectations might be down across the country, and retail is the worst-hit sector, capital investment and profits are both on the up in the expectations and real indexes. A slowdown at the end of this year might not be fatal to your business, but you'll need a sound plan.
When financial slips occur, you need a way to stay afloat, and invoice finance can help.
How can invoice finance keep your business steady during the upcoming slow Q4?
Any B2B operation knows that slow invoice payments can really affect finances. When you need to pay employees or other bills monthly but only get paid by your customers every 45 days, there's a period in between when you won't have enough money to do anything. Dun & Bradstreet research shows that Australian businesses tend to pay their invoices 18.2 days late on average, so that's a very real possibility for your business.
Running a company with cashflow gaps can be extremely expensive, because it'll likely require you to take out loans from every possible avenue. Instead of jeopardising your personal financial future, Earlypay can provide a percentage of the total balance of your invoices within only a few days so you can pay what you need and continue operating as normal. Our representatives will then take over the task of collecting the balance from your debtors before providing you with the remainder minus a small commission.
There's no need to fret this Q4 when business expectations are down and you might be projecting some serious slowdown. Remember that invoice finance can help you to stay financially viable.
For more information about how invoice finance can help you this EOY, get in touch with Earlypay.