The Better Client Service LLC

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Why do you need to be a member of The Better Client Service?

The Better Client Service is a cost effective way to help shield yourself from poor client behaviors and help ensure that you can be as profitable as possible.  Consider the cost of one unreliable Client.  The most obvious risk in doing business with a Client is payment risk.  How many profitable jobs does one Client's short or non-payment wipe out?  What is the cost of late payments?  Let's answer some of these questions.

Assume a 10% net profit margin, all contracts are equal in size and that you are only able to recover a percentage of the contract amount.

How many profitable contracts does one short payer wipe out?

Lost Profits vs. One Short Payer
% of Contract Recovered Profitable Contracts Wiped Out
80% 1
70% 2
60% 3
50% 4
40% 5
30% 6
20% 7
10% 8
0% 9

Not to mention the opportunity cost of the profit you could have made and the attempted collection costs from the current contract.

Assume a 10% net profit margin if paid on time, that you borrow money at 10% to cover your costs until you are paid and that your Clients pay you late by some number of days.

What percent of total profits for the year do you lose?

Lost Profits vs. Days Paid Late
Average Days Paid Late % of Possible Profits Lost Loss for $50,000 Possible Profit Loss for $200,000 Possible Profit
15 3.71% $1,852.57 $7,411.46
30 7.43% $3,713.36 $14,853.44
45 11.16% $5,581.52 $22,326.07
60 14.91% $7,457.36 $29,829.46
90 22.46% $11,232.26 $44,929.05
120 30.08% $15,038.31 $60,153.25

Thirty percent or more of the money that you could be putting back into your business, your pocket or into your retirement plan is lost.

Beyond payments, there are a number of of other factors that can result in lost profits and frustration, even if the Client pays in-full and on-time.  For example, the expectation of extras beyond the contract scope.  Many Clients think nothing of asking for freebies once you are in the middle of a job, and some will threaten to withhold payment without them.  Consider the reduction in profits if you end up spending more time or adding more money to a project.

Another important factor is the level of quality that a Client is willing to accept.  Unless otherwise specified when you start a job, you expect that your Client will accept the industry standard for quality.  If a Client continually expects exceptional levels of performance without expecting to pay for them, you will inevitably end up spending more time and money in rework to finish the job resulting in lost profits.  Many Clients think nothing of holding back payment until they feel that you have completely satisfied their expectations, no matter how unreasonable they may be.

Also consider the preservation of the capital that you have invested in your business.  No one will take care of your possessions the way that you would.  The question is to what level is your investment kept in-tact.  This is especially true for landlords or companies that leave their equipment on the job for extended periods of time.  What are the costs associated with someone who significantly damages or destroys your property, or if your things end up mysteriously missing.  Most of the time these costs are difficult to recover, and the use of deposits can be inadequate.  Regardless, you end up with lower profits to run your business and less income for yourself.

Consider that today you are making new contracts with little knowledge of the person on the other side of the table.  Learning through experience can be costly!  Traditional methods of inquiring about a Client are unreliable, inadequate, difficult to use and costly.

Wouldn't you like to review a Client's previous business relationships before you agree to contract with them? The Better Client Service provides this capability, is easy to use, and is very cost effective. Information is the one resource that can be shared by everyone without reducing its value. This service allows for the free sharing of information across businesses, between partners and competitors alike. The more the service is used, the more valuable it becomes to everyone. You will truly get out of this service what you are willing to put into it. A few minutes each week to rate the interactions that you have had, and everyone gains from each others insights.

After all, you are in business to make a profit for yourself.  The majority of the time, you probably wouldn't mind working with people who expect extras and want exceptional quality, but wouldn't it be nice to know up-front that they have these expectations so that you could plan for that in your quotations. Wouldn't it be nice to know who respects your property and who doesn't?  Wouldn't you like to know who is going to leave you waiting at missed appoints where you could be earning more profits, and who normally shows up on-time?  In business time is money, and The Better Client Service can help you determine how to make the most of it. 

Become A Member today!!
Join in the information sharing or start an active rating community in your area.

What Does it Cost?
The standard price for this service is 4 payments per year of $74.99.  Is it worth it you may ask?  Compare this cost to the potential lost profits of working with one non paying customer as was discussed above.  Compare this cost to other services that offer transactional experiences with Clients.  Dunn & Bradstreet charges $117.00 per report.  Check it out for yourself D&B.com.  With The Better Client Service you have the ability to generate unlimited reports.  Have you ever reported information to a service like D&B?  Like other reporting agencies, they typically report out a Client's payment record to major creditors.  Consider the fact that a company or individual pays their mortgage and bank loans.  Does that have any correlation at all to whether they will pay a contractor in full and on time for their services.  Let's face it, Clients just don't consider defaulting on a service contract with the same magnitude as defaulting on their mortgage or vehicle loans.  It's not right, but that's the way it is, and contractors typically have to endure this type of behavior.  This service gives you more power in dealing with your Clients.  You can determine if you will choose to do business with them in the first place based on your peers' experiences with the same Client.  If the Client becomes unreasonable, you have the recourse of entering an unfavorable rating representing your actual experiences with this Client.  When Clients start getting denied service from contractors based on their record, they will think twice about disregarding their commitments to service providers.  What does it cost you to be a member.  Imagine what it costs you to not be a member.  The risks are high.

This Service is definitely worth the price.  However, we do occasionally run promotions.  If you have been given a promotion code from an affiliate, or through a BCS advertisement, you can enter that code into the system before you activate your account, in your "My Account" screen, and the site will recalculate based on the terms of the offer.

Become A Member Today!!

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