Credit Control for Small Businesses 小企业的信用控制
What is Credit Control? 什么是信用控制?
Credit control is the process by which your small business can ensure that you only give credit to customers or clients who are able to pay you back and that when they do pay you, they do so on time. The term ‘credit’ can apply to a financial sum or any product or service that you provide up front before payment is given. 信用控制是一个过程，通过这个过程，你的小企业可以确保你只向有能力偿还你的顾客或客户提供信用，并且当他们确实支付你时，他们会按时偿还。“信用”一词可适用于在付款前预先提供的财务款项或任何产品或服务。
Credit Control and Debt Collection 信用控制和债务回收
The credit control process can be split into two main areas. The first is how you decide or ‘control’ who you give credit to in the first place and the second is how you then collect the debt. 信用控制过程可以分为两个主要方面。首先是你如何决定或“控制”你给谁信用，其次是你如何收回欠款。
Why is Credit Control Important? 为什么信用控制很重要?
Both aspects of credit control are vital. Being able to identify customers who are more likely to be able to pay you back reduces the risk of non-payment. Robust debt collection processes help to ensure that when you do have problems getting people to pay, you have a much higher chance of success. 信用控制的两个方面都至关重要。识别出那些更有可能还钱的客户可以降低不付款的风险。健全的债务催收程序有助于确保当你在让人们付款方面遇到问题时，你有更高的成功机会。
Non-payment causes cash flow problems in your business which can escalate quickly so putting credit control in place helps you to minimise any risk to your business. 不付款会在你的业务中造成现金流问题，并可能迅速升级，因此实施信用控制可以帮助你将业务风险最小化。
The credit control process from start to finish 信用控制过程从开始到结束
Learning About Your Customer 了解你的客户
The Credit Control Process begins before the sale is made. This is the point where you should be finding out as much relevant information as possible about your customer. The more you know, the more informed your decision to give credit or not will be. More detail at this point can also make any later debt collection easier should it come to that. The two key ways you can use to learn about your customer is through an application form and a credit check. A credit check will allow you to view your customer’s credit report and so to see their previous behaviour when it comes to paying their lenders. 信用控制过程在销售之前就开始了。在这一点上，你应该找出尽可能多的相关信息，你的客户。你知道的越多，你决定给予或不给予的信息就越多。在这一点上更多的细节也可以使以后的债务回收变得更容易。了解客户的两个关键方法是通过申请表和信用检查。信用检查将允许您查看客户的信用报告，从而了解他们以前在支付贷款时的行为。
It’s also possible to build up your own information on existing customers that can be used in the future. If you have customers with a history of non-payment to your business then ensure there is a process in place to record this to prevent it happening again.” 您也可以建立自己的现有客户信息，以便将来使用。如果你的客户有不付款的历史，那么确保有一个适当的过程来记录，以防止这种情况再次发生。”
Agreeing realistic terms 同意现实条件
Once you have the above information, you can use it to decide how much credit you are prepared to give and in what time you would like it paid back. Make sure these terms are agreed and formalised up front. 一旦你有了以上信息，你可以用它来决定你准备给多少信用，你想在什么时候偿还它。确保这些条款事先得到同意并正式确定。
Invoicing promptly 及时开发票
Once the sale is made then you must send your invoice promptly if you expect to receive your payment promptly. Make sure it is accurate to avoid administrative delays and make sure that your payment terms are clearly laid out to avoid confusion. 一旦销售完成，如果你想立即收到付款，你就必须立即寄送发票。确保它是准确的，以避免行政拖延，并确保您的付款条件清楚，以避免混淆。
At this stage, you should advise your customer of what your debt collection process will be should they feel to meet their payment date. 在这一阶段，你应该告诉你的客户你的债务回收过程是怎样的，以使他们认识到要满足的付款日期。
Make it as easy as possible 让它尽可能简单
The more automated you can make your payment systems, the easier it will be for your customers. Rather than expecting them to send you a cheque, perhaps give them the functionality to pay you online. 你的支付系统越自动化，对你的客户就越容易。与其期望他们寄给你支票，不如让他们提供在线支付的功能。
You might even want to go an extra step and put incentives in place for customers to pay you early. 你甚至可能想要采取额外的措施，为顾客提供提前付款的激励措施。
Maintain good relationships 保持良好的关系
By staying on good terms with your clients and customers, they are more likely to prioritise your business for payment because they will want to keep the option open to do business with you again in the future. 通过与你的客户和顾客保持良好的关系，他们更有可能优先支付你的业务，因为他们希望保留在未来与你再次做生意的选择。
Equally, once customers have paid you – thanking them for paying you on time is likely to encourage them to do so again. 同样，一旦顾客付钱给你——感谢他们按时付款，可能会鼓励他们再次这样做。
