In many businesses, the work is done or the product is given before payment is made. In these cases, invoices are used. Now, one may think that invoices are standard and it doesn’t really matter what it looks like or what is said as long as the person can see how much they owe.

This really isn’t the case. You must really consider how your invoice looks in the eyes of person who’s paying it.

When you send out an invoice, it usually contains your basic information, the details of what was provided, and when the payment is due. You must be sure to be really specific on when the payment is due. Instead of putting “Due on the 27th”, put “Payment is due on August 27th, 2008”. This makes the due date much clearer to the reader and that is just a small tip to help your invoices get paid.

Another thing is to word your discount, if applicable, clearly. Instead of putting “3% 10, net 30”, you should put “Take $20 off if paid by August 27th, 2008”. This will make your discount much more readable and induce urgency.

The format of your invoice is important as well. Try to leave out any unnecessary information and just include what is needed. If someone looks at your invoice and it looks like a lot of work, chances are, they are going to push it aside for a while. So make sure that your invoice is simple, easy to read, and uses a legible font size.

One thing that I mentioned briefly before, but I would like to go over again is adding color to your invoice. One study showed that simply adding a blue border around the “Amount Due” box resulted in invoices being paid in a timelier manner. I’m not saying go and turn your invoice into a work of art, but adding a little bit of color to direct your readers attention where you want it could help you get paid faster.

As you can see there are several simple, but effective, things you can do to improve your invoices. Try to use as many techniques as possible to get paid quicker and improve the effectiveness of your invoices.