The 5 Most Common QuickBooks Blunders … and solutions you can understand
This is the fourth entry in a series of five.
I have worked with over one hundred QuickBooks using businesses and individuals over the past two years. Many QuickBooks users are doing themselves a disservice by continuing to use the system in ways that are causing more problems than not. Here are the issues that I see on a regular basis, and painless approaches to ridding oneself of being ordinary.
Customized invoicing made easy… and sending made green.
How bland is the invoice that you send out to your customers? Professionalizing your invoice template is necessary, and as simple as you can imagine. Why is it necessary? Because you want your customers to perceive you as the real deal, not only for themselves, but also for referring you out to their network. Sure, the standard QuickBooks invoice is sufficient, but it doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t say, “You need to take me seriously. You need to pay me. You need to build a long-lasting business relationship with me that will lead to more business for you”. Instead it says, “I am a small, ho-hum business, and I have no interest in becoming significant. I am forgettable.” Sounds a bit harsh, but that’s the difference that adding your logo, removing unnecessary fields, and developing a clear & concise invoice can make.
Once you’re happy with your invoice design, consider emailing your invoices to customers. Not only will your customers receive your invoice quicker, you are now environmentally friendly!
Solution: Pull up the invoice screen in QuickBooks and click on “Customize” in the tool bar near the top of the screen. Add your logo, then go to the “Layout Designer” to resize and locate your logo correctly, as well as play around with the entire look and feel of your invoice. Click on “Additional Customization” to work with the titles of all fields, columns, etc.
As for sending via email, you can either use the “Send” feature in QuickBooks, or you can choose to go to the “File” menu, “Save as PDF”, and then attach to an email.