It is easy to get too busy to stop and look at the reports or figures in detail and this can be a mistake.

In the past few months we have worked with one client who was surprised by the results shown in the ‘Top 10 customers’ report we ran for them. People are often surprised that a customer who they thought was profitable has reduced their orders over time without the business owner realising. It can be worthwhile tracking which customers are ordering the most as it can indicate who should receive GOLD SERVICE or who to prioritise in busy seasons.

We had another client who wanted to know what their breakeven figure was so that they knew what their sales targets needed to be and what level of profit needed to be built into their quotes to make sure the wages and expenses were going to be covered. In this difficult economic time with costs rising almost weekly, keeping an eye on margins is important.

One of our clients keeps a close eye on cashflow each month, to make sure their plans for the next 12 months will work out. Knowing that some months are always low on sales and that the taxes need to be paid periodically can make the cashflow forecasting more accurate so that the business doesn’t run out of funds.