By:  Suzy Payne Rabb
121 Business Software Consulting

How can I email statements to past due customers?

QUESTION:  We are tightening our credit procedures and would like to e-mail our past due customers weekly until any balances over 30 days are received. Is there an easy way to do this?

ANSWER:  Absolutely. I’ve found that many users believe in order to use Customer Statements, they have to print statements for all customers. This is not true. You can change your settings to select customers with past due balances only and easily e-mail a whole batch of statements with just a few keystrokes.

Note: In order to e-mail forms to your customers or vendors from Peachtree, you must have a default MAPI-compliant e-mail application installed on your computer.
Here are the steps to set up for and e-mail a batch of 30-day past due customer statements.

Verify/Update Customer Records
Change Invoice/Statement Default Information
E-mail a Batch of Customer Statements

Verify/Update Customer Records.  Get into your Peachtree company and select Maintain / Customers from the main menu at the top of the screen.

 
Be sure there is an e-mail address on file for each customer.

Then, select the Sales Info tab.

Under Form Options, be sure that E-mail is selected for each customer.

Change Invoice/Statement Default Information. Go to Maintain / Default Information / Invoices/Statements.

Check box at At least one invoice.  Enter “30″ for days past due.  Also, be sure that Open Item is set as the Default Statement Type.

E-mail a Batch of Customer Statements. Select Reports & Forms / Forms / Customer Statements.

Select desired statement format on the left side of the screen, then select Preview and Print.

Update through date and any filters desired on left side. Then, click Refresh List to see an updated list of the customers to be included in this customer statement group.

Make any desired changes to the list, then select E-mail Options tab.

Check Send an e-mail customer statement only, do not print a duplicate.

Do not check Show me each e-mail before sending.

Select Print Preview at bottom of screen to check statements before e-mailing.

If good, select Print/Email to start the batch e-mail process.

Note: You will be presented with the print window, even though there may be no statements to print.  Select OK and the email process will begin shortly. 

Once the process is complete, check to be sure your statements were e-mailed properly. If so, select Yes and the Last Statement Date will be updated for each customer’s account.

Contact me if you need help with customer statements or have a tip to share. I also offer a free consultation for new clients.

Suzy Payne Rabb
Sage Peachtree Certified Consultant
Sage Solution Provider
Your Live, Online Guide to Sage Peachtree Success
512.892.8990

As you may have heard, Sage Peachtree products, which are available throughout the U.S., will be marketed as Sage 50—U.S. Edition beginning with the launch of the next major upgrade, scheduled for May 2012.

As we begin to provide you with information about these product upgrades, you can expect to see the Sage 50 name introduced in our Sage Peachtree communications. In addition, our websites will begin to use the Sage 50 name, with the Sage Peachtree site likely converting in the May timeframe.

Rest assured, Sage 50 will deliver the same great experience you’ve come to expect from your Sage Peachtree software, along with even better features that will help make your business life easier.

Suzy Payne Rabb
Sage Peachtree Certified Consultant
Sage Solution Provider
Your Live, Online Guide to Sage Peachtree Success
512.892.8990

From “12 Customer Do’s and Dont’s” by Geoffrey James and Inc.com

It’s easier to sell to existing customers than to acquire new ones, so it’s good sense to keep the customers you’ve already got.

Here are some simple rules to ensure that customers continue to come back for more.

DO put connection before content. Clients don’t want you to sell to them; they want you to genuinely care about them. Take the time to build a personal connection before you start talking business.

DON’T badmouth the competition. Only people who are insecure try to build themselves up at the expense of others. Show your competitors the same respect you’d want if the positions were reversed.

DO focus on individuals, not companies. You may be selling to an organization, but you’re doing it through an individual. Remember: ABC Inc. is not going to buy your offering; but Joe might.

DON’T give a sales pitch. Pitches are a great way to shut people down and pigeonhole you as a hustler. Even when speaking to a group, make the interchange a conversation, not a lecture.

DO engage with customers as equals. The client conversation should contain a feeling of mutuality rather than talking down to or being subservient to your clients.

DON’T attempt an “end run.” Bypassing a client or customer contact who is ambivalent or hostile will create an enemy for life. That person will constantly work against you … from the inside. You don’t want that.

DO keep the conversation mutual. Your goal is to earn your client’s trust by connecting with them, thereby creating a sense of safety. You can’t do that if you’re yakking away.

More from “12 Customer Do’s and Dont’s” by Geoffrey James and Inc.com

Suzy Payne Rabb
Sage Peachtree Certified Consultant
Sage Solution Provider
Your Live, Online Guide to Sage Peachtree Success
512.892.8990

From “7 Unique Ways to Get Massive Exposure From Your Articles” by Jessica Swanson and Manta.com

I’m sure that, as a small business owner, you understand the value of writing articles that educate and inspire your potential clients and customers. So, you write an article and submit it to a few of the top article directories. Your article gets a few views and perhaps even a click or two back to your website. And, this is where reality sets in. You’ve just spent an hour or two writing an article with only one or two visitors to show for your efforts. It’s pretty safe to assume that you are not enjoying the process of writing articles.

But, don’t give up too quickly. If you’re going to take the time to write an article, you just need to make sure that it works overtime for you.

You want your articles generating massive exposure with the potential of bringing in hundreds of new visitors to your website.

Here are 7 unique ways for creating extra exposure from your articles:

1. Offer to write guest blog posts.
There are thousands of blogs actively looking for guest blog posts. You can either start by researching blogs in your industry through a blog directory such as Technorati or, you can join a service such as Blogger Linkup that connects blogs and guest bloggers.

2. Submit guest articles to ezines.
Start by searching for ezines that cater directly to your target market. Subscribe to them and find out which of them accept guest articles. Contact the ezine publishers with a sample article that they can use in upcoming issues.

3. Research niche article directories.
You’re probably familiar with the big article directories. However, most small business owners can find niche article directories that are specific to their target market. To find appropriate article directories within your industry perform a Google search using “your target market” + “article directory.”

4. Offer to write for associations.
There are hundreds of associations that are eager for content to offer to their members. Search for these associations through Google by typing in “your target market” + “association.”

5. Submit to document sharing sites.
Turn your article into a .pdf document and upload it to document sharing sites such as Scribd

6. Upload to ebook directories.
Take a few of your related articles and turn them into a 10-12 page eBook. Upload your eBook to e-book directories like Free-ebooks

7. Rebrand your eBook.
Rebranding your eBook is a way to help it go viral. This means that you let your readers change the affiliate-links to their own, giving them incentive to distribute your eBooks to their own network. You can use a software program such as ViralPDF

So, the next time that you write an article, make sure that it brings you massive exposure and hundreds of leads to your small business.

More from “7 Unique Ways to Get Massive Exposure From Your Articles” by Jessica Swanson and Manta.com

Suzy Payne Rabb
Sage Peachtree Certified Consultant
Sage Solution Provider
Your Live, Online Guide to Sage Peachtree Success
512.892.8990