What's changed?
I apologise. It's been a while since I last blogged, but if there has been a downturn in the economy I haven't noticed. Since my last blog I have bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and taken on a number of new work commitments. The work is a mixture of contract and spot hire.
What is different is that before I was searching, almost begging for work, and willing to reasonably cut my standard rates to obtain it, where now I seem to able to demand my price and terms.
I am unsure what has changed within the industry. But work is flowing inwards, new customers are accepting that for the first 3 months I want paying 7 days from invoice or my vehicles stop turning up. I quote a rate that 6 months ago would have included ferries, now I get the same rate but ferries paid.
None of this has happened by accident. I have been trying for years to increase my rates and improve the terms under which I carry goods. And argued long and hard with my clients But have always been rebuffed. Now it seems that something in the industry has changed. I can demand my terms and they are accepted most of the time.
At the time of typing I have one customer whose account is overdue by 14 days, and that's it, everyone else is paying up on time (that one customer was my first major customer and has always paid late, but paid well and never argued against interest on the account if over 28 days late). A situation I have never found myself in before.
If this is recession give me more of it.
Paul Mcbride runs a small courier business running 5 light vehicles on urgent deliveries throughout Europe.
I apologise. It's been a while since I last blogged, but if there has been a downturn in the economy I haven't noticed. Since my last blog I have bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and taken on a number of new work commitments. The work is a mixture of contract and spot hire.
What is different is that before I was searching, almost begging for work, and willing to reasonably cut my standard rates to obtain it, where now I seem to able to demand my price and terms.
I am unsure what has changed within the industry. But work is flowing inwards, new customers are accepting that for the first 3 months I want paying 7 days from invoice or my vehicles stop turning up. I quote a rate that 6 months ago would have included ferries, now I get the same rate but ferries paid.
None of this has happened by accident. I have been trying for years to increase my rates and improve the terms under which I carry goods. And argued long and hard with my clients But have always been rebuffed. Now it seems that something in the industry has changed. I can demand my terms and they are accepted most of the time.
At the time of typing I have one customer whose account is overdue by 14 days, and that's it, everyone else is paying up on time (that one customer was my first major customer and has always paid late, but paid well and never argued against interest on the account if over 28 days late). A situation I have never found myself in before.
If this is recession give me more of it.
Paul Mcbride runs a small courier business running 5 light vehicles on urgent deliveries throughout Europe.