Where the Bible teaches us how to improve our cashflow
Where the Bible teaches us how to improve our cashflow
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘come up to me on the mountain and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and commandment, which I have written for their instruction’, and he gave to Moses, when he made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tables of his testimony, tables in stone, written with the finger of God. And Moses turned, and went down the mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, tables that were written on both sides; on the one side and the other were they written” (Exodus, chapters 24, 31 and 32).
So what has that passage got to do with cashflow? The answer is that God understood the psychology of written terms.
The Psychology of Written Terms
Now God wasn’t seeking payment from his customers in a monetary sense. What he was seeking was far more important and valuable – mankind’s loyalty to the 10 Commandments. So what did he do? He wrote them down on tables of stone and on both sides! By writing down the 10 Commandments in stone he gave them a sense of permanency and urgency.
Now nowhere in the 10 Commandments story does it say that Moses negotiated with God. He didn’t get instructions from mankind and bargain (in good faith) an exception to the adultery commandment. No, he just accepted them.
Customers accept payment terms when they are written down
Think back to the last time you went into a restaurant. Next to each dish is its price. When was the last time you negotiated with the waiter a discount? Compare that to going to a market overseas where there are no prices on anything. You ask the price and are told. Do you think you would be tempted to haggle? Most would.
It is the same in a service business
If you operate a service business that provides an invoice to the customer after the work is carried out, then it is likely you will have experienced problems with some customers over payment. One reason is probably because you didn’t hand your customers your written payment terms before you did the work. If you can produce written payment terms to your customer at that stage of the transaction it is so much easier to get the customer to agree to them. That’s what the psychology of written terms says. Immediately, you take away the compulsion to negotiate when they receive the bill. That’s assuming, that you have written terms of business.
There is no excuse for not having written terms
Every business should have written terms. They form the foundation of your relationship with your customers. And your customers are the life blood of your business. Your terms of business will be specific to your business and should be tailored like a suit. Not having any at all, is like walking around the business world butt naked. Get a tailored suit and it will last for the eternity of your business.
God’s terms will last for eternity and so should yours
The 10 Commandments will last for eternity and are etched on most people’s minds. Your job as a business owner is to make sure your payment terms are etched on your customer’s minds. The best way to do that is to write them down, and hand them to the customer before you start the work – just as God did to Moses.
Where the Bible teaches us how to improve our cashflow - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Smyth's Website.
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Moses never argued with God
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘come up to me on the mountain and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and commandment, which I have written for their instruction’, and he gave to Moses, when he made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tables of his testimony, tables in stone, written with the finger of God. And Moses turned, and went down the mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, tables that were written on both sides; on the one side and the other were they written” (Exodus, chapters 24, 31 and 32).
So what has that passage got to do with cashflow? The answer is that God understood the psychology of written terms.
The Psychology of Written Terms
Now God wasn’t seeking payment from his customers in a monetary sense. What he was seeking was far more important and valuable – mankind’s loyalty to the 10 Commandments. So what did he do? He wrote them down on tables of stone and on both sides! By writing down the 10 Commandments in stone he gave them a sense of permanency and urgency.
Now nowhere in the 10 Commandments story does it say that Moses negotiated with God. He didn’t get instructions from mankind and bargain (in good faith) an exception to the adultery commandment. No, he just accepted them.
Customers accept payment terms when they are written down
Think back to the last time you went into a restaurant. Next to each dish is its price. When was the last time you negotiated with the waiter a discount? Compare that to going to a market overseas where there are no prices on anything. You ask the price and are told. Do you think you would be tempted to haggle? Most would.
It is the same in a service business
If you operate a service business that provides an invoice to the customer after the work is carried out, then it is likely you will have experienced problems with some customers over payment. One reason is probably because you didn’t hand your customers your written payment terms before you did the work. If you can produce written payment terms to your customer at that stage of the transaction it is so much easier to get the customer to agree to them. That’s what the psychology of written terms says. Immediately, you take away the compulsion to negotiate when they receive the bill. That’s assuming, that you have written terms of business.
There is no excuse for not having written terms
Every business should have written terms. They form the foundation of your relationship with your customers. And your customers are the life blood of your business. Your terms of business will be specific to your business and should be tailored like a suit. Not having any at all, is like walking around the business world butt naked. Get a tailored suit and it will last for the eternity of your business.
God’s terms will last for eternity and so should yours
The 10 Commandments will last for eternity and are etched on most people’s minds. Your job as a business owner is to make sure your payment terms are etched on your customer’s minds. The best way to do that is to write them down, and hand them to the customer before you start the work – just as God did to Moses.
Where the Bible teaches us how to improve our cashflow - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Smyth's Website.
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I was impressed with the design and usability until I noticed the option to share it with others. This is awesome and should be allowed more often among business sites. Furthermore, the Biblical reference made it even more useful and impressive for me!
Thanks from San Francisco, CA
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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