How do you establish your credentials as a small, upcoming business? The answer is quite intuitive – professionalism. Successful entrepreneurs and rising business owners concur that your ability to earn consumers’ trust through your brand is what separates you from the competition.
Professionalism is not just limited to emails or meeting etiquette. It is a value reflected through each aspect of consumer interaction. Remember, all customer interactions built towards the base of your business – making a transaction. Being able to generate professional invoices is critical.
It is all the more critical that you can facilitate that transaction of money or assets professionally as a business owner. From our business communication experience, we have observed that proper invoicing can make or break a deal.
Why should you care about invoices?
An invoice is not merely a slip of paper with the cash amount associated with the transaction. It is a legal record of the exchange of a good or service. It is also proof of your business’s revenue; hence invoices are the basis of your financial management.
From the buyer’s perspective, an invoice is their proof of purchase. They can avail benefits like product warranty, repair and maintenance, tax exemptions etc., on the basis of the invoice. So the bottom line is that your invoices should convey all the required information without ambiguity or inaccuracies.
What makes an invoice “proper”?
Here’s what differentiates a sloppy invoice from a professional one – details and presentation. Consider this. A basic invoice is a simple statement that shows the name and price of the product or service sold. Sure, it’s easy and quick to generate invoices, but are they professional or detailed enough?
Certainly not. A “proper” invoice includes all or most of these points:

  • Company details: Seller’s registered company name, address of the company, unique company registration number
  • Buyer’s details: Name and address, unique registration number in case of B2B transactions
  • Unique invoice identification number
  • Timeline of the transaction: Date of issuing the invoice, delivery date, payment due date
  • Details of product or service under sale: Name and description
  • Cost of product/service: Cost per unit, quantity under sale, and total cost of the purchase
  • Tax information: Percentage and value of each type of tax levied on the sale
  • Total price: Final value of the transaction, including tax additions and discounts
  • Payment method: Details of payment method accepted, for example, bank account details for direct bank transfers
  • Validating authority: Signature of seller or proof of validation by the selling authority
  • Generate free invoices using Invoicetemplate.co.uk
    Creating a proper invoice for each of your sales can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Fortunately, you can use free invoice generator Invoicetemplate.co.uk to customise invoices. We reviewed the samples on the website, and here are our thoughts.
    The website has a clear USP when it comes to generating multiple invoices in short spans of time. The process is quick, simple, economical, and eco-friendly.
    We particularly like these features on Invoicetemplate.co.uk for creating free invoices:

  • User-friendly approach – It takes less than a  few minutes to enter transaction details and generate a complete invoice. The interface streamlines the data entry process to minimise administrative redundancies.
  • Creating invoices on the cloud – You can store your transaction data on the cloud to ensure security and instant access. This is great for finalising deals on the go since you are no longer tied to a pen and paper ledger book.
  • Automate your invoices – Many businesses have long-term clients with recurring orders. With the website’s invoice automation feature, you can programme it to send recurring invoices to consumers per the specified time period. No need for drawing up the same invoices every month!
  • Freedom to select payment methods and currency – This is ideal for expanding your business beyond geographical and technological boundaries. You can choose to accept payments through a range of gateways and in all common currencies.
  • Professional design – The invoice templates are designed to convey all the details coherently. We like the clean layout and attention to details like font type and size.
  • How can you generate a free invoice on Invoicetemplate.co.uk?
    The website’s templates are intuitively designed and very simple to use. Here’s how you can create a top-class invoice for free in less than a minute:
    Section 1: General details

  • Add your company logo. Enter the name and address their respective fields.
  • Enter the buyer’s name and address.
  • Enter the invoice reference number and the date of the transaction.
  • Fill out the preferred currency and the total amount to be paid.
  • Section 2: Transaction details

  • Enter the product’s name and description
  • Plug in the rate and quantity of the product
  • Enter the tax name and percentage. The template calculates the tax amount automatically.
  • The total amount gets updated as soon as you enter the price and tax details.
  • Add and comments and signature if required.
  • Simply hit save and send the invoice to your client. The best part about using the template is that you can personalise it for different products and services. Just select the one you need, and you can have a fully-prepared invoice in no time.
    Another great feature for freelancers – you can use the website to set up payment reminders and save yourself the hassle of contacting consumers yourself.
    Finally, we love that the website promotes paperless invoicing. Not only is it eco-friendly and convenient; having digital records of your invoices is easier to manage budgeting and taxes. While managing a dynamic business, it is absolutely necessary to have soft copies of transaction details that you can refer to with the click of a button.
    All in all, Invoicetemplate.co.uk is a beneficial tool to generate professional-looking and “proper” invoices. We found it a novel financial organisation system and would recommend it to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

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