“Cash flow is the barometer of business health.”
The Game of Work: How to Enjoy Work as Much as Play, Charles A Coonradt
“The firm is doing fine. We just have a bit of a cash flow problem right now.” Have you ever said those words or thought them to yourself? Most business owners have. Unfortunately, as noted by Charles Coonradt in The Game of Work, “Saying everything is fine except for cash flow is like saying the patient is fine except for a 105-degree temperature.”
Cash flow problems are symptoms of deeper problems. The problems can range from excessive overhead to overstaffing to ineffective systems. But all too often cash flow problems stem from too many clients owing too much money. The dreaded accounts receivable. Collections. But there is one way to end your collections problems forever. Value pricing.
In his book, Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms, Ron Baker outlines Eight Steps to Implementing Value Pricing. The book is a must-read for any attorney considering value pricing. All steps are integral to the process, but Step Five focuses on the creation of a Fixed Price Agreement. Why is this relevant to cash flow? Because you control the payment terms of the fixed price agreement. And the price is paid up front before you begin the work. In fact, the very definition of value pricing according to Baker is, “the maximum amount a given customer is willing to pay for a particular service, before the work begins.”
If you want to eliminate “cash flow problems,” consider value pricing. Here are a couple of firms that are doing it right.
Chinn & Associates, PC – Mark Chinn has been recognized as a Trailblazer by the VeraSage Institute for his cutting edge approach to cutting the billable hour in his Family Law practice.
Valorem Law Group – On its home page, Valorem proclaims it started the Alternative Fee revolution in 2008.