You’ve been there before. You’re standing poolside, the sun glistening off the crystal-clear water as your client admires the stunning oasis you've just created for their backyard. They're thrilled, but as you wrap up the final walkthrough with them, a twinge of anxiety creeps in. Will they pay on time? How long will it take for that check to clear?

For pool builders like you, cash flow is the lifeblood that keeps your business alive and thriving. The wait for payments can feel agonizing. You need that money in your account, not just to pay your bills, but to reinvest in your business, upgrade your equipment, and tackle the next exciting project. If only there was a way to get paid instantly, without the hassle of paper checks and bank delays.

Well, there is. Thanks to Truss, pool builders can implement instant payments into their business operations and receive payments from clients promptly–even poolside. In this article we’ll discuss why instant payments matter for your business, why it’s also a great choice for your clients, and we’ll finish with practical tips you can use for instant payments to improve your cash flow.

Why Instant Payments Matter for Pool Builders

Imagine that familiar scene again: you and your client standing poolside after a completed build, but this time, there’s a new energy in the air. No more waiting, no more uncertainty, thanks to your ability to accept instant payments with Truss.

No more waiting

As you finish up their walkthrough, you confidently tell your client, “I’ll send the bill right now.” You grab your phone or iPad, open your Truss account, and send an invoice via email or text message. Instantly, they receive the bill, and just as quickly, they can pay with a credit card. No waiting. 

You can close out the project at the end of the walkthrough and move on, with money in your account. That anxiety won’t even have a chance to settle in.

An added benefit of accepting instant payments via Truss is that it’s not only “instant” because of how quickly a customer can checkout, but also because funds are available immediately in your Truss account to pay vendors, for payroll, and spend in any way your business needs.

Reduced dependency on credit

Besides the anxiety you get from waiting on clients to pay and waiting for checks to clear, the lack of cash flow can make you dependent on credit to get by, which induces its own anxieties.

Not with instant payments via Truss. Your business could remain bootstrapped and avoid external investors, as well as the burden and anxiety of interest.

Reinvestment opportunities

By the time you’re walking a client through their completed pool, you’ve moved on to the next project. You’ve already got your team at the new worksite. And that means you need money for expenses, and you need it now. Say this next project is a large, commercial build–a pool at a hotel–and you need to lease a second backhoe. Previously, without instant payments, you wouldn’t have the funds available to invest in equipment and you would have to depend on credit.

However, improving your cash flow with instant payments means more of your cash, more quickly so that you can reinvest in your business and grow it to remain competitive with other pool builders.

Enhancing Your Client Experience With Instant Payments

Now imagine you’re the client that’s had a tour of the stunning oasis just added to their backyard. Would you really want to worry about payment transactions when there’s cool, refreshing water waiting for you? Wouldn’t you just want to pay and do a cannonball into the pool? Instant payments with Truss keeps things simple for your clients too, so paying bills doesn’t get in the way of their fun.

Convenience

When you use Truss, your customers can pay via credit/debit card or ACH right from the invoice you send to them via text message or email. They can even do it poolside! There’s no need for them to write a check and send it in the mail.

You never want to make it difficult for customers to pay you. With instant payments via Truss, you can make it as easy for them as a few clicks.

Transparency and immediate confirmation

Your client will know exactly how much they owe and instantly whether their payment went through to you. Everything is fair-and-square quickly and they can dive in.

Increased loyalty

No one wants a building project to be a headache, especially not homeowners. A seamless and instant payment for your customers is the icing on the cake for your pool-building process. It makes everything you do for them and their pool easy, from design to installation to cleanup and completion. You’ll be their hero.

Instant payments are also less-susceptible to fraud and errors like paper checks, which can be lost, stolen, or delayed. This removes any worries from your clients and adds to your stellar reputation.

Practical How-to Tips for Pool Builders Looking to Improve Their Cash Flow With Instant Payments

To get the most out of instant payments with Truss, here are practical tips to implement way before a client’s final walkthrough.

Establish short payment terms

Start with short payment terms. Set clear deadlines for your clients to encourage prompt payments, helping you get paid faster. And with a short, quickly approaching payment deadline, customers will likely choose an instant payment method like a credit card rather than a paper check.

Require progress payments

Don’t just require a downpayment and then a final payment when you’re building a pool for a client. You deserve to receive steady payments as you accomplish certain project milestones such as the design layout, groundbreaking, completion of the pool foundation, etc. Break the cost of a pool installation into several payments. It’ll help you improve your business’s cash flow and it’ll remove the need for customers to pay one, eye-popping lump-sum amount. In the past, progress payments may have caused a lot of work and headaches, but Truss has simplified the process.

Send prompt invoices

Issue invoices as soon as you reach project milestones. Say you’re giving a homeowner a tour of the latest phase of their work-in-progress pool, why not send an invoice right then and there? Just open your Truss account on your mobile device and send them an invoice while they’re standing next to you.

Send invoices via text message (or email)

And Truss offers the ability to send the invoice via text message, so clients can pay while you’re still at the worksite. You can have the payment in your Truss account even before you’re done with the tour.

Include payment buttons in invoices

When you send an invoice through your Truss account, you can include a payment button link right in the document. Your customers just click the link and pay. Again, it’s all about making it easier for your clients, which helps you get paid faster.

For more insights on effective invoicing practices, consider exploring our guide on leveling up your construction billing and invoicing, which outlines essential methods for ensuring timely payments.

Add a payment portal to your website

Additionally, use Truss to incorporate a payment portal to your website. Customers can keep track of their past payments, invoice details, and submit a payment instantly.

Learn more about adding a payment portal to your contractor website.

Follow up on overdue payments

Regular check-ins and reminders nudge clients to settle their accounts, keeping your cash flow steady. With Truss, just one click will send an invoice reminder. How often do you forget about an email or text message? Your clients do too, so send them a followup.

Key Takeaways on How Pool Builders Can Improve Their Cash Flow With Instant Payments

Instant payments are changing the game for pool builders by enhancing cash flow, boosting customer satisfaction, and streamlining operations. Here are the key takeaways to remember:

- Instant payments can help your business grow – quicker access to your money means you can reinvest in projects and expand.

- Instant payments can help you manage expenses more efficiently – quicker access to your money means more flexibility in managing expenses and less stress about paying employees.

- Instant payments makes working with your business easier for your clients – they can even pay on their phone.

- Use every aspect of invoices via Truss – like built-in payment buttons and invoice reminders.

Ready to get cash flowing quicker than the time it takes to fill a client’s pool with water? Try Truss today and harness all of the benefits of your account, from credit card processing to instant deposits to invoicing via text.

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