How should a master tuner bill its dealers?

A master's first dealers are usually billed from a spreadsheet at the end of the month. By the fifth dealer, the spreadsheet has become someone's whole Monday, and by the tenth, the arguments start.

What are the usual ways to charge a dealer?

What should the price per file depend on?

Mostly the same things as your retail prices: the work, the vehicle type and the ECU. Beyond that, volume. A dealer sending you hundreds of files a month earns a better rate, and that rule should be written down rather than negotiated in private, because dealers talk.

Who pays for the dealer's portal?

Decide this openly. Some masters pay and see it as the cost of having a network. Others pass it on, sometimes with a margin. Add-ons work the same way. Whichever you choose, say so before the dealer signs, so a line on their statement never comes as a surprise. On TunerEngine, the price of a dealer portal is £29 a month on top of what your package includes.

A statement nobody has to argue about is worth more than a slightly better rate.

What should a statement show?

Enough to settle any question without a phone call: each file, with the date, the customer, the car, the work and the price, along with any credits and any add-ons, and a total for the period. A dealer who can check it themselves will trust it. The statement should be available for any period, not just the month just gone.

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How do you stop the spreadsheet?

By recording the charge when the file is delivered, not at the end of the month. On a Network portal, what each dealer owes you is worked out per file, with a statement for any period. You set the rate per dealer, and the record builds up as the work is done.

What about dealers who pay late?

The same rule as with any customer, and more important, because the sums are larger. Start new dealers on credits, and move them to a statement once they have proved themselves. Agree what happens if an account goes overdue, including what you stop doing, and then follow it. A dealer who is allowed to run up a large debt usually leaves with it.

How do you check that a dealer is worth it?

Look at each one regularly: files per month, what they earn you, how many corrections they ask for, and how much of your time they take. A small dealer who sends clean files can be worth more than a big one who rings every day.