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Our complete guide to our brand values, messaging and personality as well as logo, image and communications 'do's and don'ts'.
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Brand guidelines OCTOBER 2014
Contents
Our story 5Our vision 6What we do 7The world in which we exist 8Our mission 9Our brand pillars 10Our audience 11What makes us different? 12Key messages 13MarketInvoice in one word... 14Dos and don’ts 15Code of conduct 16Strategic partnerships 17
Our people 19What we look for in our employees 20In return, we offer our employees... 21
Our brand 23Talking about MarketInvoice 24About our logo 25Using the logo 26Placing the logo on backgrounds 27Colours 28Tone of voice 29Main typeface 30Secondary typeface 31Photos 32Colour blocking text 33Icons 34
FAQs 37FAQs 38Glossary of terms 39
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Being transparent about our product is always at the forefront of my mind when speaking to potential partners.
I’m conscious about providing them with a service that is not only quick, but very different from traditional invoice finance.
Ari Last, Head of Commercial Partnerships
Our story
Unlocking valuefor businesses, making them more confident and helping them seize every opportunity.
Our vision
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MarketInvoice is an online peer-to-peer lender which allows businesses to sell selected invoices direct to investors to release money otherwise tied up for up to 120 days.
Our clients can sell single invoices online, as and when they need to. There are no contracts, hidden fees or personal guarantees; businesses can sign up, sell an invoice and drawdown funds on the same day.
Invoices are funded by a global pool of sophisticated investors, made up of high net worth individuals, asset managers and hedge funds.
As of August 2013, the UK government also began investing in business invoices via our platform as part of their Business Finance Partnership scheme. This initiative will see £40m channeled to our clients over a 12-month period.
What we do
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Long payment termsBusinesses that sell to other businesses have always had to manage cashflow. In this world, the expectation is that an invoice will be sent to the customer on delivery of the service or product, with typical payment terms of 30-60 days. That means that the supplier will have to wait to be paid for the work they have already completed.
What’s more, businesses that supply large corporates have seen lengthening payment terms in recent years. Big businesses have realised that delaying payment to suppliers is a good way to boost balance sheets, and some have implemented payment terms of 120-150 days. The knock-on effect has been that a number of suppliers into big business have seen problems with cash flow that limit their growth potential. There simply isn’t the money in the bank to invest back into the business.
Our service enables these businesses to sell invoices on a pay-as-you-go basis, as and when they need the extra cash. Our clients use the finance we provide in order to grow, hiring new staff, signing new contracts and launching new products.
Traditional invoice financeThe UK is the largest invoice finance market in the world, with approximately £14bn of invoices funded at any one time. This market is dominated by the incumbent factoring and invoice discounting providers, largely run by the major banks. Their clients are often referred from existing business banking networks and from close relationships with referrers such as brokers.
We are the biggest and fastest growing of a new wave of online platforms in the invoice finance space. Being online enables us to provide a much smoother, more flexible and more transparent funding experience for our clients relative to the service provided by traditional invoice factoring.
The world in which we exist
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Our mission
We will provide businesses with smart working capital solutions that help drive them forwards.
Our cutting-edge technology and relentless focus on the customer means that we deliver a service that solves problems and puts businesses in control.
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IntegrityFirst and foremost, we are committed to doing what is right for our customers. Using MarketInvoice must make clients stronger than they were before.
Our fees and our processes are always fair and transparent.
We are honest. Across every channel and to whoever we are talking to.
SimplicityEngaging with us must always be straightforward and clear.
We strive to strip out complexity wherever possible.
Doing business with MarketInvoice should always be easy.
InnovationThrough product, pricing and service, we always aim to do things better.
We use cutting edge technology to continually improve the customer experience.
Our people are natural problem solvers and are always happy to help.
Our brand pillars
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Our audience
BusinessesFast-growth, project based, exporters. From all sectors – though skewed towards services-based businesses.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM?
• We are practical, flexible and simple.
• We are “one of them”
• We are growing together. We’re part of their growth story and vice versa.
• Our “great people”. We are not a faceless dotcom.
• A feeling of community. MarketInvoice and our investors are here to help.
InvestorsHigh net worth individuals, family offices, hedge funds, private equity firms and corporates.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM?
• We are a serious organisations with real expertise.
• We offer good returns and low risk.
• Our execution is second to none
• Investing is simple, fast and on their terms.
IntroducersBrokers, accountants, advisors, private equity investors, venture capitalists and angel investors.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM?
• Certainty for them and their customers.
• Professionalism and credibility of our service.
• That we’re better and different. But not new and quirky.
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What makes us different?
Hassle-freeTransparent; no debentures, no personal guarantees
QuickApply in 15 minutes; receive funds in 24 hours
Pay-as-you-goFlexible invoice finance, unlike factoring
It always goes smoothly; a match made in heaven.
Dominic Saville, 3DD
A world of differencefrom traditional business banking.
Martin Kruse, Acumentive
It’s been the best support we needed at this inflection point of growth in the business.
Charlotte Knight, G’NOSH
BUSINESS CASE STUDIES
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Key messages
Get confident in your
cashflow
Invoice finance
made easy
Smart working capital
for savvy businesses
Pay-as-you-go. Flexible invoice finance, only when you need it.
Hassle-free. Transparent; no debentures, contracts or personal guarantees.
Quick. Apply online in just 15 minutes, receive funds in 24 hours.
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Businesses Confident because using MarketInvoice means I can plan and grow my business.
InvestorsConfident because I get an excellent return on my money from people who are experts.
IntroducersConfident that when I introduce a client to MarketInvoice they get what they need, and so do I.
DebtorsConfident because companies that I deal with that use MarketInvoice are stronger and less demanding.
Employees Confident in the mission, the ability of the team to deliver, in the founders and the opportunity to have a fulfilling and successful career.
MarketInvoice in one word... Confidence
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Don’t Do
Dos and don’ts
Refer to MarketInvoice as a startup.
Say that we’re a fast growing business.
Patronise our clients. We don’t call our clients or prospects ‘SMEs’- grouping small and medium sized businesses together is not useful or effective.
Use the term business instead wherever possible.
Refer to the finance we provide as cash. Ours is not a ‘quick cash’ solution for desperate businesses.
Say that we are funding growth.
Talk about our product as ‘revolutionary’ or as brand new.
Say that we are an innovative solution but a safe and established one.
Give too much weight to our technology - it’s important but we are more than a tech company.
Talk about us being more than a tech company.
Be stuffy or over formal. A passive voice often leads to a passive audience.
Talk, write and communicate in a simple way - an intelligent 12 year old should easily understand. Use active sentences
Be brash or confrontational in tone. We do not try to provoke a reaction by badmouthing our competitors.
Do feel confident discussing news within the sector and reporting on relevant competitor developments.
*Don’t forget to use your common sense
though, follow the rules where possible
but this is just a guide! Tailor everything
to your audience.
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MarketInvoice is not regulated by the FCA, even so we are committed to communicating transparently and we are a member of the Peer-to-peer Finance Association which has a strict code of conduct.
To become a member, a business must fufil the following criteria:
1. Undertake debt based retail financial services business in the UK by means of an electronic platform
2. Have been transacting business in the market for at least 6 months
3. Use lender funds to provide loan funding of any type to consumer or business customers
4. Preferably, secure some lender funds from retail consumers
5. Operate to a significant extent by means of direct loan contracts between borrowers and lenders
6. Demonstrate high standards of loan underwriting and credit and operational risk management
7. Demonstrate high standards of transparency and provide clear, balanced and fair information to all customers
8. Comply fully with the P2PFA’s Operating Principles, as amended from time to time, and commit to adhere to high industry standards for the peer to peer finance sector agree to work with other members to promote the sector represented by the P2PFA as operating to high standards at the lower end of the alternative finance (or crowdfunding) risk spectrum.
More information is available at http://p2pfa.info/rules
Code of conduct
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At MarketInvoice we choose partners that share the same DNA; innovative, disruptive, technology-led and customer focused.
Here are two examples:XeroWe partnered with Xero, a major global finance technology company offering online accountancy software. Our integration allows customers to access funding even faster by simplifying the application process, pulling data from Xero into their MarketInvoice account.
British Business Bank In 2013 we partnered with the British Business Bank, a UK government initiative with the aim of improving access to finance for businesses. Our online platform was one of a small number of alternative finance companies which passed the extensive due diligence to join the program. The government has so far channelled £5m of funding for businesses through MarketInvoice.
Strategic partnerships
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When I’m looking to add people to the team, I’m looking for people with the raw smarts, team players and good ethics to come and add value here at MarketInvoice.
You’ll have to work hard, but it will be rewarding.Anil Stocker, CEO & Co-Founder
Our people
Belief in our mission.A desire to break new ground and to deliver something outstanding for our clients.
Problem solvers. Team players. Honest.Energy and desire to constantly make a difference and add value.
Willing to help those around them and be part of a collective mission.
Ambitious, motivated people who will not compromise their integrity and know how to treat people. We encourage an open, honest culture.
Smart.Open to advice, curious to know more and switched-on to the world around them.
What we look for in our employees
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A vibrant, exciting environment where they can fulfil their potential, grow with the company and enjoy being part of building something that makes a difference in the world.
We will strive to create an environment where they can do their very best work and achieve.
In return, we offer our employees...
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I try to make sure that all dealings with existing and potential clients are conducted with the utmost integrity and transparency.
In our pursuit of growth and new business I always ensure that we put the client at the centre of what we do as a business.
Matt Cooper, Director of Sales & Business Development
Our brand
MarketInvoice is our brand name, so even when referring to the company in copy, make sure that it is written correctly.
There are only two rules to follow:
1. It should be written as one word with no spaces.
2. Capital ‘M’ for Market and a capital ‘I’ for Invoice.
It’s a good idea to add the brand name to your computer programmes’ dictionary, so that it doesn’t auto correct.
Talking about MarketInvoice
CORRECT
DEFINITELY INCORRECT
MarketInvoice
Market Invoice
Marketinvoice
marketinvoice
market invoice
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Our MarketInvoice logo is modern and simple. The dot* on the first ‘i’ of ‘invoice’ has been customised to have a graph-like curve. This represents how MarketInvoice help companies to grow, quickly and confidently and also our own journey as a rapid growth business. This customisation mark only appears on the first ‘i’, never the second.
Our logo has two colour versions - regular and reversed. It is never just one colour.
• The regular logo is slate grey and tangerine for light backgrounds
• The reversed logo is white and tangerine for dark backgrounds
Use your common sense when choosing which logo to use on a background.
The ‘invoice’ or ‘i’ is always tangerine with the ‘market’ and ‘m’ providing the colour variables.
When to use the logosIn most circumstances, you should use the primary logo. The secondary logo is used more as an icon. We don’t normally use both the logos together or next to each other. When you are placing the logo, consider the space available. Try to fill the space/centralise, but for wider spaces, header and cover photos and wherever possible use the full primary logo. If it’s squarer use the ‘mi’.
About our logo
PRIMARY LOGO
SECONDARY LOGO
LOGO CUSTOMISATION
* The dot on top of a lowercase ‘i’ or ‘j’ is called a ‘tittle’. A good thing to remember, as you’d be surprised how often it pops up in a pub quiz.
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Always leave space around the logo for it to breathe. Don’t put baby in a corner or make it into a monster that takes over the whole page.
Using the logo
LOGO EXCLUSION ZONE
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Our logo is clean and simple and works best when placed on neutral colours, or photos with a simple clean background.
Some of our logo crimes• Don’t rotate the logo• Don’t add drop shadows or other
effects• Don’t place the logo on colours
that clash or are too similar• Don’t use the wrong logo on a
background. If it’s a light colour - use the regular logo. If it’s a dark colour, use the reversed version
• Don’t place the logo on a busy background where it’s hard to read
• Don’t obstruct people’s faces
Placing the logo on backgrounds
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Colours
C82 M63 Y0 K0R56 G101 B186#3865ba
C0 M48 Y80 K0R248 G151 B72#f89748
C1 M62 Y63 K0R241 G127 B97#f07357
C41 M0 Y13 K0R134 G230 B233#8ce7ea
C13 M10 Y9 K0R219 G220 B222#dbdcde
C78 M58 Y0 K0R63 G110 B202#3f6eca
C68 M57 Y57 K39R70 G76 B76#464c4c
C0 M42 Y70 K0R255 G165 B93#ffa55d
C46 M0 Y32 K0R127 G221 B195#96e3ce
C73 M64 Y56 K47R56 G61 B67#383d43
C68 M8 Y16 K0R57 G179 B205#46c5d8
Main
colours Accent colours
Added
The main MarketInvoice brand colours are tangerine orange and slate grey.
The accent colours are to be used in situations where they can lift a design. Most often, they will be used as colour blocking for text over an image or to accentuate certain words or phrases.
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The five golden rules
1.Our tone of voice is engaging, conversational and tries not to be stuffy or formal. We don’t use slang.
2.We don’t patronise our audience but we communicate in a clear and concise way, avoiding jargon where possible and we don’t use unnecessarily complex terminology. We make sure all of our communication is clear and simple to understand.
3.A good way to measure this where possible is to communicate in a way that an intelligent 12 year old would understand.
4.We never use passive sentences, we always use active. When writing, we contrast longer sentences with shorter punchier lines. It makes an impact.
5.Edit ruthlessly, don’t keep any words that you don’t need.
Tone of voice
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Main typeface
The Avenir type family is our corporate font. It’s a nice simple sans serif font*, good for everything from headings to text.
Use Avenir wherever possible.
* Sans serif means it doesn’t have the little flared flicks at the ends of the letters
This is Avenir Book. Use this for your main body of text.
This is Avenir Medium. This can be used for headings or for emphasis.
This is Avenir Black. Use this if you are placing text over a photo.
AVENIR BOOK
AVENIR MEDIUM
AVENIR HEAVY
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Secondary typeface
Because not all computers have Avenir installed, our secondary typeface is Trebuchet. This is a standard font available on PCs and Macs. Use this whenever you are working on documents that need to be editable by external people, such as Word and PowerPoint presentations.
This is Trebuchet Regular. This should be used as a universal font, so PowerPoint presentations and in emails.
This is Trebuchet Bold. Use this for headings in Powerpoint and Word documents.
TREBUCHET REGULAR
TREBUCHET BOLD
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Photos
As people are at the centre of our business, we use large photographs in our promotional material. The photos should reflect the young, fast and dynamic nature of our company and the businesses we support. They show off the buckets of personality of our clients and staff and give an authentic feel to the MarketInvoice brand.
Our photography style includes as many of the following points as possible:• shallow depth of field• include people• natural light• natural relaxed poses• bright colours• feel authentic and real
Occasionally we might need to use a stock image or two; these should be chosen to exhibit the same characteristics as listed above.
Leader images have a blue gradient layer applied.
To replicate accurately:• top color #215cd2 • bottom color #002163 • gradient is tilted by 105° • opacity is 50%
LEADING IMAGE
ADDITIONAL IMAGES
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Colour blocking text
Colour blocking crimes• Don’t rotate the text• Don’t add drop shadows or
other effects• Don’t have too much space
between the lines • Don’t obstruct people’s faces• Don’t put people’s names or
companies in strip colour.
Colour blocking is an great way to get our key messages across loud and clear. They work well with client quotes or USPs, are eye catching combined with a strong image, and make use of our accent colours.
A world of differencefrom traditional business banking.
Martin Kruse, Acumentive
Get confident in your cashflow.
Smart worki
ng
capital fo
r savvy
businesse
s
It’s been the best support we needed at this inflection point of growth in the business.
Charlotte Knight, G’NOSH
33
Icons
While we use photography to show the personality of our clients and our team, we also use icons to help convey our key messages. Icons are eye-catching; they break up sections of text and help make key messages easier to understand.
The MarketInvoice icons have a flat and graphic look. They are simple yet sophisticated, and easy to understand.
And remember, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Icons should be used sparingly, and must always enhance the comprehension of their accompanying text.
EXAMPLE
FlexibilityA pay-as-you-go service; upload and sell invoices to suit your business needs
SpeedApply online in 15 minutes; draw down funds in 24 hours
Stress-freeTransparent; no debentures, no personal guarantees
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Simplicity is at the core of what we’re trying to do: make life easier for the customer and for ourselves by simplifying how we do things through well-designed technology.
Dan Karger, Lead Developer
FAQs
What is MarketInvoice?MarketInvoice is a peer-to-peer business lender allowing businesses to raise funding by selectively selling their invoices to a pool of global investors.
On MarketInvoice:• Businesses raise funding by selling
their invoices to a pool of global investors.
• Investors instantly advance funds against invoices in return for a fee.
What makes MarketInvoice different?PAY-AS-YOU-GO
Flexible invoice finance, unlike factoring.
QUICK
Apply in 15 minutes; receive funds in 24 hours.
FUNDING CERTAINTY
100% of invoices posted on MarketInvoice are funded in full, often instantaneously.
TRANSPARENCY
See exactly what you’re going to pay before selling each invoice. No hidden fees.
HASSLE-FREE
No debentures. No personal guarantees. No lock-ins. No commitments.
Which businesses does MarketInvoice support?• UK & Ireland based Limited
companies or LLPs. • Supplying ‘blue-chip’ customers.
Either large corporates (with revenues of ~£50m+) or public bodies.
• Invoice values of between £5k and £1m+.
What does it cost a business to use MarketInvoice?• Total cost of funding for
businesses is on average 2.5 - 3%.• The cost is split into a one off
‘MI processing fee’ and a 30-day ‘investor fee’.
How does the funding process work?1. Business completes online
registration in 15 minutes.2. Once verified, businesses list
their invoices for sale on the MarketInvoice platform.
3. Invoices are sold instantly to Investors, with up to 90% of funds advanced (‘Advance Rate’) within hours.
4. Upon the invoice being settled, MarketInvoice repays the Investors and forwards remaining balance to the business.
How does a business raise funding on MarketInvoice?1. Register online in 15 mins
at no cost.2. Submit invoices for sale.3. Invoices sold instantly and
funding advanced within 24 hours.
Who are MarketInvoice’s investors?A sophisticated global investor base comprising of:• UK Government• Asset managers• High net worth individuals• Family offices• Hedge funds• Pension funds
FAQs
38
Glossary of terms
TERM DEFINITION
Advance rate The % of the traded invoice that the business will receive from the MarketInvoice Investors.
Blue chip customers/large corporates
These are companies that; have revenues of £50m+, are government bodies, charities, listed on major stock exchange, or are a subsidiary of a larger business.
Clients/sellers Businesses and Investors that use MarketInvoice to trade invoices.
Crystallised loss/loss rate Actual percentage of advanced funds which are not recovered following default.
Debtors The customers of the businesses using MarketInvoice.
Default/delinquency Percentage of advanced funds that isn’t repaid by borrowers within 60 days of the expected contracted invoice payment period.
Government funding (through MarketInvoice)
The funds (£5m) that the British Business Bank have committed to deploying through MarketInvoice.
Investors/Buyers The individuals/institutions that are funding invoices on MarketInvoice.
Invoice trade The process of a business putting their invoice up for sale on MarketInvoice – and then it subsequently being bought by MarketInvoice investors.
Investor fee The variable fee that a business pays to the Investors that fund their invoices.
Processing fee The fixed fee that a business pays MarketInvoice each time they use the service.
Recovery Process of retrieving the money from invoices that are overdue and haven’t been paid.
Verification The process conducted by the MarketInvoice risk team before any business can be registered.
We try not to use any jargon and if there are sector specific terms that the general public wouldn’t understand then we like to define them clearly.
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MarketInvoice boilerplate
About MarketInvoice (http://www.marketinvoice.com)
Businesses use MarketInvoice to selectively sell their invoices to a network of global investors.
It is an online working capital solution, giving businesses immediate access to funds otherwise tied up for between 30 to 120 days. More than [X]m has been raised against invoices, with businesses using the funds to hire more staff, launch new products, and pay their suppliers.
Businesses are able to sell single or multiple invoices online, only as and when they need to. There are no contracts, hidden fees or personal guarantees; new clients can sign up, sell an invoice and draw down funds on the same day.
Invoices are funded by a global pool of investors including high net worth individuals. In August 2013, the UK government began investing in small business invoices via MarketInvoice as part of their Business Finance Partnership scheme. This initiative sees £40m channelled through the platform over a 12 month period.
*Don’t forget to update the amount traded figure when you cut and paste this for use elsewhere
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Hogarth House136 High HolbornWC1V 6PX
T +44 (0)845 548 0508F +44(0)208 711 2622www.marketinvoice.com