Not getting paid on time can be frustrating, especially if you have bills of your own that you need to pay on time. Clients may refuse to pay on time for a variety of reasons – they may genuinely forget to pay on time, they may have used the wrong financial details, but in most cases it’s because they can’t afford it. Whatever the case, here are the steps you should take to get your clients paying up.
Keep chasing them up
Whilst it can be awkward chasing up a late payer, it has to be done as many late payers will try to get away with not paying for as long as possible. Start by sending an email reminder – keep it polite and give them time to respond. If they don’t reply in a few days time, chase them up with another email or ring them. Resist the urge to shout ‘where’s my money!’ – being too pushy or aggressive could be seen as harassment so you need to bite your tongue and be civil. For clients that refuse to respond, try as many forms of contact as possible from sending letters in the mail to texting them.
Be prepared to negotiate
You should try to get to the bottom of why they can’t pay you – if it’s due to financial difficulties, you may be able to negotiate a payment plan that at least allows you to receive some of the money you’re owed now. If being understanding doesn’t work, know when to shift up the firmness in order to get your point across.
Know when to seek legal action
After a certain length of time, you may be entitled to seek out legal action. It’s worth talking to a solicitor to help you through the steps required when taking this route. In many cases, you’ll have to have waited a certain period and sent at least three written warnings, including a final notice. After this, you can consider hiring a lawn enforcement agency to retrieve the money for you, whether it means seizing property or getting them to borrow money off a friend. You can search for law enforcement agencies on sites like https://www.findabailiff.co.uk/index.html. Taking this route can be expensive, so make sure the money owed is worth it.
Consider invoice factoring
There are methods of borrowing out there known as invoice factoring that are available at sites such as https://smallbusinessloans.co/working-capital-loans-small-business/. These loans allow you to borrow money that you are legally owed, helping you to maintain a healthy cashflow. You only have to pay this money back when your client finally pays up, although there will often be interest added. This is much better method than taking out any other kind of loan.
Take measures to prevent future late payments
There are many methods that you can implement to prevent future later payments. First, you should consider having a professionally written contract that clearly outlines what will happen if your clients don’t pay on time (this could allow you to temporarily no longer serve a client until they’ve paid up if they happen to be an ongoing client). You could also consider running credit checks of clients – this could avoid you taking on a client who is prone to getting in arrears.
