Handling Slow and No-Pay Clients

Even Writers Have Problem Clients ;)

It seems to happen to all of us once and awhile. We do a piece of writing or editing work for a client, send out an invoice, and nothing happens. There’s no check in the mail and no word on why, when, or even if.

First Review, Then Call

First of all, review the contract or letter of agreement. If you don’t have one, vow to never again put a word on paper for a client without some sort of written agreement.

Next, review the invoice. Double-check the address and the date. If all is in order, pick up the phone and call your client.

Yes, it’s better to call even though it’s easier to write or email. You know why; you’re more likely to get a real answer voice-voice. Telephone calls are, by their very nature, more urgent than written communications.

Calling Approach

Your goal, in this first call, is of course to get paid.

Your approach, however, is to make sure the invoice was received. Keep it simple. Something like this often works:

“Hi (client name), this is (your name). I realized I hadn’t gotten payment from you and wanted to be sure you got my invoice.”

Now, shut up and listen! Even if the silence grows, wait it out. Your client will say something and you’ll know what your next step should be. Here are some possible scenarios. The first three are easy:

• “I’m sorry, no, I didn’t get your invoice.” Agree to send it again and say you’ll call in five days to be sure it arrived. Double check the address, say thanks and hang up.
• “I’m sorry, yes, I meant to send a check, but…” Smile, say you understand and ask when the check will be sent. Write down the date for follow-up .
• You get an answering machine. I usually just ask the client to call me back, without giving a reason because I want to talk with them. If they don’t call, on my second or third try I’ll leave a message asking if they got the invoice.

More difficult is the situation where the client says something like, “Yes, I got your invoice, but I can’t pay you until (some distant date.) Your response depends on your relationship with your client. Sometimes we have to cut good client’s some slack, but it’s not a good idea. I like responding with something like “I’m sorry, that won’t work for me.” If you take this route, again, shut up and wait; the silence will force your client to say more and usually what they say will tell you what to do next. Keep in mind that you have the right to be paid on time for your work.

When It Stops Being Friendly

The worst case is when it becomes obvious the client has no intention of paying you. It’s rare they will say this directly to you. More often, you’ll just not get any response at all. Here are some options:

• Resend the invoice, marked: Second Invoice – 5% late fee added if not paid by (10 days later.)
• If you’re working for an organization, call the accounts payable and make sure they at least have your invoice. It’s amazing how often editors and others fail to forward payables to the right department.
• Send a third invoice and add a note saying you will send this to collection if it’s not paid in 10 days. This will often get at least a phone call from the client.

When all else fails, consider either a collection service or a suit for payment. Neither is fun, and both can be costly. Collection agencies charge an arm and a leg, usually at least 50%; court cases cost and take time. You probably won’t want to do this for small amounts, but if you’re owed $500 or more, it’s worth it.

Whatever you do, don’t work for that client again unless they pre-pay you. Even better, let that client go and find a new one.

Write well and often and collect!