If Duke Charged Off My Old Bill Will I Have to Pay It to Get Service Again?

Some clients are TERRIBLE near paying on fourth dimension. That'due south why you need to learn the art of the payment request, particularly if you're a freelancer…

…but when it comes to how to ask for payment, what'southward the best way to do it?

Y'all exercise it politely — and with scripts.

Specifically, this 1:

Case of a polite email request for payment:

Of course, y'all're going to have to mold this script to fit your situation, but I promise you information technology works.

I know because information technology's based on the same one I used when I freelanced. I created a unproblematic, two-part system that has worked for me time and fourth dimension over again. Now, I'm giving it to yous.

The 4-step arrangement can be split up into two parts:

Part one: How to ask for payment politely

• How to (nicely) send a payment request e-mail
• Fill-in: How to ship a follow-upwardly email that works

Office two: How to break a client'southward legs firmly enquire for payment

• How to stop them from hiding backside their computer
• The Nuclear options (for when all else fails)

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Function 1: How to enquire for payment politely

The following system only works afterwards one stipulation is fulfilled:

Y'all've washed great work for your client.

If you oasis't fulfilled your obligation to your client and given them bully piece of work that you both agreed you'd provide, then you lot only have yourself to arraign if they're not going to pay you.

To help you with this, be certain to cheque out my xvi-infinitesimal video with Steve Dublanica on how providing world-class service to your customers tin attract even better customers.

Step ane: Send your client a payment request

When you complete the deliverables for your customer, it's time to pull out that email script nosotros gave you upfront.

What do yous notice near the email?

Get-go, it'due south friendly. When crafting an electronic mail asking for payment, it's easy to default to the this-is-super-serious-business-so-I-need-to-be-super-serious tone — but you lot take to remember that you're trying to develop a good relationship with your customer, and that'southward congenital on friendliness.

Another bang-up reason this e-mail simply works is that the subject line does non contain any mention of prices at all. There'southward no easier manner to let your email go unread than to include the toll in the subject line and your message will have a 100% better hazard of being read if it didn't.

A few more observations:

• Enquire for the payment simply and be straightforward. Tell them you have included the invoice as part of the electronic mail and how you want to be paid.
• The conclusion is polite and lets them know that you lot'd love to piece of work more with them in the time to come.
• This script as well uses the exclamation point very strategically. Its placement at the terminate is intentional and leaves everything on a playful tone.

Overall, it's simple, direct, and actionable. Y'all can employ this email for both old and new clients. Apply this script and most of your clients should pay y'all within two weeks.

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Step two: Transport a follow-up email

If your client hasn't responded in ii weeks, send them a follow-upwardly electronic mail. This bulletin will be more business firm and utilize a petty flake of force per unit area while making it seem like you're doing them a favor.

Here's the script:

Detect the framing. You recognize that they're probably busy and that you lot didn't want the message to "fall between the cracks," so you're simply reminding them of the invoice before they're charged with a tardily fee. You don't want to accuse your customer of anything, or else you lot hazard alienating them. So always give them that bit of deniability.

Make it easy for your client to go back to you by attaching the invoice too equally the original email.

However, this e-mail is conspicuously non as playful as the last one. Notice there'due south no exclamation betoken at the end. When compared to the initial email, this message projects that you're much more serious. You want your client to know you are serious well-nigh beingness paid.

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Role 2: How to firmly ask for payment (without breaking whatsoever legs)

In life, though, there are four things that are guaranteed:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Frugalistas being wrong
4. Clients not paying you on time

And you might be at a point where you're ready to actually shake downwards your client in order to get your payment. That's okay. Problem clients happen from time to time. It's inevitable.

What matters well-nigh now is that you take action in lodge to get them to pay you. That means you'll have to start dialing the phone.

Step 3: Phone call them (so they can't hide behind their estimator)

If your client hasn't responded to your messages subsequently three – 4 weeks since the showtime e-mail, y'all'll want to call them.

Calling people takes away the protective layer of anonymity that emails provide — making it MUCH harder to ignore your payment request.

And if you're worried almost not knowing what to say, fear not. Because I have a script that will kicking the chat off:

"Hi, [CLIENT'Due south NAME]. It'due south [YOUR NAME]. I worked on the XYZ project with you about a month agone. I've sent a couple of emails about payment for the project, and I think yous might've missed them. Have you received them?"

A few things of notation:

• The script reminds them of the projection and your agreed-upon payment.
• You're still friendly and even assume that they haven't seen your emails (this shows that y'all trust your client).
• If something did go wrong (email went to the spam folder, you used the wrong electronic mail address, etc), yous and your client can accost the issue to forbid it from happening again.

When yous're finished, make sure you close the loop using this script:

As with the emails, yous want to remain friendly and never lose your cool. It'due south surprisingly easy to beginning blowing upwards at a person and demand, "Yous PAY ME NOW, OR ELSE!!!" just the moment you do that, you lot stand to both tarnish your reputation and lower your chances of ever getting paid.

Call up: Be like Fonzie.

Step four: The nuclear options (for when all else fails)

If for some reason your client continues non paying after 3 emails and a phone chat, you take three options:

1. Cut ties with the client
2. Be annoyingly persistent
3. Rent a drove agency

i.) Cutting ties with the client

I actually suggest you lot do this option above all others.

Yous'll want to cut ties with the client as soon as possible. The reasoning is simple: Every bit a freelancer, you are your own best nugget. Y'all need to value your time and energy as such by not wasting either on atrocious clients.

2.) Exist annoyingly persistent

If the payment is worth the trouble, you should email your client the invoice and telephone call them…

…Every. Single. Solar day. Until they pay, that is (or you put them on Clients From Hell and call it fifty-fifty).

You need to brand sure you continue your cool during these emails and phone calls because information technology'll be easier at present more ever to blow up at them.

When you connect with them on the telephone, you can use this unproblematic script to become the conversation started:

"Hi, [CLIENT'S NAME]. It'due south [YOUR Proper name]. I worked on the XYZ project with you dorsum in [Time FRAME]. I've sent a couple of emails about payment for the project and also tried connecting with you on the telephone. When can I expect my payment?"

After a while, your client should realize that yous're not going to surrender and pay you lot. If they don't, though, y'all can e'er try the adjacent pick.

3.) Rent a collection agency

This tactic is typically reserved for situations where you put a lot of work into whatever it was you lot provided for your client (and and so the bill is Big).

Collection agencies exist to assist businesses (eastward.chiliad. you) accomplish whatever debt that is owed to you lot. In social club to do that, though, they typically require that you have all the debt that is owed to you in writing, and so make sure y'all have records of all the e-mail exchanges (too as the invoices) with your client.

Unfortunately, many collection agencies have a bad rap due to a few that continually harass debtors. That's why you're going to want to find a reputable agency that volition help you lot get your money dorsum without resorting to unscrupulous means.

Here are a few ways you tin can find one that'll work for you lot:

• Refer to the Better Business Bureau. The BBB provides ratings for all of the collection agencies near you. Definitely cheque them out if yous're looking to rent ane.
• Search the IDCA and ACA directory. The International Debt Collectors Association and the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals are organizations made up of debt collection agencies that exist to promote ethical standards and practices in the industry.
• Inquire other business people. Referrals are some other cracking way to find out whether or not an agency is practiced.

No matter how they're found, the agency you hire will take payment through a percentage of the recovered debt (typically 10% – xxx%). Yeah, information technology's a bummer that y'all won't get paid the full amount for the work you put in — but something is better than cypher.

If you've let the back payments stack upwards so much that they are worth bringing in an agency, you should learn a valuable lesson: Respect your ain fourth dimension plenty that you never go along work with someone who is backside.

How exercise I avoid this in the futurity?

Retrieve: Prevention is ever better than a cure. So to avert getting a late-paying client again, you'll want to make sure you:

• Did the piece of work. It might sound obvious, merely zip's more than embarrassing than asking your client for payment on deliverables you…well, never delivered. That'due south why you desire to make sure that all the expectations you lot and your client agreed upon have been fulfilled on your end.
• Invoice promptly. As soon as yous've finished doing the work for your client, make sure you immediately send an invoice. That way, information technology'll be fresh in your customer's mind while they're happy because they received your service.
• Include a due date. Brand certain your invoice includes a clear due date that the client needs to pay you before — lest they incur the wrath of your late fee. Besides make sureyou didn't write down the incorrect due date or even charged your client for the wrong things.
• Don't deliver your service until you are paid. Another option is to have very strict criteria for when you deliver your product or service. If lazy clients know they don't need to pay to receive the deliverable, why would they?

These things might seem small just tin can become a long mode in ensuring a solid relationship with you and your client.

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If Duke Charged Off My Old Bill Will I Have to Pay It to Get Service Again?

Source: https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-request-payment-and-actually-get-paid/

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