I miss the days when clients just paid the invoice without 3 follow-ups

Last week I had a client from 3 years ago who used to hand me a check the same day I finished. Now I'm sending reminder texts and emails for 30 days before they even acknowledge the bill. This same person told me last month they'd Venmo me right after I left, and I'm still waiting. Has anyone else noticed payment habits getting worse since 2020?

2 comments

2 Comments

corap6110d ago

Honestly I started charging a 15% deposit on all new clients after I got stiffed on a $400 design job back in 2021. Now I collect that upfront before I even open my laptop. The rest is due within 7 days of completion or I slap on a late fee. I also switched to square invoices that send automatic reminders every 3 days. That way I don't have to be the bad guy chasing them down. It's not perfect but it cut my wait time from 45 days to like 10.

martinez.paul10d ago

Used to be real old school about this, thought asking for money upfront was too pushy. Then I got burned twice in one month back in 2022 and now I'm all about that deposit life. @corap61 nailed it with the automatic reminders too, takes the awkwardness out of it.