My clients won't pay me? What now?
The question: My client won't pay me? Do I have to beg? Ellie
It happens, that's all I can say. And in order to continue
freelancing and work from the comfort of your own home, you'll
have to accept it. One of the biggest perks about working from
home is being able to organize your time and dictate your own
schedule. The biggest problem we will have...is sadly, payment.
If the project is already confirmed and better yet, if there are
documents and agreements signed between you and client, you can
safely pursue this client by dropping bomb-sized hints via
email. The excuse of 'My boss is harassing me about your
payment' is cannot be used because...you're the boss! But you
can say things like "I was just wondering...." Or "No rush but
when can I expect the payment" or "My computer needs an upgrade
and I plan to do it tomorrow. Can I get the payment soon?". And
perhaps, you can also say things like...."I heard a hurricane
hit your State. How are you doing? I hope you're doing well".
Sometimes, when you voice your concern about their wellbeing and
health, they will start feeling guilty and pay you.
Telling the clients off won't work too well in your favor
because you still want their business, so, don't tell them off.
Maybe they are trying work some things out on their side or
trying to get THEIR clients to pay them so that they can pay
you. It's true. Some clients are mere in-between people. And if
this is the case, they may need to ensure that THEIR clients pay
them so that they can pay you.
Whether their clients pay them or not...is not your concern.
It's got nothing to do with you. The work has been done and the
job delivered on time. So, you SHOULD be getting your payment
whether their clients run away or not! Remember that...and if
your client gives you the same line....say, "I really understand
and sympathize with you but...I can't help you there! Now, when
can I expect the payment?"
Send them an email every other day. If they don't respond, your
senses should be tingling by now. By the third time they ignore
your email, say something firm but not nasty. If they still
don't respond, send them another invoice. Some payment
processors like paypal, stormpay and ikobo allows you to send
invoices to payors, so, do that. If this is already the fifth
time you're sending the email, send them repeated invoices every
day.
By then, they should get the message.