![]() The easier you can make the actual act of settling an invoice, the more likely the customer will be to get it done. If you’ve been slow to reply to emails, forgotten to do things you’ve agreed to, or failed to meet deadlines, chasing payments after delivery will only be more awkward. Of course, these are the kind of things you’ll likely be doing anyway, but it’s worth thinking about them with future conversations around payment in mind. This means getting back to them promptly when they contact you, completing any agreed actions, and doing whatever you can to ensure the project stays on schedule. This will sometimes be unavoidable, of course.Ī client that has experienced fantastic, attentive service throughout a project is going to be much more motivated to pay you quickly. On the other hand, asking the client to agree to your preferred terms might introduce some friction if any go against their usual methods. If you’re flexible when it comes to how you’re paid, whether you accept payment up front, or how to schedule recurring payments, framing these as questions can be very accommodating to customers.Īsking “how would you like to pay?”, “do you prefer to pay up front?”, or “would you like to be invoiced monthly or quarterly?” takes away some of the pain of payment. You’ll also learn more about what your customers need, helping you to tailor their experience and inform future conversations.Īnother tactic when discussing payment terms is to position them as questions whenever possible. You can also share how you felt the project went and offer to tie up any loose ends, which reinforces the value you are providing.īy broadening the conversation, you show that you care about more than just money, which puts your client in a more receptive frame of mind for when the topic does drift in that direction. This works great, because the customer will know you value their opinion and want them to be happy with what you’ve delivered. Instead, you could arrange a service feedback session, and discuss payment at whatever point in the conversation that feels natural. That’s because booking a meeting specifically to discuss payment and nothing else puts all the focus on what’s sometimes a sensitive topic. When you need to talk about payment, it’s good to raise your points within wider conversations. Much like tip four reveals, talking about these terms can be part of a wider conversation. It’s also better to confirm this in writing, so that both parties have something to refer back to if they need it. There should be no confusion about when you expect to be paid and what the options are for making the payment. There are several ways to do this depending on how your business works, but the most essential element here is clarity. This is a preventative measure that reduces awkwardness further down the line. Making sure that you and your client are on the same page in terms of payment needs to happen early in the process. In other words, be compassionate to their situation and try to support them but stay persistent. That could be simplifying the payment process, adapting to the customer’s needs, or giving them polite but regular reminders. Whatever the case, you’ll need to remove as many obstacles as you can, so that settling your invoice is easy to do. ![]() This starts with trying to understand the motivations and pressures around delaying payment.Īre they so busy that paying you isn’t their top priority?įiguring out what might be stalling them will help you take a nuanced approach to talking about payment that will resonate and drive them to settle an invoice. Having empathy for your customers is essential in making conversations smoother. Automate where possible – recurring invoices, automated reminders.Talk about more than money – Ask for service feedback.In this article, we give ten tips that will help you eliminate awkwardness from these conversations, preserve relationships with your customers, and most importantly, get the money you’re owed. Fortunately, there are ways you can make the whole thing less of a big deal. You must have the payment conversation at some point. Otherwise, your cash flow will be squeezed, making it harder to plan ahead, make decisions, or spend on new purchases and investments.Īt the same time, you don’t want to annoy customers by repeatedly asking for what you’re owed you’ve likely spent time and energy building a great relationship that will hopefully bring more business.īut you’re not providing products or services for free. And when it comes to getting paid by your customers, it can also be a bit of a balancing act.Īfter all, you need to get paid, and preferably sooner rather than later in today’s climate. Even in the accounting business, talking about money can feel uncomfortable.
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