Dealing with a client who’s been late for three months has been a real challenge. I’ve experimented with various payment options, hoping to get something rather than nothing.
The outcomes were surprising. Being too accommodating with payment plans seems to stir up even more issues.
Some people won’t pay until you force them to. Making it too easy just backfires.
I just ask for payment upfront now after getting burned.
You’re handing them all the power. Once clients know you’ll keep negotiating, they treat your invoices like suggestions.
I ditched payment plans after getting burned too many times. Now it’s straightforward: pay in full by this date or we talk about alternatives. Those alternatives? Extra fees or I stop working.
Clients who really want to pay find the money fast.
Three months? Way too long. I learned this with a client who owed me $2,800.
I kept offering payment plans thinking I was being nice. Half now, half in two weeks. Then $500 monthly. They’d agree every time and miss every deadline.
What worked? A firm deadline with consequences. Ten days to pay in full or it goes to collections. They paid in eight days.
Clients will drag this out as long as you let them. The more flexible you are, the less urgent it becomes for them.
Payment plans just teach clients they can ignore your deadlines. Had one guy drag me along for four months with promises and tiny payments. Finally sent a demand letter - pay everything in 14 days or I’m taking legal action. Got the full check in 10 days. Should’ve done it after month one. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to collect.
The mindset shift changed everything for me. I stopped treating overdue invoices like I’m doing favors and started handling them like any other business debt.
Here’s what actually works:
I used to think being understanding would build loyalty. Wrong. It just tells them your time isn’t valuable. Good clients respect firm boundaries. The ones who don’t weren’t worth keeping anyway.
Three months is way past reasonable. Time to get tough.