Been juggling clients who are ignoring their invoices yet still want to chat about new projects.
It’s tricky to keep things professional while also needing to address the overdue payments. Striking that balance can feel really challenging.
Stop taking new work until they pay up. Tell them you need the outstanding balance settled before starting anything else. Most clients suddenly find money when they realize you’re serious about getting paid first.
I handle this upfront when they reach out about new work.
I’ll say something like “Happy to talk about the new project once we sort out last month’s invoice.” Direct but not rude.
I handle both in the same conversation. When they pitch new projects, I say:
- “Sounds good, send me the details”
- “Quick reminder - Invoice #123 from last month is still unpaid”
- “Let’s get that squared away so we can jump on the new work”
You’re not blowing them off, but you’re not pretending the money thing doesn’t exist either. Most clients actually prefer this straight talk over tiptoeing around it.
If they keep pushing new work while dodging payment, I get tougher. But this balanced approach usually does the trick.
Just tell them you need to discuss the unpaid invoice before moving on to new projects.
I always ask for payment upfront now after getting burned.
I learned this the hard way after a client kept me talking about future projects for weeks while sitting on a $3,000 invoice.
Now I use a simple system. When they email about new work, I respond with two separate paragraphs:
First paragraph covers their new project - show interest, ask questions, whatever feels natural.
Second paragraph is always about money. “Before we move forward, I need to collect on the outstanding balance from March.”
Keeps it business focused instead of personal. They can’t say you ignored their project idea, but they also can’t pretend the debt doesn’t exist.
If they respond only to the first paragraph and ignore the second, I don’t reply until they address both parts. Works better than trying to mix everything together in one conversation.