Lately, I’ve had a few tough clients who are slow to pay. One always has a new excuse about approvals, while the other simply disappears after I deliver.
Struggling to maintain professionalism while also being assertive enough to ensure I get paid. It feels like being overly accommodating might just exacerbate the issue.
I switched from Net 30 to Net 15 payment terms. Huge difference - people don’t mess around when they know time’s tight.
When clients ghost me, I send one message: work stops until payment clears. That’s it. They usually come back fast once they see I’m serious about getting paid.
I just resend the same invoice weekly until they pay. Annoying, but it gets results.
Got burned a few times before figuring this out. I send a gentle reminder at 30 days, then call at 45. Phone calls work way better than emails - harder to ignore when someone’s actually talking to you.
When clients give me the “it’s being approved” runaround, I ask for a timeline and who’s handling it. Then I go straight to that person. Cuts through most of the BS.
Clients who ghost me get one final email with a clear deadline and late fees. After that, straight to collections. Being professional doesn’t mean being a doormat.
I also started asking for 50% upfront from new clients. Weeds out the problem ones before they become actual problems.
Cash upfront works best for me these days.
Late fees were a game changer for me. I put them in every contract and actually enforce them when clients don’t pay.
For repeat excuse-makers, I give one warning that late fees start now. Amazing how quickly they find money when it costs them extra.
Ghosting clients are the absolute worst. I use read receipts so they can’t claim they missed my emails. When they still ignore me:
Trust your gut during negotiations. Sketchy vibes usually mean sketchy payment habits. Walk away instead of chasing money for months.
Stop work the moment payment’s late. No exceptions. I learned this after chasing payments for months like an idiot.
For the client making approval excuses - give them a hard deadline. Work starts when you get paid, not when their approvals come through. Their internal mess isn’t your problem.
This video shows exactly how to handle difficult clients without losing it:
Document everything in writing. Send a final notice with clear consequences, then actually follow through. Most clients pay once they see you’re serious.