Dealing with clients who vanish when invoices are overdue can be a real hassle. I started scheduling quick calls instead of relying on long email exchanges.
Most delays aren’t personal; life just gets busy. A short conversation often clears things up way quicker than endless messages.
Yeah I show up at their door if needed.
Phone calls definitely work better than email chains. Here’s what I do when payments drag on:
The key is staying consistent without being pushy. Most clients appreciate the direct approach once you actually get them on the phone.
I also learned to ask about their payment process during the call. Sometimes there’s a specific person who handles invoices or they need the invoice in a different format.
I just text them now. Way easier than calling and people actually respond to texts these days.
Setting up automatic reminders through your invoicing software can save you from having to track everything manually.
I use a simple system where the first reminder goes out automatically after 7 days, then another at 14 days. Only after that do I pick up the phone.
This way you catch the clients who just forgot without wasting your time calling everyone. The ones who need actual conversation will still be there after the automatic reminders.