This submit is supplied by our accomplice, HoneyBook. Ebook shoppers, signal contracts, handle tasks, and get paid on HoneyBook, the main clientflow administration platform. Enroll right this moment for 50% off your first 12 months: https://freelancersunion.org/honeybook/

Whereas no one likes to chase after their shoppers to get paid, it may be a traditional a part of working any enterprise. 

Reminding somebody to pay you is vital to making sure optimistic money circulate, profitable tasks, income development, and good shopper relationships. 

With the suitable instruments and techniques, you may take lots of the work off your plate in terms of chasing down excellent funds. With automated reminders and on-line invoices, it’s now simpler than ever to get paid sooner—and on time. Right here’s the way to ship a fee reminder e-mail to pay you so you may really feel much less confused about gathering funds.

1. Embody all of the fee particulars upfront

The easiest way to make sure well timed funds is to keep away from the necessity to hound your shoppers within the first place. When it’s time on your shopper to pay their first bill, be sure you’re offering the whole fee plan upfront. 

Oftentimes, folks merely overlook due dates–it’s not that they’re making an attempt to keep away from paying you. 

Inside your on-line bill, embody the next particulars and fee phrases: 

• Bill quantity
• Due date
• Remaining stability
• Further due dates
• Late fee coverage and any related charges
• In the event you plan to cost curiosity on overdue funds

As quickly as you ship your first bill, verify that your shopper has acquired it. In case your shopper has questions, you may take the time to reply these at the beginning of the undertaking earlier than you get the ball rolling and extra funds are due.

2. Schedule fee reminder messages

The easiest way to remind your shoppers to pay an bill is to ship them a collection of fee reminder emails.

Sadly, you probably have lots of shoppers, the time it takes to ship dozens of fee reminder messages will add up shortly.

By utilizing fee reminder software program like HoneyBook, you can also make your life a lot simpler by automating e-mail templates to ship out on a predetermined schedule. For instance, you may ship a well mannered e-mail reminder for fee per week earlier than the bill is due, on the day the bill is due, and two days after it’s due if the shopper nonetheless hasn’t paid.

Establishing a collection of fee reminders can really feel like overkill at first, however generally, your shoppers will admire the reminders. That is very true if the reminders present them with a hyperlink to pay the bill instantly with an on-line fee software program.

Embody the next data in your fee reminders: 

• Use clear topic traces
• Re-attach the unique bill
• Write in a pleasant tone, even when funds are late
• Make the fee due date clear, and reiterate the fee phrases they agreed to
• Remind them how they’ll pay, and checklist the fee strategies you supply
• Present clear particulars of the work they’re paying for

As soon as the shopper’s fee is late, you may relaxation straightforward realizing you’ve already supplied your late fee phrases.

3. Ship fee reminders which can be customized and automatic

In the event you’re automating emails, you could fear they’ll come throughout as too stiff or impersonal. However, you may simply have the most effective of each worlds with reminders which can be each customized and automatic, so that they nonetheless take work off your plate. 

Strive an e-mail system or automation software program that allows you to incorporate your model. With HoneyBook, for instance, you may implement your private e-mail signature and branded headers. 

Once you’re organising your fee reminders, write in your pure voice and tone. Personalization doesn’t should imply each single e-mail is exclusive; it simply means you’re nonetheless including your private contact whereas counting on automation. You need your emails to be assertive and informative, however to nonetheless sound such as you.

In the event you’re nonetheless frightened, you may select to approve your automated reminders earlier than they ship. You’ll get a notification that they’re able to go, providing you with the time to replace them with any particular particulars on your shopper. 

4. Provide a number of fee choices

When your shopper’s fee is due, you wish to make it as straightforward as doable for them to pay. At all times give your shoppers the advantage of the doubt. Everybody has rather a lot happening, so a late fee may simply imply they’re confused about the way to pay. 

Present a seamless on-line fee expertise by providing a number of fee choices, linked immediately out of your on-line bill. With a fee processor that features bill templates, you may supply bank card and debit card funds in addition to ACH fee processing. 

In case your shoppers have to trace down their checkbooks or pay through money, you’re extra prone to take care of an impressive bill. 

5. Strive a cellphone name

If emails aren’t working, it’s time to choose up the cellphone. Generally, a two-minute cellphone name is all it takes to get a fee subject resolved. They might haven’t checked their emails, or maybe they went on trip and forgot to set an autoresponder.

When calling your shopper:

• Introduce your self (if wanted)
• Say that you just’re calling a few late fee
• Converse clearly and professionally
• Give your shopper the advantage of the doubt
• Be well mannered (even when your shopper isn’t)
• Summarize what was agreed to within the contract earlier than hanging up

Attempt to keep away from asking why the fee is late. You may supply to supply any extra data wanted to make the fee occur.

6. Bear in mind to maintain it well mannered

Understand that your shopper almost certainly isn’t making an attempt to swindle you. Your purpose is to get paid as quickly as doable and transfer ahead along with your undertaking, not sacrifice a shopper relationship. 

Whether or not you’re scheduling automated reminders, hopping on the cellphone, or texting along with your shoppers, keep personable and well mannered. 

You should utilize these fee reminder examples that incorporate skilled but well mannered language. Make sure you additionally incorporate your persona to ensure they sound like your voice. 

7. Check with your contract particulars

In case your shoppers aren’t responding or aren’t working with you to make their fee, it’s time to discuss with your contract particulars. 

Your late fee coverage ought to embody a timeline of late fee charges, curiosity utilized to overdue funds, suspension of providers, and cancellation. 

For example, your late charges may apply after an bill is 7 days overdue. From there, you could droop providers and apply curiosity to the late fee for 30 days. After 30 days, you may reserve the suitable to cancel your shopper’s contract. You may modify this timeline as wanted, however these phrases may also help you defend your corporation. 

As you remind your shoppers to pay, remind them about these late fee phrases as properly. When you hit sure milestones, you’re properly inside your rights to withhold providers, so long as it’s in your on-line contract. 

At this level, you continue to wish to preserve your communications skilled, and easily keep on with the phrases of your contract.

What are you able to do in case your shopper received’t pay you?

You’ll hope that your respectful, cheap, {and professional} e-mail reminders—interspersed with a couple of agency however compelling voicemails—would immediate your shopper to reply in order that issues could possibly be labored out amicably. However hope is neither a method nor an answer. 

Nonetheless, if all of your communication channels are failing to retrieve your shopper’s unpaid debt, you could must take extra formal motion, starting with a debt assortment letter. A debt assortment letter could inform a debtor of their debt, provoke a reimbursement plan, preview impending authorized proceedings, or mix these duties. If the debtor doesn’t reply promptly with full fee of their debt, you may formally start the collections course of, both by doing it your self or by hiring a group company.

Relying on the place you are positioned, you may additionally wish to look into freelance authorized protections accessible to you. The Freelance Is not Free regulation can embody 30-Day Cost Phrases, Cost Settlement Protections, and extra. Find out about your protections and file a grievance with the Freelancers Union advocacy workforce right here: https://freelancersunion.org/advocacy/freelance-isnt-free/

Examples of sort reminders for fee

As talked about above, it’s greatest to ship your shopper a collection of fee reminder messages encouraging them to pay on time quite than ready till the fee is already late.

For instance, you could possibly ship fee reminders:

• One week earlier than fee is due
• On the fee due date
• Two days after fee is due
• One week after fee is due

Listed below are a couple of fee reminder message templates you may ship to your shoppers:

Upcoming fee reminder

Right here’s an instance e-mail despatched one week upfront:

Copy/paste template:

Upcoming fee reminder

Hello [Name],

I hope you’re doing properly! This can be a pleasant reminder that bill [number], totaling [amount due], is due for fee on [Date]—one week from right this moment.

Please be at liberty to contact me you probably have any questions in regards to the bill or fee particulars.

Thanks,

[Name]

Due date fee reminder

If you want to ship a fee reminder on the due date, you’ll wish to embody extra particulars to make it simpler for the shopper to pay you:

Copy/paste template:

Due date reminder

Topic: Cost Reminder: Bill [number] – Due At present

Hello [Name],

Hope you’re doing properly. This can be a reminder that bill [number] is due for fee right this moment, [Date].

To remind you of the small print:

Venture title: [Project name]

Due date: [Date]

Quantity: [amount due]

I’ve reattached the bill on your comfort. Cost will be made by direct deposit, financial institution switch, or examine.

Greatest needs,

[Name]

Late fee reminder

If the fee is late, you should use a extra stern tone whereas nonetheless staying impartial and pleasant. If relevant, you could wish to embody any penalties of late funds.

Copy/paste template:

Late fee reminder

Topic: Cost Reminder: Bill [number] – One Week Overdue

Hello [Name],

As per my e-mail reminders, fee for bill [number], totaling [amount due], is one week overdue. I’ve reattached the bill on your comfort. Cost will be made by direct deposit, financial institution switch, or examine.

Please observe {that a} [percentage or amount] late price shall be utilized if the fee shouldn’t be made inside the subsequent 2 enterprise days.

As all the time, let me know if there’s something I can do to assist!

Greatest needs,

[Name]

As a substitute of remembering the way to remind somebody to pay you, it’s higher to keep away from it altogether. Fortunately, it’s totally doable when you may have the suitable instruments. 

Normally, shoppers overlook to pay you as a result of they overlook the due date, it isn’t straightforward to pay, or they merely aren’t an excellent match anymore. 

Utilizing HoneyBook’s clientflow administration platform, you may all the time make sure you get paid. Use file templates that show you how to consider your leads and guarantee they’re a great match on your providers. From there, ship on-line contracts and invoices in the identical file so shoppers all the time should conform to your fee phrases earlier than signing and paying upfront. 

With branded bill templates, you may all the time embody your undertaking’s fee schedule and apply automated fee reminders for recurring funds.