Making Sure You Get Paid

greenfingers

Hi Guys,


just wondering what steps you can take to make sure you get paid without annoying/pushing away your clients.

I provide a serivce to people I never meet face to face. I would email/talk on the phone and only once in a blue moon meet the client in person.

I can't really look for a deposit because

• Once off service( little repeat custom)
• They probally wouldnt trust me.
• My service might need to change/ be change by client
• Can never give an exact quote because i need to engage other services before final product is completed

Once I have finished i email them the final product and post them the invoice. ( which would be only €350-€700)

I havent got cought out yet but the way things are at the minute ...

Any advice

CamperMan

what service do you provide?

DubTony

My brother uses these guys. They offer quite a few services including bad debt protection. I don't really know how it operates, but they might be worth a look.

http://www.bibbyfinancialservices.com

VO

Outsource your debt collection to a virtual office provider

Lplated

For a start I think you should re consider the deposit question - its not that unusual in the business world, by the way you describe your business it seems like theres a time lag between order and delivery in which case i would see a deposit as natural.

Personally, i don't think a debt collection agency is a good thing, except in the most extreme cases. If some one owes you a debt, call them a few times, send a few (registered) letters, if the still dont pay up, then engage a solicitor (legal debt collection includes the cost of the collection).

If un paid debts become an issue, you might relook at your pricing strategy to ensure the risk of non-payment is included.

Lplated

I missed the obvious - even if you don't want to take a deposit - don't send out the finished product until you've got a set % (or all) of the price in hand.