Cash collection before it becomes a crisis
How do I stop being owed money without becoming the difficult supplier?
Collection is a system you set up before the invoice exists: terms agreed in writing, an invoice sent the day the work is accepted, a fixed reminder sequence, and one person who checks the ageing weekly. Companies rarely die from bad pricing. They die from good revenue that arrives too late.
Set it up before you need it
- ·Payment terms in the written agreement, in days, with what happens after.
- ·A deposit on anything above a threshold you can afford to lose.
- ·The invoice goes out the same day the work is accepted, not at month end.
- ·One named person owns collection. If that is you, own it visibly.
A reminder sequence, not a mood
- 01Three days before due: a short courtesy note with the invoice attached.
- 02On the day: a factual reminder.
- 03Seven days late: a direct message naming the amount and asking for a payment date.
- 04Twenty-one days late: pause further work, in writing, politely, with a route to resume.
Say it plainly
The most effective collection message is short, unemotional and specific: amount, invoice number, days past terms, and a single question — when will this be paid? Apology and elaboration both weaken it.
Chasing is a symptom. The cure is the terms, the timing and the weekly ageing check.
Do this next
- List every unpaid invoice with days past terms and total the 30-plus bucket.20 minutes
- Send one direct message on the single largest overdue balance today.10 minutes
- Add payment terms and a deposit clause to your standard agreement.45 minutes
- Put a 15-minute weekly ageing check in the calendar.2 minutes
Avoid
- —Waiting for month end to invoice.
- —Softening the message until the ask disappears.
- —Continuing delivery for a customer 30 days past terms without a payment date.
“Which overdue invoice should I chase first, and draft the message for my approval.”
Ask Aury thisLast edited 2026-08-18