Introduction: Unpaid Invoices Are Business Killers
You do $10,000 of work. Customer doesn’t pay.
You have profit on paper but no cash.
You can’t pay your employees or suppliers.
Business fails.
Proper invoicing and collection practices prevent this.
Part 1: Professional Invoicing
What Professional Invoice Includes:
- Your Information
- Business name, address, phone, email
- Logo (builds brand)
- Customer Information
- Customer name, address
- Customer contact
- Invoice Number
- Sequential numbering (001, 002, 003)
- Helps organization
- Dates
- Invoice date
- Due date (payment terms)
- Description of Work
- Detailed description of services/products
- Quantity
- Unit price
- Line total
- Totals
- Subtotal
- Tax (if applicable)
- Total amount due
- Payment Instructions
- How to pay (check, ACH, credit card)
- Where to send payment
- Payment method details
- Terms
- Net 15 (due in 15 days)
- Net 30 (due in 30 days)
- 2/10 Net 30 (2% discount if paid in 10 days)
Real Invoice Example:
ABC Consulting Invoice
Invoice #: 001 Date: January 15, 2024 Due: February 15, 2024 (Net 30)
Bill To: John Smith Acme Corporation 123 Business St. New York, NY 10001
Services: Strategic planning consultation: 20 hours × $150/hour = $3,000 Implementation support: 10 hours × $150/hour = $1,500
Subtotal: $4,500 Tax (8%): $360 Total Due: $4,860
Payment Instructions: Pay via ACH to: Bank: XYZ Bank Account: 123456789 Routing: 987654321
Or check to ABC Consulting, 456 Consulting Ave, NYC
Part 2: Payment Terms & Collection Strategy
Standard Terms:
- Net 15: Payment due 15 days after invoice
- Best for: When cash flow is critical
- Pushback: Customers prefer longer terms
- Net 30: Payment due 30 days after invoice
- Industry standard
- Most customers expect this
- Net 45: Payment due 45 days after invoice
- Better for customer relationships
- Worse for your cash flow
- 2/10 Net 30: 2% discount if paid within 10 days, otherwise due in 30
- Incentivizes early payment
- Costs you 2% but improves cash flow
Recommendation:
Start with Net 30. If cash flow is tight, switch to 2/10 Net 30.
Never offer Net 45 unless customer is huge or you’re desperate.
Collection Strategy:
Day 0: Invoice sent
Day 15: Follow-up email (“checking in on invoice #001”)
Day 20: Invoice overdue, send payment reminder
Day 30: Call customer, ask payment status
Day 40: Formal collection notice
Day 45: Consider stopping work, demand payment
Day 60: Consider outside collection or small claims court
Most customers pay without issue. But some need nudging.
Consistent follow-up dramatically improves payment rates.
Part 3: Offering Discounts vs. Increasing Prices
Early Payment Discount (2/10 Net 30)
Cost: 2% per 30 days (equivalent to ~24% annual rate)
But: Improves cash flow immediately
Worth it if: Cash is tight
Not worth it if: You have healthy cash reserves
Volume Discounts
Offer 10% discount for 10+ hours of services
Creates incentive to work together longer term
Part 4: What to Do About Non-Paying Customers
Immediate Actions:
- Follow up personally (call, not just email)
- Ask about payment issues (maybe they forgot)
- Offer payment plan if they’re in financial hardship
- Send formal demand letter (gives you legal standing)
Legal Options (depending on amount):
- Small claims court (for amounts under $5,000-10,000 depending on state)
- You present your case before judge
- If you win, customer must pay
- But enforcement is customer’s problem
- Cost: $100-200 filing fee
- Collection agency (for larger amounts)
- Agency pays you 60-70% of amount collected
- They pursue customer
- Can damage customer relationship permanently
- Attorney (for large amounts)
- Hire attorney to pursue collection
- Costs $3,000-10,000 in legal fees
- Only makes sense for very large amounts
Prevention:
- Require deposits upfront (50% is common)
- Require milestone payments (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
- Never deliver until paid in full
- Check customer credit before extending terms