It may not be the best business practice in the world, but I've come to accept that some clients will just always pay late, end of discussion. I can fight it all I want, but that's just life. So rather than spending time trying to collect on time and fight them, I focus on business and making more money.
Of course, there is the issue of cash flow, so I always make sure I have enough clients paying on time to keep a positive cash flow. Typically, it's my smaller, more local clients that pay on time. Big corporations are the worst, often taking 90+ days to pay, especially since many of them outsource their payables overseas.
I used to fight it and get worked up over late invoices, but as I've grown, I've learned not to fight it and save my energy and this works well for me now. I still send out monthly past due statements, but that's the extent of the effort I go to.
Matt
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Matt Townley
MST Productions
[Media Services/Duplication/Replication]
http://www.mstproductions.com
