Sample: Getting paid — invoicing and following upSample

When we invoice, how we chase, and when a debt gets escalated instead of chased again.

1. Invoice when the work is delivered, not at month-end

Client manager · 10 min

Bill on delivery while the value is still obvious to the client. A four-week-old invoice for work they have forgotten about is the hardest kind to collect.

2. Make the invoice readable

Client manager · 10 min

Reference the engagement, describe what was delivered in the client's language, and show the period. "Professional services" is not a description.

3. Day 7 — a soft nudge

Admin · 5 min

Automated, friendly, assumes it was missed. Most invoices are paid at this step.

4. Day 21 — a person picks up the phone

Client manager · 15 min

Not another email. A short call to find out whether there is a dispute, a cash-flow problem, or just an inbox problem — because all three need a different response.

5. Day 45 — stop chasing and escalate

Partner · 10 min

Hand it to a partner with the history attached. The decision from here is a payment plan, a write-off, or ceasing work — and only a partner makes it.

Warning: Never threaten to cease work without a partner's approval. It is a contractual decision, not a collections tactic.