As a freelancer or a business person, requesting payments is one of your job’s most tasking and nerve-wracking parts. This is especially true if you’ve sent multiple payment reminder emails and the client has failed to meet their end of the bargain.
This article isn’t for you if a client is prompt with their payments when they receive invoices. If you send these kinds of clients payment reminder emails, while your clients are prompt with their payments, they may interpret it wrongly, and it could negatively affect your relationship with them. This article is for those clients that receive invoices and do not honor it.
Statistics shows that 30% of invoices are not paid within the agreed terms. As a small business owner or a freelancer, this could be detrimental to your business.
If you’ve been sending payment reminder emails and your invoice still doesn’t get paid or is delayed, you may want to try a new strategy. With this strategy, instead of sending reminder emails after the due date has passed, you should create a sequence of emails to send to the clients even before the due date.
In this article, we’ll look at everything you need to know about payment reminder emails and include various samples of reminder emails to be sent in various stages of the reminder process.
Before getting into that, let’s discuss the important things you need to know before sending emails to remind your clients about payments.
Important Checklist before Sending Payment Reminders
Before sending payment reminder emails, make sure all your base is covered, and you’re not making any mistake that’s leading to your invoice not getting paid.
Here are some important points to note to ensure your payment reminder emails receive a response.
1. Ensure Your Client Received the Invoice
This may seem unnecessary, but you’d be surprised how often emails bounce or just remain in drafts or outboxes. Before emailing a client reminding them of an invoice, you must first send the invoice.
Also, use your client’s preferred medium. While email is the first choice for most professionals, if your client isn’t big on email communications, find their preferred medium and send the invoice there. Whichever medium you choose, you must keep a detailed record.
If you’re unsure whether or not your client received your invoice, you could simply ask. Here are some simple ways to ask if a client received your invoice.
“I’m sending this email to confirm if you received the invoice that was sent on (date). If no, please let us know.”
“Just touching base to find out if you received the invoice that was sent on (date). Please let me know if you did.”
“Reaching out to confirm if you received the invoice that was sent on (date). Please reach out to me if you have any questions.”
How to Write Payment Received Emails: Samples Included
2. Provide Your Clients with Options and Accurate Information
Before sending an invoice, ensure you check the information with a fine tooth comb. Do not make any mistakes in your payment information, as this could lead to many problems.
Also, if you’re not sure of your client’s preferred payment method, it doesn’t hurt to include alternatives, meeting your clients where they are.
3. Do Not Jump Into Conclusion
When a client misses a payment or doesn’t respond to your invoice past the due date, do not automatically assume the worst. Give your clients the benefit of the doubt, as they may have encountered some issues.
That said, do not badger your clients with calls and emails immediately after payment is missed. Give it a couple of days before you send your next email. This proves to the client that you’re emphatic and aren’t money driven.
If a client is fond of delaying payments, you may want to try other payment methods, like having the money in escrow or insisting on a percentage beforehand.
4. Be Firm and Polite
When sending payment reminder emails, you may be tempted to be passive-aggressive. Or to vividly express your disappointment in your email. While these are natural reactions, they shouldn’t be expressed in your email. Your email should be firm and must express the facts as they are, not how they’re perceived.
5. Know When to Send Your Emails
Most business owners don’t check their emails over the weekend, so if you send your payment reminder email during the weekend, there’s a chance it’s going to go unread. So, to ensure you maximize the chance of your email being read, you should endeavor to send them at appropriate hours.
How to Write a Payment Reminder Email
In this section of this article, we’re going to list a step-by-step guide to help you with the best reminder emails.
Payment reminder emails generally have three segments:
- Subject line
- Body
- Closing
1. The Subject Line
This is one of the most important parts of your email as it dictates, in most cases, if your email is going to be opened or not. To maximize the open rate of your letters, you need to ensure it’s concise, clear and explains what the email is about.
If you’re reminding the client of a payment that’s well overdue, you should include an action word in the subject of your email. An example of these words are IMPORTANT, URGENT, etc.
How to Request for the Payment of an Overdue Invoice via Email
2. The Body
Be personal in the greeting to the client. If you’re using a template, ensure to use the client’s name, such as “Dear Linda,” If you’re emailing a company and you’re unsure who’s reading the email, you can address it with the company’s name. Whichever option you choose, ensure no to greet the recipient with “To Whom It May Concern,”
The golden rule when writing the body of a payment reminder email is to go straight to the point. State your facts in the body and provide the necessary information. Doesn’t matter if you’re sending the first payment reminder email or the 10th (hopefully not), always include a copy of the invoice.
3. Closing
When closing your email, thank the recipient for their time and state that you’d appreciate it if they got back to you as soon as possible. After this, include a closing salutation and sign your name.
Payment Reminder Email Samples
In this section of this article, we’ll look at how to write payment reminder emails for various intervals to help you craft the perfect reminder email before, during, and after the due date lapses.
Payment Reminder Before Due Date Sample
You don’t have to wait until the due date before sending your invoice to your clients. The due date is when they’re supposed to pay and not when you’re supposed to send in the letter.
Subject: Woculus Invoice 003 Hi Jason, I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing this email on behalf of OG limited as a reminder that invoice 003 is due on the 7th of October and is $700.00. I would appreciate it if you acknowledged this email. Please let me know if you need any further information. Invoice 003 - $700 Best Regards, Samuel Levi
Payment Reminder Email Some Days After Due Date
Subject: Woculus Invoice 003 Hi Jason, I hope this email finds you well. I’m sending this email to follow up on Invoice 003 as we are yet to receive payment. Please be reminded that the invoice was due two days ago. I would appreciate it if you could let me know when to receive payment. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Best Regards, Samuel Levi.
Payment Reminder Email 1 Week After Due
Subject: Invoice 003 Hi Jason, I hope you’re well. I’m sending this email as regards the overdue invoice. Invoice 003 was due over a week ago and we have had no contact from your team concerning when to expect payment. Please treat this matter urgently and let us know when payment will be made. If there are any hindering payments from our end, please let us know. Best Regards, Samuel Levi
Conclusion
When sending payment reminder emails, you must make sure you give your client the benefit of the doubt. Even when the invoice goes unpaid for days, you should veer off the path of professionalism. Do not use any uncouth language or disrespect your client.
