Poor invoicing can be damaging to your cash flow and ultimately to your business. What can you do to ensure that you avoid unpaid debts from your clients?

Make sure you understand what your client needs to ensure you get paid on time:

Who should your invoice go to?

What address should your invoice be sent to?

What detail in terms of description of the service is required?

Does your client need you to obtain a purchase order and quote the number on the invoice?

Is it clear who the client should make the payment to?

If the client pays electronically, do you quote the necessary bank details on the invoice?

Are your agreed payment terms specified on the invoice?

If you are VAT registered do your invoices comply with the regulations?

Managing your invoice process:

Are you invoicing as soon as possible rather than waiting until the end of the month?

On longer projects are you invoicing in advance or along the way rather than at the conclusion of the work?

Do you keep your clients informed along the way so that the amount you invoice isn’t a nasty surprise for them?

Do you call your client shortly after you have sent your invoice to check that they have received and approved it?

Following these simple steps and being as professional about your invoicing as you are about your creative work should make sure that your invoices are working for you.