5. Send a formal letter of demand If all your attempts to contact them and receive payment have failed – consider sending a letter of demand. Keep in mind this procedure should only be done as a last resort – it has the potential to damage the business relationship established with the customer. Use letter of demand template found at business.vic.gov.au/money-profit-and-accounting/getting-paid-on-time/debt-collection-guidelines-and-recovery

Do some local SEO The best part about Google’s algorithm is that it is designed to serve up the most accurate, high-quality, and relevant content for any given search query. It's not pay to play, so this levels the playing field and enables small businesses to compete with large competitors for page one real estate. Local SEO is free, but it can take some time, so start now and keep working; the benefits over time can be huge. Here are some local SEO must-dos: Add location-ba

4. Try to make direct contact with your customer If there's still no payment or response, consider visiting the customer in person – or phoning them if previous contact has been via email – to ask for payment. This could help facilitate a personal relationship with the customer that could be useful for future payments. Contact script template is available at business.vic.gov.au/money-profit-and-accounting/getting-paid-on-time/debt-collection-guidelines-and-recovery

Don't sleep on LinkedIn LinkedIn is a major social media site that is often under-utilized. Don’t just add network connections and sign out; enter into dialogue with the connections you make, share your blog posts and offers, join and contribute to forums, and share others’ quality content. By enabling other professionals to grow and educating your potential customers, you can build your brand and earn trust and respect in your industry. Also, encourage all your employees to

3. Contact your customer with a final notice When the customer hasn't paid as per the terms of payment – and has missed any extended payment dates again – call or email them to discuss the outstanding invoice and request payment. Use final notice email template from business.vic.gov.au/money-profit-and-accounting/getting-paid-on-time/debt-collection-guidelines-and-recovery as a resource or reference

Use hashtags! Another free marketing tactic that can broaden your reach is to incorporate hashtags into your social media posts—on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for sure but also for Facebook and LinkedIn. Broad or trending hashtags can help you reinforce your brand identity, but they should not be the only hashtags you use. More specific hashtags (sort of like long-tail keywords) are good for when you’re providing resources or advice. Location-based hashtags are a must if y

2. Contact with an overdue payment reminder If the payment remains outstanding – and the customer has missed the next agreed payment date, or there's been no contact at all – give the customer another call, or send another email or letter reminder of the money owing, and request payment. Template available at business.vic.gov.au/money-profit-and-accounting/getting-paid-on-time/debt-collection-guidelines-and-recovery

Tag people (and brands) on social media Tagging your loyal customers, brand evangelists, or even neighboring companies and vendors on social media can broaden the organic reach of your business to a new potential audience, help you grow your following, and potentially even attain more clients. You should also encourage your followers to tag your social media handle or business location in their posts.

1. Contact with a friendly payment reminder When payment first becomes overdue, give your customer a courtesy reminder by phoning, emailing or sending them a letter. Contacting them may be enough to get the invoice paid – they might've forgotten about the bill, paid the money into the wrong bank account, or there could be another minor issue that's easily and quickly resolved. Include payment options, banking details and contact information in the reminder to make it easier f