How to follow-up with slow paying clients

Being a freelance or entrepreneurial Aspie/ASD person can be a nerve wracking process requiring dealing with unfamiliar people and unfamiliar situations on a regular basis  If you are freelancing or have a business that you run getting payment can be an excruciating task requiring a lot of time and causing headaches. For those of us on the Spectrum asking for payment can be difficult, waiting for payment can be anxiety provoking and a failure to adhere to the contractual guidelines may cause a meltdown preventing future business with that person.

First off, keep in mind, things do happen in business and not everyone is a cheapskate trying to screw us over. And even if they are a careful, measured response will help when it comes time to escalate the issue (e.g. small claims court).

Erin Russell at Biz 3.0 wrote a very helpful article on how to deal with such a situation.  It offers very useful advice on how to set up and follow through with clients on payment in such a way that you are in a decent place. I suggest that you use it as the basis for a step-by-step guide that you look at when it comes time to deal with money as it will remind you of the necessary tasks and point you to your previously created resources (e.g. follow-up & termination of service letters).

As an adjunct to that keep up on your state/municipality laws on small claims court and see if someone has created a how to for your specific state.

Update: Link to the Consumerist's Guide to small claims court:
http://consumerist.com/2007/03/how-to-take-your-case-to-small-claims-court.html

Tips for freelancers

One of my favorite blog sites for social media has some general tips for freelancers looking to use Social Media to increase business. For those of us on the ASD Spectrum, Social Media presents a way to socialize without actually speaking directly to others... at first at least. Check it out: http://www.theundercoverrecruiter.com/content/top-4-ways-freelancers-can-market-their-services-through-social-media