中债估值 收益率
An unfortunate problem with working for yourself is dealing with clients who are unable or unwilling to pay for your work. While it’s impossible to become immune to non-payment, you can position yourself to be more likely to get paid and less likely to have to collect on bad debts.
为自己工作的一个不幸问题是与无法或不愿为您的工作付费的客户打交道。 虽然不可能免于未付款项，但您可以将自己定位为更有可能得到付款，而不必为坏账而收款。
Prevention
预防
Some things you can do to put yourself in a more favorable position include using a contract and checking the client out before doing business with them. There are a number of reasons to use contracts, one of which is to help ensure you get paid. Your contract should:
为了使自己处于更有利的位置，您可以做一些事情，包括使用合同和与客户进行业务往来之前先检查客户。 使用合同有多种原因，其中之一是帮助确保您获得付款。 您的合同应：
Clarify payment terms 明确付款条件 Outline non-payment penalties 概述不付款罚款 Identify your invoicing schedule and methods of payment accepted 确定您的开票时间表和接受的付款方式 Explain payment due dates 说明付款到期日Be sure you explain the vital sections of your contract and take time to answers any questions or concerns the client has. This will help get you on the same page in terms of payment and there will be less chance of big surprises later.
确保您解释了合同的重要部分，并花时间回答客户的任何问题或疑虑。 这样一来，您在付款方面就可以保持在同一页面上，以后出现大惊喜的机会就更少了。
Pay attention to signals or potential red flags when it comes time to enter into an agreement with a new client. Do they seem non-committal when you discuss payment? Are they unwilling to sign your contract? Listen to your gut.
与新客户达成协议时，请注意信号或潜在的危险信号。 在您讨论付款时，他们似乎不置可否吗？ 他们不愿意签署您的合同吗？ 听你的直觉。
You may also want to check out the client’s credit in a more formal way before doing business with them. You can sign up for credit reporting services, such as Experian Business Credit Risk, and get vital business information to help you make an informed decision about the risk involved with the client. For as little as $15/month you can see a report detailing:
您可能还希望以更正式的方式查看客户的信用，然后再与他们进行业务往来。 您可以注册信用报告服务，例如Experian Business Credit Risk ，并获取重要的业务信息，以帮助您对与客户有关的风险做出明智的决定。 每月低至$ 15，您可以看到详细的报告：
Contact information 联系信息 Sales figures 销售数据 Credit summary 信用汇总 Fictitious business names 虚拟企业名称 Payment and collections history 付款和收款历史How to Collect On Your Own
如何自行收集
If you are not getting paid for the work you’ve done, your first step is to attempt to get payment yourself. You can do this by:
如果您没有为完成的工作获得报酬，那么第一步就是尝试自己获得报酬。 您可以通过以下方式做到这一点：
Regularly following up 定期跟进 Sending certified letters 发送认证信 Making calls 打电话 Charging late fees outlined in your contract 收取合同中概述的滞纳金 Resending the invoice 重新发送发票The best case for non-payment is that you will have a discussion directly with the client, they will acknowledge the debt and agree to pay. It may be a situation of financial hardship, and you may want to consider allowing the client to pay on a mutually agreeable payment plan. In most cases, you will be able to reach some kind of agreement with the client as most clients want to pay, they may just be unable. However, I would suggest you cease all work while you are negotiating payment on an unpaid account.
最好的不付款方式是您将与客户直接进行讨论，他们将确认债务并同意付款。 这可能是财务困难的情况，您可能要考虑允许客户按照双方同意的付款计划付款。 在大多数情况下，您将能够与大多数客户想付款的客户达成某种协议，他们可能只是无法做到。 但是，我建议您在协商未付款帐户的付款时停止所有工作。
Third-Party Debt Collection
第三方收债
If you are not successful collecting on your own and the amount of the debt makes it worth your time, energy and expense, it’s time to look into debt collection. Here are some ways of collecting that you can consider:
如果您自己无法成功进行收款，而债务总额使您值得花费时间，精力和费用，那么该是时候进行债务追收了。 您可以考虑以下几种收集方式：
Have a Third-Party Make Contact – This can be another representative from your company, an investigator, or someone else who can express the severity of the situation to entice action. 建立第三方联系–这可以是您公司的另一位代表，调查员或其他可以表达情况严重性以诱使采取行动的人。 Hire an Attorney – Sometimes just the threat of legal action in the form of a letter from an attorney will be enough to generate payment. 聘请律师-有时，仅以律师的信形式对法律诉讼的威胁就足以产生付款。 Hire a Collection Agency – If the debt is significant enough, this may a good option for getting payment. Keep in mind that there are all kind of collection agencies, and you’ll want to choose one that uses tactics you agree with. 雇用收债公司-如果债务足够多，这可能是获得付款的不错选择。 请记住，有各种各样的收款公司，您将要选择一种使用您同意的策略的收款公司。Have you faced non-payment by a client? What did you do to collect?
您是否面临客户未付款的问题？ 你做了什么收集？
Image credit: Steve Woods
图片来源： 史蒂夫·伍兹(Steve Woods)
翻译自: https://www.sitepoint.com/debt-collecting/
中债估值 收益率
