Payment Nightmare: Should Contractors Require a Deposit Before Starting a Job?

I recently had a job where the customer tried to pay in various formats and payment was never able to go through. I ended up leaving and hoping they would pay at a later date. Thankfully they did pay a few days later. How do others go about this potential issue? 

I have thought it may be a good idea to require a small deposit to make sure payment is able to be made before the job is started.