How do you politely dismiss delinquent clients?

I would try to implement a new process. We charge our cleanings after the clean.  We do not take on any clients without a credit card on file and if they do not pay within 3 days we charge their cards.  For the current ones I would just email the invoice out of jobber asking for payment - if they do not pay send it a letter that you will be sending it to collection. Usually pay up at this notice.  Cash flow is king. 

I personally pay for a lawn service company for my house and the way they handle their billing is a way I’ve never seen before. It’s so simple yet so genius. 

They invoice the customer for the full month. The customer pays the invoice, they schedule their services weekly or biweekly as normal through that month. The next month, they invoice again. If the customer doesn’t pay, they don’t get scheduled out for that month. If the do pay, then business per usual, their services get scheduled for that month. 

I wanted to put that in here just in case! I’ve never seen it before until I began working with them. I think it’s pretty straightforward. Send out the invoice, receive payment, schedule services. Don’t receive payment, don’t schedule services.

I've implemented a policy that states if you are late three times, we require a deposit equal to one month's invoice. This gives clients slack if they forgot to update their new card or having a tough month. I process payments on the last day of the month for that month's service. Any clients who are late do not receive service until their bill is paid. The bulk of my billing is automatic payment, and I do have some older clients who use checks. This policy would work for either.

We introduced seasonal service agreements that require full payment upfront before starting the services. This approach not only helped us identify clients who might struggle with payments, but it also significantly reduced the time spent on administration. No more follow-ups, phone calls, emails, or even house visits—just a smoother process all around!

To address your question, I always made it a point to either call or visit clients in person. As the bookkeeper, I know that an in-person meeting may not be part of your role, but sometimes these conversations can lead to quick resolutions or payment arrangements.

For our residential clients, lawn mowing is often seen as a luxury (although there are exceptions like seniors, short-term rentals, or vacant properties). Most of our clients are capable of maintaining their own lawns, so when finances get tight, lawn care services are usually among the first payments to be missed.

As I mentioned earlier, consider implementing a “Pay upfront to join our roster” policy. This way, you can put any payment concerns behind you!

Hey NConway, this sounds like such a tricky spot to be in. It makes total sense that you'd want to set firmer boundaries going into the next season, especially if you're finding it's the same clients each time. 

I came across this article that might help with the communication side of things: How to Fire a Client . It also includes examples of what to say in emails or calls, in case that's also helpful! 

I'm really interested to hear how others here have handled this too

If you have an off season send them a quote for next year with an increased price and require a deposit for the first service.  Let them know that a credit card must be on file for automatic processing for the season, if the credit card does not process take them off the schedule.  A lot of landscaping companies are moving to pre-paid monthly services, it may be in your best interest to enforce it with those particular customers, if they aren't in agreement they will cancel on their own. 

Just a professional email that basically says, “You’re a bad client, go hire someone else.” Lol Don’t agonize over it. As soon as you send it and close out their accounts your brain will move right on past it and you won’t think about it anymore. Just send the email (ask Chat GPT to write it if you want) and move on. 

We had a similar issue (I'm also A/R) and we started to implement payment up front for these types of clients. So instead of our usual payment terms, upon booking we take a deposit for the full amount & Keep CC on file incase of additional expenses (parts used). We simply tell the customer upon booking that this is new and going forward they are being billed for the service upon scheduling. Jobber autopay with a CC on file is also very helpful for this. You still get some declined cards you have to chase, but if it gets to that we send them to collections for them to chase, they normally don't come back for service after being sent to collections. 

You don't have to send a big message. Depending on the relationship, a simple text message will do:

Hi Jane,

Just wanted to let you know that we won't be able to continue servicing your property. We appreciate your business until now and wish you all the best.

Thanks,

Conrad

Just remember you don't owe customers anything. Keep emotions out of it - it's business. You have every right to leave them and move on, just as they may do to you. 

We changed our process to protect our cashflow and set the tone from the start. All new lawn service customers must pay upfront for the first service (deposit), then we are very clear that following work will be invoiced upon completion and is due on receipt. 

We're moving more towards requiring credit card on file/automatic payment. Some prefer to pre-pay a lump sum which works well. I like the idea of invoicing the month in advance as well. 

Basically if something is your business isn't working, you need to change it and make it work for you. If someone is continually paying late, remove the option for them to pay late - require credit card on file. We've done this to quite a few people, and it turns out they appreciate it because it's one less payment they need to worry about and they were legitimately very busy and just forgot to pay our invoices in time. Keep removing payment options until you're sure that you'll get paid with minimum effort.