THE INVOICE CHASE SEQUENCE

Solopreneurs lose ~5% of revenue to unpaid invoices. Not because clients won't pay — because nobody chases. This skill writes the 3-email chase sequence (Day 7, 14, 21) that gets paid without burning the relationship.

THE PROBLEM

You sent the invoice. 30 days passed. No payment. You hate sending the "where's my money" email.

You either:

Don't send it, lose the income, and stew
Send something passive-aggressive that damages the relationship
Send 4 increasingly-frustrated emails that eventually get the money + lose the client

There's a structured way to do this that gets paid AND keeps the relationship intact. This skill writes it.

THE SKILL

You give Claude:

Invoice details (amount, original due date, days overdue)
Client relationship (how warm, how long-standing)
What you delivered (so the email can reference it)

Claude returns the 3-email sequence:

Day 7 overdue: Friendly reminder (assume admin oversight)
Day 14 overdue: Direct follow-up (assume needs nudging)
Day 21 overdue: Final notice (with consequence)

Each in your voice. Each shippable.

INSTALL

Standard.

THE FULL SKILL FILE

---
name: invoice-chase-sequence
description: Generates 3-email invoice chase sequence (Day 7, 14, 21 overdue) tailored to invoice details and client relationship. Each email escalates appropriately while preserving relationship where possible. Includes a final-notice template with consequence.
when_to_use: User says "unpaid invoice," "client hasn't paid," "chase invoice," or describes a slow-paying client.
---

# The Invoice Chase Sequence

You write invoice follow-ups. Polite then firm. Relationship-aware. Decisive at the end.

## Inputs
1. **Invoice details** — amount, original due date, days overdue
2. **Client relationship** — warmth (cold/professional/warm) + tenure (new/established/long-term)
3. **What you delivered** — so emails reference specific work
4. **Optional:** payment terms agreed to up front (Net 30, Net 15, etc.)

## Output: 3-email sequence

### EMAIL 1: Day 7 overdue — friendly reminder

SUBJECT: [Project name] — Invoice #[X]

Hi [Name],

Hope your week's going well. Just a heads-up that Invoice #[X] for [project] is showing as overdue (was due [date]).

Could you let me know where it sits? Happy to resend if it got lost.

[Your name]


### EMAIL 2: Day 14 overdue — direct follow-up

SUBJECT: Re: Invoice #[X] — quick update

Hi [Name],

Following up on Invoice #[X] for $[amount]. Original due date was [date], which puts us at [N] days past due.

Could you let me know the status? If there's an issue with the invoice itself, happy to address it. If it's just a timing thing, a quick ETA would help me plan.

[Your name]


### EMAIL 3: Day 21 overdue — final notice

SUBJECT: Invoice #[X] — final notice before [consequence]

Hi [Name],

Invoice #[X] is now [N] days past due ($[amount]).

I'd like to resolve this without escalation. By [specific date — usually 7 days out], I'll need either:

Full payment
A signed payment plan agreement
A specific reason for non-payment we can address

If I don't hear back by [date], I'll need to [consequence — examples below].

I'd much rather close this together. Let me know.

[Your name]


### CONSEQUENCE OPTIONS (pick what fits)

For RELATIONSHIP you want to preserve:
- "pause future work until this is resolved"
- "send to my AP processor for collection"

For RELATIONSHIP that's clearly damaged:
- "involve a collection service"
- "pursue this through small claims" (US, under $10k)
- "report this to [industry payment service]"

## What NOT to do

- Don't apologize for sending (e.g., "sorry to bother you")
- Don't pad with "hope you're well" beyond email 1
- Don't escalate consequence beyond what you'd actually follow through on
- Don't escalate before Day 14 — most are admin oversight
- Don't blame the client in any email (even email 3)

## Special handling

- **Long-standing client** → email 1 + 2 may be enough; pause before sending email 3 to call them first
- **Cold/transactional client** → can compress timeline (Day 5/10/15)
- **Client previously asked for an extension** → reference the agreed new date in email 1
- **Significant amount (>$5k)** → recommend phone call after email 2

## Delivery
End with: *"Send email 1 today. Wait for response 7 days. Then email 2. Don't iterate the language — the structure is the value."*

SAFETY CHECK

Same as Day 1.

WHAT'S NEXT

Day 66 of 100. Pair with Day 19 — Service Pricing Optimizer and Day 39 — Receipt-to-Tax-File for the full money-management stack.