There are fewer people seeking the service of architects because the typical ghana-man

would rather look for cheap ways to build than hire an architect. And even the few who hire
architects, most of them get cold feet when it comes to payment. It could be due to the fact
that things are a bit hard on the average ghanaian or the obvious fact that they simply do not
want to pay.
The following are my opinion on how to satisfy our clients and also get paid in the process;

1. Switch to a retainer-based model

The Company could switch to a retainer-based model, in which a client pays the same
amount every month until full payment is made. This would make the payment process less
burdened and very much painless.

By this, the company could provide an option where clients could link their bank account to
the company’s and set up recurring billing once a month till payment is done

2. Intensive education of clients.

Right before we start any project, we should educate our clients on what we are giving them
and the amount of work involved. We should also lay down our billing method(s), giving them
a variety of options available so they choose which one they are more convenient with.

3. Payment of commitment.
We must ensure that, certain percentage of the total bill for the project is paid as
commitment before we even begin to develop working drawings.

One advantage is that, when the client is due to make the second part of the payment after
the work is done, the amount wouldn't be too bulky for them.

Moreover, it can help filter out clients who have no plans to commit, hence saving us a great
deal of time.

4. Don’t deliver the work until we are paid.

Holding our projects for ransom isn’t the best route to take especially when we are trying to
build a fruitful company-client relationship. But, if a particular client has failed to pay once or
twice before, it’s a totally warranted tactic.

When the project is finished, we should let the clients know the work is ready, give them a
preview to prove it, and then shoot over an invoice. If they really need the finished project,
they’ll be sure to pay and collect it.

5. Get a neutral person to act as an accountant.

We should get a neutral person who takes care of invoices and collecting payments. Wa
feels like a small town and the executive already have relationships of some sort with most
of the clients. By this, it sometimes make it difficult to charge them not to talk of collecting
money from them. So getting a neutral and independent person or body to take care of that
will take off that burden.
 6. Have a Collections Policy
When all the above fail to get a client to pay, we should have to ask an attorney to send
them a letter. And ofcourse, we would be very cautious with these tactics because we
wouldn't want to damage the relationship of a favorable client who is just absent minded.