[timjahn]

It generally starts with the type of client you're dealing with. There's a type of client that will pay all the time and there's a type of client that will haggle with you every time. The better you get at learning how to spot them, the less trouble you'll have getting paid.

With my new startup matchist (http://matchist.com), we're actually tackling both these problems (finding the clients that will actually pay on time, every time, and guaranteeing that they will). We vet all clients and escrow payment so that you know you will actually get paid when work is complete.