What’s on the iPod: Call Girl Blues by Diamond Rug
Snow. I love it. Good thing, because late Wednesday night after we’d gone to bed, it started coming down. By morning, we had over 6 inches in the driveway and it just kept coming down. I’m writing this ahead of time should the power decide to abandon us again, so the snow totals, expected to be upwards of a foot are yet unknown.
Because of last week’s electric deficiency, I hadn’t prepared the Free Advice Friday post. I had a feeling the power would cut out, but who knew it would be four days later before the lights came on? I’m taking no chances this time. Our snow is expected to turn into sleet by noon before changing back to heavy snow. That sounds like a bad, bad combination.
Today’s Free Advice Friday: Getting Clients to Pay
One of the questions most writers struggle with, at any career level, is “How do I get clients to pay?” It’s not a new question — I wrote an article for Writer’s Digest back in 1997 on that very topic. As long as there have been freelance writers, there have been clients looking to skip out on payment. The reasons can be justifiable, but more often than not, they just don’t want to pay. Here are a few reasons why you might have a client refuse or avoid payment:
- Their budget disappeared
- The project got dropped/they decided not to use what you wrote
- Your contact person left the company
- Their friend/spouse/uncle/cousin has decided you’re not a very good writer
- They’re having financial difficulties
- Your invoice is low on the list of priorities
- They forgot
- They suddenly decided they don’t like what you wrote
- They’re now looking for something else and don’t think they owe you for work they’re not using
- They never intended to pay
There are plenty more reasons, but this gives you an idea of what you’re up against. For some of those reasons, such as them not intending to pay you, you can build some protection into the arrangement that makes it a little easier to extract payment.
Contract up. If you’ve not worked with them before, that’s absolutely essential. If you have, make sure you have at least an emailed agreement of project scope and price and ask them to confirm it. It’s much easier to get them to pay if you’ve formalized it. Also, it’s a psychological edge — they’re committing to the project by signing, which means you’re now partners. For more on what should go into your contract, read
Cathy Miller’s guest post here.
State your payment terms explicitly. Not just how much you charge, but that payment is due even if the client decides not to use what you write. If you have it in a contract and if you explain it in email and they agree, there will be fewer questions later.
Get a deposit. Especially with new clients, you should be getting at least one-third of the fee upfront — ideally, shoot for half. Again, it creates a psychological commitment, plus it gives you some compensation should the contact leave, the project get dropped, or any of the other issues that can come up at payment time.
State specific project end dates. I made this mistake early on — I stated that the payment was due at the end of the project. Only, I hadn’t defined when that was. With one client, I waited nearly 18 months for payment as he kept coming back for minor edits. Use your better judgment, but it’s good policy to allow them two weeks to respond with any revisions before you send the final invoice.
Clearly define late fees. Just try collecting a late fee if you’ve not put it in your contract. On the few occasions I’ve had to charge one, I’ve never collected it until it went into the contract. For me, the goal was to get the original amount owed, but why shouldn’t you be compensated for having to waste time chasing the payment?
So now that you’ve beefed up the contract language, let’s deal with one more way to get the payment that’s due you. We’re going to create an invoicing system. A simple one would be:
Decide on due dates. Are you giving them 30 days to pay or 15 days? Make sure it’s spelled out, and you can do what I do — I point them to that particular section of the contract so that they understand there’s an expected timeline and a collection process. While it’s true they should be reading contracts thoroughly, you’re not their only contractor, I’d wager, so the extra reminder might be welcome. I usually word it like this: “Just wanted to point out a few key sections of the contract, including the invoicing process. Let me know if you have any questions.”
Send invoices on time. If they have to pay on time, you have to remind them of it on time. Get in the habit of sticking with your process. Should it ever come to something litigious, you have proof of a consistent process, and that looks good in court.
Send a set number of invoices. I wouldn’t allow late fees to just keep piling on with no recourse for collecting. If all you’re doing is adding to what the client owes, you’re not really motivating them to pay what’s turning into a really large bill. Instead, give them two or three invoices, then kick it up a notch.
Escalate. Three invoices in, your client is clearly not paying. Time to haul out the alternative. My last invoice states “Pay within 10 days to avoid litigation.” Every time I’ve used it, it’s resulted in payment. Beginning writers, don’t be afraid to use it. You’re running a business, not a charity. Offending a client who’s showing no reason to be trusted isn’t costing you anything. And if your client is worth keeping, they’ll apologize, pay up, and not repeat the behavior.
Writers, how do you ensure you get paid for your work? What can you add to the list?
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