Writing Coach Podcast 153 Archives: Pay me now

WCP153 Archives Vol. VIII, Pay me now

Freelancers often ask: How do I get a client to pay an invoice that’s past due? Instead of a how to on chasing payments, today we’re asking and answering a better question: How do you get clients to pay you on time in the first place?

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Freelancers often ask: How do I get a client to pay an invoice that’s past due?

Instead of a how to on chasing payments, today we’re asking and answering a better question: How do you get clients to pay you on time in the first place?

If you’ve had more than one late-paying client in the past few years, following the actions recommended in this episode can shake up the way you approach billing. I share some very practical things you can do straight away to break a cycle of late payments and improve your cash flow.

You may find yourself resistant to invoicing sooner than you currently do. If that’s the case, it’s an indication that you expect clients to pay you late.

Follow my recommendations in this episode for a 90-day experiment to assess what happens when you’re not the one slowing down your own payments.

You can expect these things to happen:

1. You will experience discomfort when it’s time to invoice sooner. That’s what always happens when you step outside the familiar comfort zone. We can expect and anticipate that you’ll come up with some compelling reasons why not to do this. This doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong; it’s something to observe while sending the invoice out.

2. You will have zero pushback or negative response from your clients.

3. You will be paid more quickly by some of your clients.

4. You will establish or deepen your belief and expectation that you deserve to be paid promptly.

Here’s a PDF that goes along with this episode. It recaps the steps I cover in the podcast, plus includes what to include in your invoice and what to do if the client doesn’t pay in 30 days.

MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE

A freelancer’s guide to timely payments PDF (companion for this episode)
WCP Episode 11: Money and negotiation blocks
Modern Journalist Toolkit 2: Getting paid electronically
WCP 144 Archives Vol. V: What’s your (writing) problem?
WCP 148 Archives Vol. VII: Company policies
WCP 141 Decision making for financial growth

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