Over at Home Biz Notes, Guest Blogger Jean Murray, has provided some great Tips For Getting Paid. (Jean also blogs at Small Business Boomers and The Thriving Writer).
One of the hats that you take on when you operate your own business is that of collections department. This is an area that many freelancers are uncomfortable with, but in order to succeed you must devise a strategy for getting paid.
Two strategies that I've developed that seem to be effective include:
- Send a professional-looking invoice. Make it as detailed as possible, and send it with your completed work. Too many freelancers rely on casual e-mail requests for payment.
- Inquire about late payments promptly. If a client claims to have sent a payment, but you've haven't received it, then let them know. Decide upon a timeframe after which you will definitely consider a payment late.
Leave a comment and let us know.
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I work with individual clients not businesses. I a) make everyone sign a paper contract and b) insist on having multiple ways to contact my client, including having a mailing address, an e-mail, and at least one phone number, and then I verify them.
People who are planning to default on me usually start balking at the precautions and I just don't work for them. Accidental non-payments happen less often because I can call if I think my invoice got stuck in a spam filter, etc.
Posted by: Kali | April 30, 2008 9:21 AM | Permalink to Comment