To make an earnest request with desire is one definition of invoke and another is to petition for support. Its interesting that the word has both a positive and negative connotation for me as a freelancer.
Sending an invoice is the natural close to a project, or at least I think it should be and in many cases it is the happy path. The happy path being – get gig, complete gig, send invoice, get paid, and sometimes the less happy path – get gig, complete gig, send invoice, send reminder, get paid aren’t all that bad. The happy and the less happy path’s are where I generally like my clients to fall and its a more positive, less stressful experience for me to make an earnest request for payment.
It is the painful path that leads me to the negative connotation in the definition of invoke, simply petitioning relentlessly for support from my client to pay the invoice. The painful path being – get gig, complete gig, send invoice, send reminder, call reminder, send another reminder, and hope to get paid all makes me wish that I had someone else to perform the collection process. It also gets in the way of me being fully productive with other non-administrative work that gets me back to the happy path. It just puts me in an overall grumpy mood.
Client relationships and reputation are important to any freelancer. For me, it means continued work from clients I enjoy and new work from referrals. So, finding a balance in timing my invoices and collecting on them can be tricky, sometimes awkward or uncomfortable, and one of my least favorite daily tasks to tackle.
We have all had those clients where the due date has passed and we’re left with the nagging question of the best way to motivate them to pay – especially when they aren’t responsive and your email or voice mail seems to get lost in a black hole. Several questions enter my mind, i.e., are they happy with my work, are they too busy to respond, are they out of town, did they receive the invoice, and my least favorite assumption, can they afford to pay me?
Sending an overdue payment reminder email or making a collection phone call its not the part of freelancing I look forward to. I wish someone else would do it for me or, better yet I wish the client would just make the payment. That being said, doing it is a necessary part of being a professional and successful freelancer.
I’ve found that waiting 30-days after my payment terms due date isn’t enough. I’ve had more success following up two weeks after payment terms and providing a simple reminder as a reply to my first invoice sent. Changing your subject line to include “Payment Overdue” may be enough to prompt the client to open it and take action. In many cases, it can be a simple oversight – people are busy.
I’ll usually wait another week before sending a follow up to my follow up and simply ask if they have any concerns on the invoice or questions about the work that need to be addressed. This tactic will certainly pick up a few more payments and then on those more resistant to tactic one or two, I will reach out by email and phone. And, in cases where payments are approaching two months overdue, I’ll schedule time to visit the client at their location, will send a copy of the contract and follow with a call to remind them of the payment terms.
The last and final tactic is my least favorite and I’m less excited to do follow-on projects for these clients. Securing a contract up-front will helps me through the process and gives me some leverage if things go south. The reality of the matter is that my fixed expenses and variable income requires me to be timely with invoicing and efficiently tracking payments. Maintaining a professional demeanor through the process has helped me keep a level head and gets me paid. After all this is business it is nothing personal. Sending the invoice can sometimes be like leading a horse to water – it won’t always make them drink, but, reminding them will sometimes do the trick.
