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Updated September 19, 2022Youβre reading an excerpt from Art For Money, by Michael Ardelean. This small but powerful book helps every creative freelancer know their value and scale their business. Purchase the book to support the author and the ad-free Holloway reading experience. You get instant digital access, commentary and future updates, and a high-quality PDF download.
I once read an account of how Michael Phelps wins so many races. When he wakes up on race day, he does the same things he does every other day.
He eats, does his workout, sits in the sauna listening to a specific playlist on his headphones. He comes out to the pool, does his warmup laps, puts his headphones back on, same playlist.
At some point near the end of this day-long routine, he dives into the pool and wins a swimming race.
For Phelps, a race is not some unique event that exists somewhere in the future and incites anxiety as it approaches. Rather, competingβand winningβare just the final dominos after all of the other dominos have fallen, like they always do. That playlist is just the playlist he listens to before he wins a race.
The same is true of you getting paid.
Getting paid on time is not the result of doing the work or sending the invoice. Getting paid on time is the result of something you did before any of that: you created an agreement with the client.
An agreement is the exact opposite of an expectation. Expectations are vague and unenforceable because they are based on assumptions. Assuming the client understands how bad you need the money. Assuming they have the same definition of βfairβ as you do. Assuming theyβre cool with the payment terms listed in your fine print.
Clients, when they pay late, are usually just doing their job and adhering to the unspoken norm. Often in that world, it is perfectly acceptable to pay late because they know that all their vendors are accustomed to it and will likely take zero action when it happens.
Itβs not malicious; in fact, in many cases, business owners consider it best practice to defer all outgoing payments (not just yours, so this isnβt personal) as long as possible and keep the highest possible amount of cash in the bank at all times. So they might avoid stating their Accounts Payable terms clearly, instead just assuming that everything will be ok when they pay at their own pace.
Understanding this, you must make an agreement with them before any work is done.
A big part of creating this agreement is simply asking for something and giving the client the power to say yes. Itβs like ordering popcorn at a movie theater. Youβre getting stale popcorn unless you ask for fresh popcorn. When you ask for fresh popcorn, you get it, 90% of the time, no questions asked. When this happens, you donβt get mad at the fact that they were originally intending to give you stale popcorn. You understand that stale popcorn is their business model, you just hacked it, and they werenβt even mad about it.
Since youβve already had a fun, upbeat, and friendly conversation with your new client, expressing your respect for their brand and your gratitude for whatever mutual friend told them about you, creating this agreement should go smoothly.
That conversation might sound like:
You: βWhat are your payment terms?β
Them: β30 days.β
You: βGot it. Mine are normally 15, but I can agree to 30 for the 2nd and 3rd invoices, if we can make an exception for invoice #1; I just need that one settled before the work starts.β
Them: βCompany policy prohibits me from authorizing any Net Zero payments, but I could do Net 15 for that first one.β
You: βThanks. If I can make that exception for the first invoice, could you agree to Net 15 for the rest of them as well?β
Them: βSure, we can do that.β
You: βGreat. Much appreciated and Iβll adjust the invoices accordingly. Youβll have the first one in your inbox in a few minutes.β
Make this agreement verbally in person or over the phone, follow it up with an email recap, and add to your invoices a note stating the date that the Net 15 agreement was made, and with whom.
When you make an agreement with your client, paying you late would mean they broke their own agreement. This rarely happens, because most humans like to keep their word. When you have an expectation that a client will read the due date on your invoice and act accordingly, you are most likely getting paid whenever their unspoken internal policy says itβs convenient to pay you. Most likely a lot later than you were hoping. And as many wise people have said, hope is not a strategy.
There are only two things left to do:
Email your invoice on its βdue dateβ (knowing that the agreed βpayment dateβ is 15 days later).
Email a courtesy reminder three days before the βpayment date,β which is the actual due date based on Net 15.
If and when a client doesnβt pay by the agreed date, the artist is no longer involved. Itβs time to bring in the enforcer. The enforcer is not an automated QuickBooks reminder that meekly asks them to βkindly remit.β
The enforcer is your business manager, your bookkeeper, or maybe just you, making good use of the trust and personal report you have established with the client. And the message you are sending is that in order to keep the work flowing and the relationship in good standing, the outstanding amount needs to be settled by this very specific date.
The important thing here is that this message is not a surprise to your client. This isnβt an ambush; this is a mutually expected event. If the enforcerβs message is ignored, the work stops. If a client doesnβt respond favorably to this, and you determine that they are now blatantly breaking a clear agreement they made with you, legal action is next. A letter from your lawyer will usually do the trick, because your contract backs you up. The downside here is that youβll never work with this client again, but that would have happened anyway, because this client did this to themselves.
In most cases, legal action wonβt be necessary. In most cases, youβll get your payment and the relationship will continue beautifully.
You might say, βGee, thanks Michael for the tips on what I should have done, but Iβm already in the middle of a difficult client scenario. Iβve submitted work and Iβm owed money. What can I do now?β Great question.
A very talented and accomplished writer recently said to me: βI know writers who wait for literally years to get paid for work. They canβt afford lawyers, and they donβt want to burn bridges! These industries are small and everyone talks! My invoices say βkindly send payment within 30 days of completion of the project.β What else can normal people do?β
Unfortunately, normal is absolutely the right word for this conundrum. If you have a client who is taking years to pay you, that particular bridge is already burning. Unless the client is in direct violation of an agreement by waiting years to pay, thereβs not much that can be done. You might call them and say, βHey, looks like weβve had an invoice outstanding for 24 months now. I realize we didnβt have an agreement around payment terms; my mistake and Iβll make sure to correct that next time. For now, can you let me know when we can expect to have this settled?β You can do this whether itβs a small business owner or the intern in Accounts Payable at a giant corporation who finally answers your emailβtreat them like a person, and they might show up for you.
In lieu of any real leverage, this is just an appeal to their sense of fairness, which may or may not be effective. You might just have to let it go.
If weβre talking about a quick two-day job with only one payment expected, and youβve already turned over the work and donβt have any leverage left, then your leverage becomes the next job. You delivered great work, on time, and theyβre going to want more of this. When they do, before you accept, call them and explain that due to the unfortunate outcome of the last project, youβll have to make different arrangements for this one.
This call could be intimidating and awkward, but itβs not, because youβre a professional. You have conducted yourself well, you use a nice tone of voice, and you separate the person from the problem.
Itβs not βYou tried to rip me off last time, Sharon!β
Itβs βI understand that those circumstances were likely out of your control and mine, so Iβll just need to collect payment up front this time. Iβll be ready to dive in as soon as payment clears.β
Hereβs a visual example of what your invoice should include:
Important things to note about this example, and incorporate into your own invoices:
Itβs not too difficult to look at. Use a format and font that leave plenty of white space. Tie it aesthetically to your brand, and to the proposal that got you here.
The services are listed, same as on the proposal, and the project name is included. No confusion about what this invoice is for.
Even though this is just the first invoice of three, all three invoice amounts are outlined. This way, anyone who wasnβt involved in the money conversation still has a clear picture of the total amount owed, and knows that there will be two more invoices coming.
Even though youβve made reference to three invoices total, youβve clearly highlighted the specific amount due for this particular invoice (use whatever combination of font size and boldness you choose, and keep it classy).
It includes the name of the person in Accounts Payable who is directly responsible for payment, and the name of the project contact who approved this whole thing to begin with. If any internal confusion arises, these two people can find each other and speak directly.
All bank details are listed: account number, routing number, SWIFT code, Bill.com PNI (Payment Network ID), and even your mailing address. Give them every possible (reasonable) way to pay you, and zero reasons to delay.
The terms are at the bottom in the same size font as everything else. Itβs not screaming but itβs not whispering either. Speak softly and carry a big stick.
The mind is for having ideas, not holding them.David Allen
At some point in your freelance career, youβre going to ask yourself this question: should I start a business?
When it comes to what people call your business and how the IRS will treat it, you have a few options. If you donβt have any partners, youβll likely be choosing between an S Corporation, an LLC, or a sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is just you asking your clients to write checks to you personally (or your parentsβ bank account). This is sometimes also called a DBA, meaning youβre an individual Doing Business As some registered business name.*