Although being a freelancer and working from home can be very rewarding. However, it is not always easy for a number of reasons, the main one being that getting paid isn’t always as simple as it should be.
If you’re having issues with clients who take forever to pay, clients who try to avoid paying the full amount, and people who don’t pay you at all, here are some tips that might turn things around for you:
Be Professional
Having a good reputation as a professional graphic designer, copywriter or translator, for example, is likely not only likely to attract better clients in the first place, but it is also more likely to see you getting paid on time. Why? Because clients will prioritize your invoice if you do a good job and behave in a friendly professional manner. If you’re rude, miss deadlines or produce bad work, that invoice is doing to find its way to the bottom of the pile pretty quickly.
Screen Your Clients
It can be tempting to accept any offers of work that come your way, especially when you’ve just started working from home, but this is rarely a good idea. If you at least research prospective clients on sites like https://www.bbb.org/ before you sign anything, you’ll be able to find out if they pay up on time or if they treat freelancers badly, and decline their offer. It’s better to turn down work than waste your time on a project that never pays off.
Bill in Advance
If you have a good reputation and lots of references or recommendations, clients who intend to pay you should have no problem giving paying you at least 50 percent upfront. You might think it’s rude to ask for payment upfront, but it really isn’t, and it will ensure that you get paid at least some of the money you’re owed in a timely manner.
Offer Plenty of Payment Options
The more payment options you offer your clients, the more likely it is you’ll get paid quickly. So, offer to accept Paypal, bank transfer and even check payments. You can always find a local check cashing place at 24hourcheckcashingstores.com if you need the money in a hurry. Just make sure that your clients know all of the options when you send your invoice.
Invoice Promptly
Speaking of invoices, it’s important that you invoice straight after finishing a job or on the exact day that the client has asked you to do so. They have cash flow issues of their own, and if you miss the deadline for payments, they may not actually be able to deal with your invoice until the next pay period.
Stop Working
If a client fails to pay you and there isn’t a good reason (like you missing the invoice date) stop working for them! If they haven’t paid you now, there’s no guarantee there ever will. Focus on other jobs until the matter is resolved and you’ll be putting your time to better use than you would be trying to chase up payment and doing work that might not even pay.