11 May Getting Paid Now!
How can you ensure that you are getting paid now for your work? You offer services, whether they are creative design, marketing or project referrals.
You consulted with the client and possibly even received a retainer payment at the onset of the work. You established a pattern of e-mail correspondence with the client.
You submit completed work at intervals and have now finished the entire project. You want to be paid. The client who now has your work is not responding to your requests for payment. What can you do to ensure you get paid what you are owed?
Options include calling the client and politely reminding them that payment is due, or sending reminder e-mails asking for payment. This strategy may be effective in some cases, but will not likely result in you being paid by a finicky client.
Instead you need to communicate to the client that it is in their best interests to pay you to maintain the business relationship. They need to know that they will have more to gain if they compensate you for your efforts.
You must speak in terms of value added incentives to anyone with whom you conduct business. This is a requirement for business communications, because people act according their own self interest. You need to demonstrate, in theory why paying you will be a valuable investment for the client. If the client realizes that by paying you they will be a get discount on future work or a referral of business that is of equal or greater value, than the amount you are requesting from them, then it will be in their own interest to pay you.
There you have it. Pitch the client on the option for other clients who will pay them there due and they will want to pay you too! You should have real referrals that have been fully qualified as credible leads and present them as salable deals. If you are successful in proving your long term worth to a client, then the client will see you as business partner, as well as a source of business and want to ensure a continued prosperous business relationship with you.
In summary, the best way to ensure that you get paid is to offer the same option to your clients. If everyone is able to be paid, then the economy will function effectively. Make yourself a part of the fabric of the economical structure and you will reap the rewards of the greater interest of society!