Getting paid in 10 easy steps

Your invoice checklist.

1. Know your worth. Set your rates right from the outset so that when you do get paid, it compensates you and sets you up for success.
2. Be clear with your payment terms. Opt for short timeframes and break up large projects into small instalments. It's best to get a deposit before work commences, and be clear from the outset as to the formats and number of revisions allowed etc. Any additional fees should also be included as reference.
3. Make it look good. Use your creative vibes in all your client touchpoints, including this one. People do appreciate the effort.
4. Send it quickly. Don't just send invoices at the end of the month, even better know when your clients have their payment cycle. Ultimately though try and send the invoices as promptly as possible so it's fresh in their minds what they are paying for. It's also a good idea to always check who the right person is to actually send the invoice to, it might not be your primary contact for the work itself.
5. Make payments easy with multiple payment options. Think PayPal, Stripe, Square, and direct deposit. You can even resort to carrying a card reader with you if you are regularly having face to face meetings with clients.
6. Protect your IP until final payment. Use watermarks and disable downloads on your final deliverables where possible until the money has actually hit your account.
7. Reward early and on time payments. This might be in the form of an early bird discount or a handwritten note (that can still be sent electronically) upon payment.
8. Automate. You need to find a process that allows you to get organised and easily track who has and hasn't paid what. Most of you would be using Xero, MYOB or Wave to help with your accounting, who all in turn have great tips for getting paid on time. With any of these tools you can set up auto-creation of recurring invoices, automatic payment reminders, and provide integrated payment options. There are also some great tips on how to approach your automation in one of our previous blog posts.
9. Follow through on missed payments. You will need to use your full artillery here, emails, phone calls, and even formal notices when required. Again this needs to happen promptly and a lot of the steps can be built into your automated process.
10. Enforce additional fees. Even for your regular clients, if there are extra revisions, different formats required, or even just late fees. Business is business and that means exchanging money for ALL services provided.