The Client Letter
June 29, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
Sunny 85 degrees
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“Because Jason Leister has compiled the best list of actionable advice for freelancers I have ever read, and if I had known back then what I know now, I would not have wasted countless hours trying desperately to please clients who completely devalued everything my staff and I did for them. This book provides amazing advice about how to become a service provider worthy of earning top dollar.” – Sylvie Fortin (about How to Get Kick As* Clients)
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If you’re not getting paid first, at the commencement of a client engagement, here might be some reasons why not:
- No one in your industry gets paid first.
- You bill for your time. How in the world could you possibly know how much time a client project is going to take before you do it?
- Your clients simply won’t agree to pre-payment.
- You don’t think it’s fair business to get paid 100% of your fee in advance.
- You’re afraid to ask for the money before you do the work.
- You don’t feel like you really deserve it.
- Your client doesn’t trust you enough to pay you 100% in advance.
- Your client’s business procedures state that payment must be made 50% on commencement and 50% on completion.
- You’re afraid you’ll lose the business if you ask for 100% of your fee upfront.
- You’re afraid your client will say, “No.”
All of these, of course, are excuses you sell to yourself.
The only real reason you need for getting paid first is this one:
Because that’s how you do business.