charging ppl after you have worked freelance -

[darkmoon]

I will be doing freelance work on a semi-formal basis, I will be dealing with complete strangers - if anybody has advice about trusting ppl to pay after the job or finds this a really bad idea, I would be grateful, I want customers to develop belief in me but on the other hand, ppl can be mean about this, I think, and I want to know is half the money in advance is okay too

 

 

only reply if you have had or seen experiences, please, tell me a lil about it, just a sentence or two, cheers

Edited February 7, 2014 by darkmoon

[thefooloftheyear]

As a side to my general business, I do some consulting...I used to basically give it away for free, but decided some years ago that I needed to get paid for it, as it was taking a lot of my already limited free time..

 

Its simple..While you didnt share what type of goods/services you provide, just explain up front to your clients your fee schedule. I dont recommend payment terms with new clients..Once they have been established, then you can set terms. Have the new ones pay at the time of service. Get the credit card app for your smartphone, it cuts into profits(fees), but eliminates the "I dont have it right now" excuses. Give cash discounts.

 

Business is business...Dont be shy about charging what you feel you are worth, especially if the skill/service you provide is unique. Most people will appreciate it, not find it too officious or formal. and not have any issue with it...The ones that do, just let them go-you dont want them anyway...

 

Good Luck

 

TFY

[Taramere]

I ask for a deposit upfront. Perfectly normal in my profession - and I bill regularly so that people know where they stand and aren't suddenly shocked by an enormous bill that will ruin the working relationship. They have to sign terms and conditions at the outset - and those explain how they'll be billed.

 

As far as pro bono work goes, I do that two afternoons a month for voluntary organisations. I don't push my services on the people who come in to see me. They'll often ask about fees and ask for my card. When I give it to them I tell them that they're welcome to contact me but I'll also give them the names of firms that might be more closely located to where they live. Almost without exception, they'll say that they'd rather just fix up an appointment with me.

 

You just have to be clear and transparent about the fees. I've had one or two people bitch slightly about the deposit and about the fact that they have to pay for the service they're getting! As though there's a professional ethic that you shouldn't charge for your service! I'll give a general opinion for free so long as the person isn't cutting into my time too much, but unless somebody is an actual client I'm not insured to advise them - and I just explain that to people.

 

There are some who are really out to get whatever they can for nothing. When you see that, just shake them off quickly. They're not people you're going to want as clients. They'll consume huge chunks of your time, getting payment from them will likely be a problem - and if they do refer you to anybody it will be along the lines of "you won't have to pay!"

[Shepp]

If I know them to an extent then I was happy to just do the work and then drop off the bill.

But strangers - I always used to ask for half upfront (especially because depending on what your doing you need to buy stuff upfront).

 

I can't say I can ever think of many problems I've ever hit with payment for anything for services (but equally, I knew most of the people the work was done for - you cant really not pay someone you live in the same village as).

 

Does depend on the business though (the above example was when I helped my cousin in his fencing business, at the end of the day if someone didn't pay, we'd take the fence down) when I worked selling Xmas Trees, sometimes customers would want them delivered which was fine but we'd ask for 100% payment - was ridiculous to drive all the way out to where they lived to be turned round or told "actually its a bit skinny/short/too tall".

[EasyHeart]

I'm also in the group who asks for partial payment upfront when I'm dealing with people I don't know. I explain that the initial payment is their commitment to the project because I've had people change their mind and stiff me after I do the work. Typically, I'll as for 1/3 upfront, 1/3 when I finish an initial draft and 1/3 when the project is completed to their satisfaction.

 

IME, the most important thing is to agree to a price before you do any work. Most people are pretty honest and don't intend to screw you over (there are exceptions of course!), but no one likes a surprise bill. If you don't talk about price upfront, they may be expecting the project to cost $1000, so when you send them a bill for $20,000, they're gonna be pissed.

 

It never hurts to send a letter of understanding before you do any work, eg "You have hired me to [describe the project] no later than [due date] and agreed to pay me [payment amount] on [identify when payment is due]."

 

Sometimes when you're starting out, it seems awkward to talk about payment when you're just excited to get a customer, but it's a hell of a lot worse to do the work and not get paid. Plus, these people want something from you and they know it's not going to be free. It's mostly a mind-over-matter thing that you have to get used to.

[salparadise]

There are some who are really out to get whatever they can for nothing. When you see that, just shake them off quickly. They're not people you're going to want as clients. They'll consume huge chunks of your time, getting payment from them will likely be a problem

 

I've been freelancing a long time in business to business creative services. You will learn that there are a few categories that all clients fall into. Some are simply not worth the time and aggravation. The ones that are hard to work with are the same ones that will try to avoid signing a contract/agreement, don't want to pay a retainer, and ultimately will try to renegotiate after the fact––holding your money hostage as incentive to reduce your fee. These people will expect you not to bill for meetings or revisions, or any expense that wasn't approved in advance... I could go on and on. It's a personality thing. They aren't happy unless they're getting over on you. Learn to spot them.

 

Then there are the ones who appreciate you, respect your expertise, trust you implicitly, conduct business in a friendly, professional manner. These people never question an invoice and pay on time or early. Once you've established a good relationship with these folks, working with them is truly a pleasure. They are usually relationship oriented and will stick with you for decades, through thick and thin. These are the keepers... the ones you'll never want to disappoint.

 

Businesses have different cultures and you need to understand what is considered customary in your category. I envy those who are able to provide exact quotes and collect at the time of service. In my business it nearly impossible to provide an exact quote since the scope of the work tends to be defined and redefined within the course of a project. Net 30 is the customary term for payment. This means that for new clients the paperwork (contracts, change orders, receipts for expenses) must be in order.

 

If your business is similar then you must get signed contracts and a retainer for new business. If your work is for short-term engagement, easy to define and fees can be collected upon delivery of service, then do so. Use an order form (signed at the time they engage you), collect a retainer (33 to 50%), and be sure that "payable in full upon delivery" or similar is clearly stated on the order. The order form is a simple fee for services agreement. Either that or a full contract is appropriate no matter what type of freelancing you're doing. The retainer protects against them putting you to work and then changing their mind or disappearing altogether.

[TaraMaiden]

as a Dog behaviourist, I don't get many repeat clients; at the risk of sounding big-headed, if people follow my advice, the problem is remedied, and the situation sorted.

If people don't follow my advice, they rarely call me back (and I get told this a lot) because they're too lazy/uncommitted to remedy the problem, and they continue to live with it, rather than admit they have failed to follow advice....

 

F2F are consultations I charge for.

They're therefore not as plentiful as I'd like.

I don't have Cesar Millan's PR machine behind me....

 

I do a huge amount of consultation on the internet/by email.

A huge amount.

 

It's impossible to charge for this work; people often contact me from abroad, and asking for a fee generally ends the conversation... the moment people realise they'll have to pay for my considerable expertise, knowlege and ability, they close off contact.

 

But my interest is not the owner; it's the dog.

I can't ask the dog to pay though, because AFAIK, very few dogs have bank accounts.

Besides, the problem is not the dog's it's the owner's. And they're the one who called me.

If I ask for a fee, I let the dog down.

 

And no owner has ever offered to pay me a fee.

nobody has ever said to me - "I appreciate the time and effort you're putting into this; I appreciate that I'm asking you for a full-blown consultation, and you're doing it for nothing. But I'd like to pay you something anyway..."

 

More fool me, I know, but as I've explained, damned if I do (ask), damned if I don't.

This year alone (and yeah, it's only mid-February!) I have, according to my calculations, lost slightly less than £900......

 

So I either refuse to do mail consultations when people request it, and the dogs suffer, or I do it 'for the dog' and hope the results will be good....

[central]

I asked for 25% up-front, and had a signed contract and clearly outlined what I'd do and deliver, and that changes or additions would cost extra at a certain hourly rate. If the project or client were risky, I'd demand 50% up-front. I had a clause that if for any reason I couldn't perform the contract upon starting and learning all the details, I would refund their deposit.

 

Sometimes, I'd break the project down into phases, such as feasibility study and design options, prototyping, and final design and creation, and sometimes a follow-up maintenance and correction effort if that was appropriate. They'd pay for each step delivery, and decide whether to continue based on the results and cost for the next step.

[preraph]

I'm onboard with FoolOfTheYear. I too free-lance and it's with legal type work so you'd think you wouldn't have to worry about getting paid, right? Wrong.

 

First service, you need to be paid upon delivery or have a credit card to guarantee it. And be sure and call to make sure the card is good. Nowadays, you could have them set up to pay you via Paypal (though it can start costing fees over $500 a month) or sending the money straight to your bank from theirs. If you are both on Chase, for example, they can just send it using your email address once you set it up with Chase to do so. That way, you send the bill, they send you the money, and a minute later, you send them the job if it's online.

 

Once they're established, you can tell them you must be paid every two weeks and work with them to establish for what period of time every other Friday you will be paid, etc.