- Welcome to the last video in my series
on how to get paid on time as a freelancer.
If you haven't seen the first two videos in the series yet,
then make sure you click over here
to learn about setting a payment schedule
and invoicing and receiving money.
The series has kindly been sponsored by the service
that I use to get paid by clients, TransferWise.
They make it really easy
to send and receive money internationally
with much lower fees and a much better exchange rate
than Paypal's or a bank might have.
I talked about them in more detail in the last video.
So, check that out if you're interested, but right here
in this video, we're going to talk about
client communication and how to handle
any issues that come up, because, guess what,
if a client enjoys working with you,
they're much more likely to pay you on time.
In the client-freelancer relationship,
just like in any relationship, communication is key.
It's especially important, too, if the client
is in another country, as many of mine are.
You can't just meet them for coffee
and chat about the project, you're dealing most of the time
via video calls or via email, so communication-
clear communication- is really important,
and it's always better to over-communicate
than under-communicate.
I mentioned in the last video about invoicing that
when you send an invoice to a client you should spell out
the important details in an email, too.
Now this might feel redundant, you might feel
like you're repeating yourself because
it's all there in the invoice,
so they could just look at that, but actually
it's just being clear and helpful.
This way the client is going to have the important details
like the amount and the date it's due right there
in the email, spelled out for them, so they can see that
without having to open the attachment.
I do the same thing when I send through proofs to a client,
I'll give some background on what they're about to look at
in the email and I'll bold the date that
I need to receive feedback by in order to keep on schedule.
At the start of the project, too,
I'll walk my client through my process, I won't just
put it in a contract and expect them to read it.
I'll point out all the important steps in an email
so that we can both be on the same page
and know what to expect when working together.
Your client will really appreciate these little touches,
and these extra attention to communication detail.
They're going to feel like their project
is in really good hands with a professional.
Now I don't want to get too negative,
but I do want to give you some advice for what to do
if the client puts up some resistance to either process
or payment schedule we talked about back in the first video.
Here's one common problem you might encounter if your client
is a business rather than a sole trader.
"But we pay Net 30," or Net 60, or some other timeframe.
When a client says this, they mean it's their process
to pay for a job 30 days after it's been complete,
or perhaps they might say on a certain day of the month.
Now I think this is a ridiculous process.
It's like going into a store and wanting to buy a jacket
and saying, "I'm going to pay for this in 30 days.
"Why? Well, that's just how my finance system works."
Now I've worked in small and big companies, and
I know there's always a way to speed up paying for a service
if you really need it.
So I don't want you to be intimated
by a company telling you this.
Don't get defensive about it or anything,
just explain to them that this is your process,
this is how things work, and this is the way
things need to be to get the best result for both of you.
The way I generally put it is that the first payment
is what allows me to block out time in my schedule for them,
for their project, to make sure
I can help them meet their deadline, and then
the final payment coming before the file handover
is an indication of the transfer of rights.
So once they pay me, that's when
they own the rights to the files, and they can legally use
the work that we've created as is laid out in our contract.
Trust me, if they want to work with you,
they will find a way to pay you according to your
payment schedule, and if they still say they can't,
then you've got two options.
Either they can wait 30 days for you to start the work
or to hand over the files, or you can respectfully decline
the opportunity to work with them, because
if they're putting up this much of a fuss over
paying you fairly, on time, in a manner in which
you've laid out in a contract, then it sounds like
they're perhaps not going to be
the best client to work with anyway.
I find it's generally the final payment
that causes more problems than the initial one,
especially as you're approaching a deadline it might feel
really tempting to just send the files to the client
before they've paid the invoice, but please don't do this.
Stick to your process, and again, make sure
you're communicating clearly.
Don't hit them with an invoice on the day of the deadline
and expect them to make it happen.
Make sure you send it in advance and remind them that
it will have to be paid before the files can be delivered,
and you'll all be on the same page
and everything will be very clear.
You often hear stories about clients from hell or creatives
complaining about something their client has said or done.
I kind of hate that attitude, I'm not about it.
I think that often the issues these creatives are facing
are actually communication problems on their behalf,
or perhaps they've taken on a client
that they really shouldn't have.
You've got to remember that a client can't be a client
unless you allow them to hire you, so I really want you
to take responsibility of this process and control it.
If you allow a client to pay you on their 30 day schedule
instead of your own, then, that's your fault,
and you can't complain when they pay you late because
you had a chance to control that process and you didn't.
The same if you take on a client who seems like
they'd be really hard to manage and then they end up
requesting a bunch of extra changes, that's your fault, too.
You allowed them to become a client.
I know that's harsh, but it's true.
Unfortunately, you probably will face a few of these
while you're still learning what qualities to look out for
that make for a good client.
I know I definitely did, but again, it's important
to take responsibility for this and learn from it
and remember you are allowed to say no
to opportunities that come your way
if they're not going to be a good fit.
For the most part though, a lot of the issues
that you might face can be solved with clear communication.
If you explain your process and your payment schedule
really clearly at the start of the project, and then again
throughout the project as well, you're going to be
much more likely to get paid on time.
Remember, just because you do this all the time,
that doesn't mean your client knows how it works.
So, make sure you explain it to them, get them on board,
and communicate.
This brings us to the end of this video series.
I really hope you found it useful.
To sum it up, the key steps to getting paid on time are
to set up a good payment schedule,
to make it really easy for your clients to pay you,
and to have open and clear communication.
If you've got any questions about this process, then please
feel free to leave them down below in the comments.
I'd love to help out if I can.
Thanks once again to TransferWise for sponsoring this series
so I could make it, and please give this video a thumbs up
if you did enjoy it and find it useful.
Thanks for watching and go get paid, I guess.
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