Unpaid invoices. š²
Iāve been experimenting with a lot of invoicing/freelancing software recently. And.co, Bonsai, Gun.io, and Harvest are a few of them.
They all have blogs of some sort. Getting clients to pay invoices in a timely manner is a common topic.
If youāre having problems getting your invoices paid, itās your fault.
Invoices donāt get paid for three reasons, in order of likelihood:
- You didnāt choose your client correctly.
- You didnāt scope the project adequately.
- You are providing a bad product.
Choosing Clients
If youāre doing freelance software work, you will get approached by people who canāt afford you. Generally, this is a person working alone who āhas an ideaā. Your goal is to convince them they donāt actually want to do the project.
Itās more expensive than they think, and because theyāre inexperienced, there will be more scope changes than a normal project, artificially increasing costs. [1]
Getting them to pay invoices will be tough because they canāt afford it. Also, you will have a bad conscience because you know they wonāt get a positive return on this project.
Scoping the Project
Itās possible your client is experienced, but not in this particular domain. You either over-promised, or more likely, didnāt adequately warn your client about scope changes mid-project.
20% of your job as a freelancer is saving the client from themselves. They will want to add features they donāt need. You have to tell them no. Your project wonāt āgo badā because you stop short of the original goal, it will āgo badā because your client will overspend and have buyerās remorse.
At every step, warn your client about possible cost overruns and added complexities. You will immediately make any potential money lost by wrangling in their ambitions.
Providing a Bad Product
Itās possible your client isnāt paying because they have negative feelings towards you because itās a bad product. Like almost all high-return tasks for a human, you must trade short-term happiness for long-term. Do your best to either do the rest of the project for free, or find someone senior to assist you with the project.
Iām specifically not suggesting to lower your rate, because that is a slippery slope. Now that your client knows the rate is malleable, in the back of their mind, they will wonder if they have an opportunity to lower it again. It will cause squabbles at every invoice.
[1] I accepted these projects in the beginning of my career. I believe it hurt my career, but Iām not sure. Sometimes you donāt have an option.