If you can’t be friends, at least don’t be afraid of them, and remember to play to your strengths rather than trying to match up with competitors all the time. Meet them, befriend them if possible, and often you’ll find that they are a better client than many of your actual clients. Try to look at your competition as colleagues and potential friends, rather than enemies.Your clients do not want you to put yourself out of business with lemonade stand pricing, believe me. Read books, look at competitors, and continue doing that periodically. Many freelancers put themselves out of business because they don’t do enough pricing research.:-) The key is, again, communication with the client. I’ve never seen anyone balk about this sort of thing, and it generally improves worker morale. For example, if clients who generally pay you less than $100 tend to pay late or not at all, you can make it your policy that projects under $100 must be paid in full before work begins. You can make your own billing policies.So policies can always be changed, no matter what anyone says, but it’s up to you to communicate your needs. To me, net-30 is ridiculous and absolutely worth negotiating down before work begins. Many clients will assume that net-30 payment (payment issued within 30 days) is acceptable, or will make it their policy. You should agree upon those terms before you begin work. If you expect to be paid tomorrow, don’t just send an invoice demanding payment tomorrow.

“No surprises” is a good rule for client relationships.There, I just helped you make money!Īre you new at this? You may wish to read my article, The Do’s and Don’ts of Invoicing a Client for the First Time. It works like this: Go tell someone how you can help them, tell them what it will cost, get their approval, do the work, then send them this invoice with your numbers filled in. Here is a simple template that should be good enough for a small business or freelancer. Download Now: Simple Invoice Template.ods

Invoice template openoffice