Making one’s living through freelance writing is seldom easy, but writers who are able to stick it out and attract a steady stream of clients often find this field to be highly rewarding. If you’re relatively new to the writing game, there are a number of pointers you’ll need to put into practice in order to set the stage for success. For example, writers who have never worked in a freelance capacity are liable to need some help in the invoicing department. If you’ve grown accustomed to having employers keep track of your hours and assignments, doing it yourself can be a bit of an adjustment. Fortunately, with a little bit of practice, you can have invoicing down to a science in no time. When organizing and sending out your invoices, take care to put the following tips to good use.
- Be Meticulous
As someone who’s paid per assignment, it stands to reason that you’d want to be compensated for every minute you put into your work. As such, it behooves you to meticulously keep track of how many assignments you complete in a given pay period, as well as how much time is spent on each assignment. This ensures that there will be no confusion on the part of your clients when it comes to which services you expect to be paid for or how much work you’ve completed. The more effort you put into your invoices, the less room clients will have to argue with your calculations. While it’s true that certain clients will keep track of hours and assignments for you, this represents the exception, not the rule, so fledgling freelancers are strongly urged to brush up on their math skills. If you want your payment requests to have a sleek, professional appearance, create your invoices online at Aynax.com.
- Honor Agreed-Upon Payment Agreements
Although there are rare exceptions to this rule, it’s generally considered bad form to request a renegotiation of payment rules in the middle of a job. If you suddenly decide that a payment agreement you reached with a client is no longer satisfactory, it’s strongly recommended that you reach out to them before putting together an invoice that reflects payment rules the client never agreed to. Not only will this lead to sour relations with clients, it will dramatically reduce your chances of attracting repeat business.
- Don’t Drag Your Feet
Some freelancers believe that invoicing clients too quickly is bad manners. While this line of thinking is somewhat understandable, it’s generally very far from the truth. In many cases, clients are every bit as eager to process invoices as freelancers are to get paid. With this in mind, make a point of sending out your invoices within 48 hours of completing jobs. Being slow to send out invoices will not only prove bothersome to many clients, it will practically ensure that you’re not compensated in an expedient manner.
Invoicing clients doesn’t have to be cumbersome or time-consuming. Even if the concept of keeping track of your assignments and work hours is new to you, it shouldn’t take you long to grow accustomed to it. To ensure that you’re able to receive payment for your services in a timely and stress-free manner, simply employ the previously discussed pointers when putting together your invoices.