FFN #32: Here's How to Stop Getting Shorted by Clients 👇🏽

This week: Milestone payments, How to ask for them, When to ask for client testimonials, Jobs & More!

Author

Freelancing Females
April 16, 2024

Let’s Get Paid

Most of us have been there, a client contracts you for a six-month project and bam… month three rolls around and they’ve ghosted you. Leaving you scrambling to fill your client roster. To put it nicely, it’s a somewhat frustrating aspect of freelancing. However, today we come to you with a solution…

✨ Milestone payments ✨.

❝

Success isn’t about the end result; it’s about what you learn on the way.

-Vera Wang

🙋🏽‍♀️ Milestone Payments?

A milestone payment refers to a percentage of the project fee that the client pays incrementally throughout the project, rather than settling the entire amount at its completion. Sounds great doesn’t it? But how do they work to protect you and your business? Well, they guarantee you get paid something if the project gets dropped and allow you to learn if the client is a non-payer early. Milestone payments also help you have a steady cash flow into your business, which is important with bills, rent, life etc. They also force you and the client to review the progress of the project, if it’s on track and if there will need to be any revisions.

🤞🏼 How Do I Know If My Project Qualifies for Milestone Payments?

Generally speaking, you can use milestone payments for tasks or phases of a project. If your project has milestones it is easy to attach payment milestones to them. For your retainer clients where deliverables are ongoing, paying quarterly or halfway through the month can be a beneficial way to lower the risk for both parties.

✏️ Get it in Writing!

When negotiating milestone payments with a client, remember they might lean towards fewer payments of a lower percentage. This is normal as they’re just protecting themselves and their company. A way to make clients feel more comfortable with your desired payment structure is to have a great reputation. This is where your client testimonials, client list and referrals come into play. As you start working with this new client, meet your deadlines on time and communicate often about the work you’re doing this will help them trust you and feel comfortable with your requested payments. Remember, always put your milestones in your contract! They must be clearly stated with dates and key deliverables, this will cover you in case of any issues and it will help your client feel confident in you. If you haven’t yet got any contracts in place, we have a few for you to choose from at The Freelance Shop. 

Honey Swim

With the warm weather ahead, I’ve been looking for flattering bikinis that make me feel ‘held in’. I’ve seen Honey Swim all over Instagram so I gave in and ordered a set. I was blown away by not only the quality but how well the bottoms fit. They’re such a flattering cut but not too cheeky and make you feel like you could surf all day long without worrying about them falling off. We also love that Honey is female-founded. Their latest collection has so many fun prints - run don’t walk ladies!

The Freelance Shop

A shameless plug of our very own Freelance Shop - why not right? Inside we have so many gorgeous templates to choose from that will take your freelancing business to the next level. Including the all-important and incredibly boring legal stuff like contracts and website policies.

 🎥 When to ask a client for a testimonial. 

🤓 How to create work-life balance as a freelancer.

🎧 A framework to stay on top of your goals this year.

Paid Media Specialist

Laurel and Grey seeks an experienced paid media specialist to join our team in a freelance capacity. Remote. $50-$100/hr. Freelance.  

Meta Media Buying Assistant

SUAVS is searching for someone who can assist with building out Meta campaigns and provide daily and weekly reporting on their Marketing performance. Remote. $26 - $50 /hr. Freelance.

Logo Designer

Click Labs is looking for a logo designer who can deliver in the next 4 weeks. Freelance. Remote. Project-Based Rate.

Marketing Copywriter

A University is looking for a Marketing Copywriter with higher education experience to support several writing projects. Remote. Freelance. $35-$40/hr

Fruit Riot

We have been seeing these sour treats all over TikTok, so naturally we had to try them for our snack hour. I love a sour treat, but holey smokes they knocked my head off. Even with the super sour taste, they’re so addictive! My favourite thing about these is they are actually made from really great all-natural ingredients so I don’t have to feel guilty eating them as my sweet treat. These will definitely power you through your 2 pm slump!!