Invoice at 38 days and client sent a response that was pure silence

Finished a logo refresh for a small shop in Portland on the 5th, sent the invoice same day. 38 days later I got a one word reply, 'noted', after I pinged them for the third time. I offered a small discount if they paid within a week, just to break the freeze, and it actually worked. Has anyone else had luck with that trick, or do you just eat the wait and keep the full amount?

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1 Comment

sagejackson16d ago

Honestly, that discount trick is a classic and it works more often than not. I've thrown a 5 or 10 percent off on past due invoices just to get the ball rolling, and it usually breaks the silence within a week. The key is to frame it as a one time goodwill thing, not a habit, or they'll just wait for a discount every time. But yeah, sitting there with zero response for over a month is way worse than losing a little cash to get paid. You made the right call, and honestly, if they try that silence game again next time, I'd just add a late fee upfront before sending any new work. People pay real fast when they see that number grow.