PSA: A client in Austin told me my invoices were too emotional and it actually helped

I used to write long notes about how hard I worked on a project, hoping it would speed up payment. One client straight up said "your sob stories make me want to pay you less, not faster." I stripped all emotion out and just put due dates, and my payment time dropped from 45 days to 18. Anyone else get blunt criticism that shifted your whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

gray31412d agoMost Upvoted

Huh, I gotta say that sounds like the exception rather than the rule for most of us. In my experience clients actually pay faster when they feel a human connection and trust that you're not just a robot sending bills. Short and direct works for some people, but for my crew that stripped-down approach came across as cold and made them ask way more questions before paying.

paige_bell8112d ago

Have you noticed that the same advice applies to follow-up emails as well? Keeping those short and matter-of-fact cut my overdue payments in half just by dropping the "just checking in" softness. It's weird how directness actually builds trust with clients who hate fluff.

quinn34112d ago

Cutting overdue payments in half seems like a stretch just from dropping a few words. Is it really that big of a deal or just a coincidence?