The rate card you are afraid to send
Marielle walks through how she set her hourly and project rates, the three times she raised them, and the client who said yes when she was certain he would walk away.
When the big client pays late for the third time
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Show notes
When the big client pays late for the third time
A listener in Davao writes in: her largest client is two months late for the third time this year and she cannot afford to lose them. Marielle brings in a Manila accountant who works with freelancers to answer.
- Deposits, milestones and why 50 percent up front is normal, not rude
- Late fees that clients actually pay
- The three-email escalation ladder, warm to firm
- How much of your income one client should be allowed to represent
- Walking away without burning the bridge
Before Friday: check what percentage of this year's income came from your single biggest client.
Transcript
Hello again, Marielle Dizon here, and this is Invoice Due Friday. This week's episode comes from a letter that made me wince, because I have lived it. A listener in Davao has a client who makes up most of her income, and that client is sixty days late on an invoice for the third time this year. She is scared to push and scared not to. I have asked a friend who does accounts for freelancers in Manila to join me, because she has seen this a hundred times. We will cover deposits and milestones, the kind of late fee a client will actually pay, and a three-step escalation that stays polite but does not stay quiet. We also talk honestly about when a client has become too big to keep. Settle in, this one is practical. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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