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New customer seems to be tasking me (and maybe even disrespecting me) explicitly
I understand your point. I already sent one reminder here before this, which would be the second push.
I could send another less strong reminder and/or try to call on the phone before escalating like this, but ultimately something like this is going to be a necessary step.
In this situation, also, what happened so far is one reason for my wanting to escalate now (see thread above).
It would have been different if I had at least been formally respected by this client.
Quote from Bel on June 8, 2022, 10:50 amI now identify another red flag here, which was the fact that this person addressed me by name via e-mail without "hi", "dear" or similar.
In a formal setting like work, this way of addressing someone is a way of asserting control on the recipient.
Absolutely.
There was also a case on this forum with Matthew that we addressed.
If you think about the times that people use names only it's often to either take distance or to "check" someone -as if to say "yo"-.
As for the email, I'd probably go for the shorter version.
And I'm not sure I'd use that threat of stopping the work together. One, it might carry enough leverage, and two, it might serve as a mental excuse for them to say "fuck this guy threatening me, then I'll find someone else".
But you know better here.
Thanks Lucio, by shorter version I imagine you mean this:
Hi ...,
I did not receive an answer to my message of ..., here below.
I appreciate clear communication: if there is a need for more time for payment we can talk about it, but I must be informed to agree on a solution acceptable for both.
Please make it so that my invoice, here reenclosed, is settled within [x] days.
Kind regards
Since both John and you agree the other version is too much, I now have double indication that I was maybe going overboard here for the moment.
Maybe other message may still be useful as last resort after this.
BTW, to better clarify the situation, I have no further work to do and have not heard from him since I sent my invoice more than two months ago.
Edit: irrespectively of how I follow up on this, I would say this is definitely a case for up-front anticipated payment of fees if this client should return to me for more work in the future.
Much, much better!
I think you could send this one.
Thank you John, your perspective is very helpful.
One option would be to remove: “I appreciate clear communication” with the same effectiveness believe.
And maybe also reword the last statement as a question and remove the deadline for now, in line with still keeping things as low-conflict as possible until the last escalation (hopefully unnecessary).
Like this:
Hi ...,
I did not receive an answer to my message of ..., here below.
If there is a need for more time for payment we can talk about it, but I must be informed to agree on a solution acceptable for both.
Can you make it so that my invoice, here reenclosed, is settled?
Kind regards
Hi guys,
updating this thread: the invoice was ultimately paid before I sent the second push.
Which, to me, was a double learning: one, that the first push for payment, which I adapted from one of Lucio's suggestions ("can you make it so that my invoice is settled?"), seems particularly effective, probably because while pushing, it empowers the receiver. I used that same text in another similar situation, and it also worked there in causing payment to take place in a short time, with apologies.
Two that, after the first push at non-payment, a new one-month wait is very advisable: because some clients probably do send invoices for processing after the push, but their companies' processing time requires some days/weeks.
Thank you again Lucio and John for your invaluable help with all this!
Edit: so it seems again that my initial stance here was yet another overreaction with respect to my former total passiveness. Which confirms that, in general, I should try to limit myself for now to lower-intensity (instead of higher-intensity) boundary-enforcing, as it seems sufficient in most cases.
You went to the next level. Happy to be part of this win for you!
Rock on, Bel!
