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Power moves to underpay (or sabotage) work
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on December 19, 2021, 3:05 am"for small things that take one minute, no need to invoice. But if you think they can become part of a recurring pattern, then we can do this: you contact me for any issue, and if it adds up to more than a few minutes, then I invoice you at the end of the month. Sounds good?"
I re-implemented this with a new company client, with which I have had (since the start of this year) a hourly fee agreement, with monthly reporting of the activity done on my side.
In the months where I did work amounting to less than one/two hours, contrary to what I would have done in the past, I now simply sent an email stating that nothing was due for "the brief phone call of ...", or whatever I did.
When instead I did substantial work, I invoiced in full.
The response I have been getting is overwhelmingly positive: I just received an email thanking me for "my communication and my continuous support".
Previously, I had the idea that company clients would simply not care if I invoiced in full for 10 minutes of work done in a particular month. What I would do was wait and cumulate work done in different months, including the 10 minute work in one particular month (which, I now understand, compounded the problem with the late issuing of the invoices).
But I now understand, as Lucio mentioned, that my prior behavior was interpreted as "bean counting".
Thank you again Lucio. This was invaluable. I think this technique and mindset, if not already present, is worthy of having its own paragraph or section in PU.
Another related idea that is forming in my mind, again concerning something I unfortunately used to do in the past:
It is a mistake to do something for free or at a greatly reduced rate in order to then receive some other, more signficiant work to be invoiced in full: manipulative people will try to obtain the same discounted (or free) treatment on the more complex work, and normal people may simply not come back because they will think that they "got something for free", and fear you may make them "pay later".
It is better to have each separate work standing on its own in terms of fees, on the basis of its complexity and duration. Even if that means losing some potential work. Or telling some people that their case, while pursuable, is anti-economical.
Quote from Bel on May 2, 2022, 1:51 pmPreviously, I had the idea that company clients would simply not care if I invoiced in full for 10 minutes of work done in a particular month. What I would do was wait and cumulate work done in different months, including the 10 minute work in one particular month (which, I now understand, compounded the problem with the late issuing of the invoices).
But I now understand, as Lucio mentioned, that my prior behavior was interpreted as "bean counting".
Thank you again Lucio. This was invaluable. I think this technique and mindset, if not already present, is worthy of having its own paragraph or section in PU.
Rock on Bel, way to apply the concepts for continuous development.
I think that adding up loose ends and smaller tasks at the next billing cycle is still possible if there are many -say, if they add to more than 5h, or whatever is significant to you-.
What makes you look bean-counting is if you send lots of invoices for each contact points and/or if you add a line for each small point of contact (rather, you could make one line called "loose ends" or "phone consultations tally").
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on May 3, 2022, 5:30 amI think that adding up loose ends and smaller tasks at the next billing cycle is still possible if there are many -say, if they add to more than 5h, or whatever is significant to you-.
What makes you look bean-counting is if you send lots of invoices for each contact points and/or if you add a line for each small point of contact (rather, you could make one line called "loose ends" or "phone consultations tally").
Thank you. Your comment on not including (in the cumulative invoice) a line for each 5/10 minute contact to me implies that cumulating in one invoice several small contacts alone is also a mistake.
Meaning: you can make the line called “phone consultations”, and invoice them, only if you also did substantial other work. If on the other hand the client only calls you 10 minutes a month for small phone consultations, then it’s best to never invoice, and just wait to see if bigger work comes. Or lose the client.
