...Take heed to make your invoicing process more convenient and professional.
The struggle of dealing with invoices is very real for freelancers and small businesses. Some might baulk at the notion, overestimating its ease. What could possibly go wrong? You send an invoice and it gets paid, right?
The truth is, it’s not always that easy. And the blame doesn’t necessarily lie with the customer. The simplest invoicing mistake can delay payment. A typo here, a miscalculation there. What we’re getting at is this - you could probably be doing more to make your invoicing process simpler, more convenient and professional.
The first steps? Eliminating mistakes from your invoicing process. In doing so, you set yourself a standard. And standards are important. They define you. They ensure you cover all the basics. And it’s here where many freelancers trip up. In fact, it’s where 46 per cent of freelancers have tripped up. The numbers are startling.
Here are three common freelancer invoicing mistakes to avoid. Pay attention to them. It’ll be worth it.
Having an unprofessional invoice (appearances matter!)
A professional looking invoice makes all the difference for first impressions and brand perception. There are endless invoice formats you can use, endless templates you can recreate. But the best invoices are always clear and clutter-free with simple itemisation. This makes the document easy to read and digestible.
Appearance also matters because it’s the only thing that differentiates your invoices. If you submit the same invoice as every Tom, Dick and Harry, you run the risk of confusing your customer and being put at the bottom of the pile.
Your invoices don’t have to have bells and whistles - clear formatting and a prominent logo will be sufficient. You can get started creating beautiful custom invoices with Solna. Sign up for free today to create professional, customisable invoices in seconds.
Making your customers jump through hoops to pay you
This is a biggie, and freelancers are suckers for it!
If you ask your customers to jump through hoops to pay you, there’s every chance they’ll put you at the back of the queue. Why? Because it’s easier to pay you after everyone else. It doesn’t matter how good your service is, or how loyal you are.
Your customers want to be able to pay you easily. They expect a frictionless experience. So, the range of payments you accept are important. Bank details are crucial for BACS payments. Don’t forget to include your PayPal ID if you accept payment via PayPal.
You can make things even easier by giving customers the option to pay using a secure gateway system from your invoice. This allows customers to pay you online with a Debit or Credit Card. If you go down this route, make sure your payment pages are viewable across all devices (mobile and desktop) and fast to load.
Stripe is a great option for this, so much so that Solna has Stripe functionality built in. It automatically generates payment pages for customers. This means you can accept online payments and get paid sooner, without lifting a finger. Easy.
Forgetting to send reminders and check up on invoices
So, you’ve invoiced your customer. You’ve set the payment terms. What could go wrong now? Well, they might not pay you on time. That invoice might become overdue by a day, a week. Before long, a few weeks. And so on, and so forth. The reality is this - you cannot rely on your customers to pay you. Sometimes you’ve got to chase.
Start by setting reminders. Reminders will help you keep careful track of your invoices. Providing you use a reliable tool, you’ll be notified when invoices are overdue, so you can get in touch with your customer to request payment. Choose a smarter tool, and your customer reminders can be automated too. This reduces your exposure and helps you avoid awkward conversation. It also ensures the process remains professional.
Looking to choose a software solution for that? Solna sends out automatic reminders when a customer’s invoice is overdue. You can also integrate Stripe to make it as easy as possible for your customers to pay you. Sorted.
in LND