Free Video + Workbook Training: "The $5M Blueprint" 👉 Click Here to access

When To Talk About Money

Today I want to explore with you when you should be talking about fees and getting paid for working with your clients. 

The simple answer is as soon as possible and as early as possible in the process. 

This week I was working with a client in my CLIENTS coaching program and they were in a bit of a situation with their client. 

You see - a whole bunch of work had been done on a project and they were then tasked with trying to get paid for the work that they had already done. 

Asking for money and trying to get paid for work once you’ve already started - or even worse once you finished - gets harder and harder the longer that you leave it.

A lot of the times we don’t like talking with our clients about fees and getting paid for work because we view it as an uncomfortable conversation and we don’t want our clients to not like us.

The simple fact of the matter is - if you don’t talk about fees and you don’t talk about getting paid for the work that your client has asked you to do - they will just assume that you are doing it for free! 

It’s obviously in your clients’ best interests if they assume you’re doing it for free - because then they are getting the work done for free! 

Very few clients when they ask you to do something will also ask you for your fee proposal or ask you "How much is this going to cost me"? 

Unless of course, you condition your clients over the years to know that you don’t work for free! 

So the simple answer is I know it’s uncomfortable and I know it can be a difficult conversation at times but you are WAY better off talking to your clients about fees and getting paid for work upfront and when they ask you to do something - as opposed to waiting down the track. Then it becomes a much harder discussion. 

I liken it to the concept of short-term pain for long term gain.

Have the conversation upfront, condition your clients that you don’t do work for free, let your clients know that this will cost them money for you to do work on this element of the project. 

So have the conversation early. Remove the need to have hard conversations with your clients throughout the project or at the end of the project about how are you going to get paid. 

Stand your ground. Know your worth and know the value that you bring to your project. Adopt the stance that you expect to get paid for the work that you’re doing. 

Josh 'Getting Paid' Stone

PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you right now:

  1. Join the Leaders In Engineering community designed specifically for engineering leaders and business owners
    It’s our new Facebook community where engineering leaders and business owners are learning the strategies and leadership skills to step up and thrive right now – Click Here to join
  1. Download our FREE PDF guide – “How To Build A High Performing & Highly Profitable Engineering Team”
    Learn the skills to get the most out of the people around you. Build a high performing engineering team that generates incredible profits and allows you to have more fun and to spend more time with the people you love – Click Here
  1. Book in a 15min Check In Session
    Let’s discuss how you can tackle a volatile marketplace, gain visibility on the issues, challenges and problems you are facing at the moment and then work on a plan together for how to break through the mountain in front of you in order to step up and thrive! – Click Here
  1. Have me work with you and your team privately
    If you’re serious about getting real results and you’d like me to work directly with you and your team… just send me an email at [email protected] and put “Private” in the subject line...tell me a little about yourself, the challenges you are facing and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll be in touch to discuss a plan!
Close

50% Complete

Just enter your name and email address and we'll get it to you. It's 100% free.

Privacy Policy: Your information is 100% secure