#freelance-gigs
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Thread
Hi friends! Those of you that charge a deposit up front (for example, 50% due up front and 50% due at completion), what do you do when a new client balks? I have a new prospective client telling me that in her experience, most companies have policies about only paying upon completion.
I typically explain something like “Oh, I’ve had nightmare clients in the past - nothing against you now in particular, but I’ve worked it into my system and it’s just my process.” The good ones get it and are happy to work with me.
(Also, obvs your client and your decision but any kind of resistance/pushback like this has NEVER been a good sign for me personally.)
Do you know what their concerns are? Like are they literally just worried you’re gonna walk off with their cash?
In my experience, if a prospect refuses to pay a 50% deposit, it’s a major red flag. 🚩
If money were an issue, it would be easy enough to create a payment plan. 🤑
They need to understand that to secure their spot in your schedule, they need to reserve it with a deposit. ✅
If they still refuse, politely decline their project and refer them to someone else. ❌
Otherwise, you’ll end up with a toxic client who will wreck your business accounting and mental health. 😵
Agree with Elizabeth that it sounds like a red flag. For retainers (is that what you proposed?) a deposit or even an up-front payment in full is 100% normal. I would explain that nicely or walk away.
It’s not a retainer, just a rather extensive/time-consuming project that will likely require me to work only for this client for up to a month. I’m not sure yet what the hang-up is (I am wondering if this particular point of contact at the client is new to working with freelancers), but if it turns out to be a red flag/dealbreaker situation, I’d be reluctant to refer them onto someone else who will then have to deal with the same thing
Run away! But if you’re going to respond, I would say that that’s great that other companies do that, but you all your other clients do it this way and it’s never been an issue.
Also normal for big projects, especially something as big as devoting all your time to one client for the whole month. If they won’t agree, I wouldn’t refer them to someone else either. Just walk away!
I’ve been a freelancer for almost a decade, and I can only think of one client who questioned my payment structure. They ended up being a complete nightmare 😅
Big red flag in my experience