Sent an invoice on a Friday and the client asked to "circle back next week", now it's been a month
Okay so I've been trying this thing where I actually send invoices the day the work ships, instead of waiting weeks and pretending it's fine. First time trying it, client replied "let's circle back next week!" and now it's been a month and I've sent two gentle follow-ups and nothing.
I know the lesson is supposed to be "put a number on it up front, get a deposit" and I did do that part, which is honestly why I'm not spiraling. The deposit covered materials and most of my time. But the balance is sitting there and it's the amount I was counting on for studio rent and I keep opening my email like a fool hoping there's money in it.
The wild part is this person was so nice the whole time. Gushed about the piece, sent photos of it framed in their hallway. Then just... went silent the second money was due. I'm starting to think the "they're being polite" read and the "they're dodging" read can look exactly the same from where I'm sitting.
Anyone else deal with this? Do you chase people or just eat the loss and never work with them again? I've got maybe one more follow-up in me before I do the passive aggressive thing of posting a painting and tagging their house lol. Not that I would. But I get it now.
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Now this is a story I know in my bones, honey. I done sold quilts for years before anybody called it art, and I learned the hard way that some folks will sit on a bill till it turns cold. God bless you for getting that deposit up front, that was the smartest thing you could've done.
But here's the thing about that "circle back" line. Some folks say it and mean it, and some folks say it cause they don't want to say no. A month with two gentle follow-ups is about the time I'd stop being gentle. Send one more, but make it warm and put a date on it. "Bless you, just checking on that balance, can I expect it by the fifteenth?" And if that don't move it, darlin, don't be afraid to pick up the phone. It's way harder to ignore a voice on the other end than an email.
You did your part right. Don't let 'em make you feel like you're the one who's been doing wrong.
The quilter's got it right. I've been on both sides of this, I do commissions and I've chased more balances than I care to count, and the polite one-month wait is already past where I'd have switched to a deadline. You're not being unprofessional by putting a date on it, you're being clear. If they wanted to pay, they'd have paid by now after two nudges.
Also, small thing that's saved me: stop checking the email every morning hoping. Send the dated one, then let it sit and go make something. The money comes when you're not staring at the screen grinding your teeth. And if it doesn't, you've got your answer, next time that client comes back with a new project, you quote the old balance right on top. 🙂
The email-checking thing hit me hard because that's literally been my morning routine for a month now, just me and my coffee staring at the inbox like it's going to change if I glare hard enough. You're so right though, the work has to be the point, not the waiting.
And yeah, the deadline part is the thing I keep psyching myself out about. I know I'd never put up with this if I was a vendor for, like, a contractor or whatever, but somehow when it's my own name on the invoice it feels personal to push. Which is dumb. It's business. It's RENT.
Okay I'm gonna write the dated one today. Gonna make it friendly but with an actual number and a "if this doesn't work let's talk" so it's not a brick wall. And then I'm going to paint the window again and not look at my phone until after lunch.
What do you do when someone just... never pays? After the deadline, I mean. Is it small claims or do you just eat it and put their name on a mental list?
Oh I love that you sold quilts, that's such a gorgeous thing to hear from someone who actually knows the grind. And yeah, you're right, I think I've been telling myself "gentle is professional" when really I'm just scared of being the pushy artist. A month is a month.
The date thing is smart though. I think I've been leaving it open-ended because I hate the idea of being like "pay me by THIS day" but honestly that's literally what the contract is for?? I'm gonna do it. Warm, a date, and maybe I'll add a little "if there's an issue with anything let me know, I'd rather sort it than chase it" so it doesn't feel like I'm just shaking them down.
Did the quilt thing ever get easier or do you just get more used to the weirdness of it? Asking for my nerves haha