This won't work for many freelancers, but as an editor I switched to getting paid upfront years ago. I used to get half up front and half on delivery. It took me a long time of following up with editing clients and trying to get paid the balance. When I switched, I anticipated getting a lot of push back but the only time I do is when people don't actually have the full amount, in which case I take half upfront and the balance on delivery.
Editing is kind of a perfect job for pre- paying because no one knows what to expect exactly from an editor for each manuscript but they know they don't get to argue with you! It helps that my site has great testimonials from award-winning authors.
This won't work for many freelancers, but as an editor I switched to getting paid upfront years ago. I used to get half up front and half on delivery. It took me a long time of following up with editing clients and trying to get paid the balance. When I switched, I anticipated getting a lot of push back but the only time I do is when people don't actually have the full amount, in which case I take half upfront and the balance on delivery.
I love this! I've often thought about getting full payment up front but except for small projects, I haven't implemented it.
Editing is kind of a perfect job for pre- paying because no one knows what to expect exactly from an editor for each manuscript but they know they don't get to argue with you! It helps that my site has great testimonials from award-winning authors.