That simple 30-day payment term swap changed everything for me

I used to let clients pick whatever payment timeline they wanted. Most went for 60 or 90 day terms and I'd be chasing them down for months. After I switched to 30 days flat in my contracts back in March, I got paid on time by 8 out of 10 clients that same quarter. The ones who argued about it were usually the ones who were gonna pay late anyway. Has anyone else had luck just sticking to one number and not budging?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.luna7d ago

Ugh, "the ones who argued about it were usually the ones who were gonna pay late anyway" really hit home for me. I had the exact same thing happen when I switched to net 30. It's like they automatically out themselves. I remember this one client who fought me hard on the terms and then sure enough, they were two weeks late on the very first invoice. Honestly, it was a huge relief because it showed me who to drop early on. Good for you for sticking with it, it really does make a world of difference in how much stress you carry.

henry_anderson547d ago

It's like a free filter for bad clients. Saves so much headache down the road.

noahwood7d ago

Respectfully, I don't think bad clients filter themselves out that cleanly. Some of the worst payers I've dealt with were the sweetest people up front, agreed to everything, then dragged their feet for months. The ones who argue about terms can be a pain, sure, but sometimes they're just small business owners like us who got burned before and are being cautious. I've had clients who pushed back hard on payment terms but turned out to be loyal and paid on time once we had a working relationship. Doesn't mean you're wrong, just that my experience has been more mixed on who ends up being the headache.