Appreciation post: My plumber client in Akron made me realize I was pricing wrong for 3 years.

He told me he'd pay double my rate if I just sent the invoice the same day the job was done, because his accountant could process it immediately and it saved him a whole admin headache.

3 comments

3 Comments

bettyk5316d ago

My small business accountant actually explained this to me a few years ago. She told me that for some clients, getting the invoice same day means they can code it to the right job and close out their books faster, which saves them real money on their own bookkeeper fees. I started offering a 5% discount for same-day invoices and it honestly attracted better clients who pay on time. The fast payment alone has been worth more than the discount.

riverg751mo ago

Charge a rush fee for same-day invoices. I do it for my design work. Client needs the PDF by 5pm? That's a 15% add-on. It covers the stress of dropping everything. The plumber is basically asking for a premium service. You should bill for that speed.

mia_singh241mo ago

My plumber tried that last week. Wanted an extra hundred just to email the bill before lunch. Told him my checkbook doesn't do express shipping. Suddenly the "rush" wasn't so important. Funny how that works.