Dear Info Marketers,

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So…you’ve done the work and it’s been hard. The content, the processing, the distribution, everything. Now it’s time for your clients to ante up and deliver what’s coming to you.

El dinero…the green…those beautiful wads…whatever you call it, it’s still the same: money.

Say what you want about money, it’s always nice to get paid for something that you’ve really earned. Whether it was cleaning up that Amazon-jungle grade backyard in elementary school for five dollars an hour or closing a big sale for enough to make a down payment on a house, it’s all the same. You’ve been working to earn a living and now you can collect the fruits of your labors.

Getting paid in information marketing is a great feeling and something you can hang your mental hat on as accomplishment. I’ve written before about collecting payments and customers who may or may not be loyal in honouring their fees, so I will not dwell on such negative subject matter in this message. Instead, I will focus on the process of getting paid itself.

Payment should be an easy process, but like a lot of things these days, it’s changing. But this can be good if you are ready to adapt to some of the changes or just run with some of the older methods. Either is usually acceptable.

Here are some things to be prepared for in getting paid in info marketing:

--Do up an invoice: For tax and client receipt reasons, you should always do up an invoice. It should be a neat and well quantified chart which includes your client’s name, address, their account number with you, your contact info, and a chart showing what you provided them, a description of the service itself plus the fee you are charging. I would advise a digital program to do this on, as it can easily make your invoice look professional and easy to read. Personally, I use Microsoft Excel as I find it an easy program to create all the necessary columns and rows for this information. If you find another – i.e. the chart drawing mechanism on Microsoft Word – by all means use it.

--Be exact and professional: Nobody likes being charged for something they never bought. It’s important that you include only the necessary information when billing your clients and only that information. If you charge tax, do so, but only if you have the right credentials. When messaging your client, be polite and courteous but avoid small talk. Stick to the professional matters at hand no matter how close you are with them.

--Offer different methods of payment: Like I mentioned earlier, payment methods are changing. For a freelance web content job I did a year ago, I was paid online via Paypal. Back in my in-house publishing days, I did direct deposit through the publisher’s accounting department. Other times I have gotten an old fashioned paper pay check. Let’s be honest: it really doesn’t matter how to get paid, as long as it comes through. Find the best method for yourself and don’t be afraid to try the new online money transfers. I have found them to be very safe and secure.

--Keep all of your payment records: I have seen friends with their own business either misplace or discard their payment receipts. Do not do this EVER. Get in the habit of saving your receipts in a well organized binder or file folder. You will need them come tax time to give detail of your earnings and what you will have to pay the government.

An old colleague just got his first payment from a client for doing some customized wordworking, his life’s love and now profession. I’ve never seen him so happy. He knew he earned it and celebrated in style by taking his girlfriend out for a very nice night on the town. As an information marketer, you know you are entitled to such things too. Provided you are as professional in your payment collection as you are in your work, you will always bear that happy feeling of accomplishment when you get the cash you deserve.

Good luck!

Come visit us at the E-Wealth Daily, www.ewealthdaily.com.

Take care,

J.