Payment Milestones in Graphic Design Contracts
We’re in a situation at the moment where the client surprisingly isn’t terribly fussed about the delivery date of a web project. We are ready to make the site live, they keep saying the cheque’s in the mail, but nothing ever arrives.
How do you create a sense of urgency in a situation where there is none?
Answer
That is a tough situation to be in. I don’t recommend going live until full payment is rendered. If a test site is up, make sure it resides on your own private server and not their’s. But I’m sure you know this already. The only way to avoid this in the future is to place payment milestones in your contract. That is, request 50% at the beginning, 25% more in 30 days and the final 25% after 60 days,etc. That way you’re guaranteed payment after 60 days regardless of how long they take. Clients tend to speed things up once they’ve paid in full. And if they don’t, you’ll at least know 30 days in and have just cause to cease further dealings with them since they breached the contract.
For now, you may have to somehow “create” a sense of urgency. Sometimes a letter outlining your project completion and requesting payment will assist. After all, written notifications are critical in payment disputes. A certified letter may get even more attention but I would hold off on that as a last resort. In a worst case scenario, you may just have to wait it out.