It's indeed re-assuring to find out that your fears are not unique and that many other people think the same way you do. I think basically that people fear anything that is related to money.
I found that the hardest part is not about sending invoice tho, but the hardest part is to actually collect the money. I once dealt with a company I needed to collect money from for a job I did, it took me 364 days (yes, almost a year!) to get the money wired. Thing is it could have been dealt faster (it was part my fault as well), but I kept delaying talking to the people in charge of accounting because I really didn't like the though of begging for my hard earned money.
Part of that fear by the way is derived from the fact that you still want to retain some kind of good relationship with the company/individual and you wouldn't want to harm any potential future jobs. However if you're not getting paid instantly, would you really keep working for the same guy?
I have a rule in my company, we pay immediately after the job is done. We don't wait 1 week, 2 weeks or 60 days like some other companies. We pay immediately and I think so far it paid off since freelancers like to work for us.
"but I kept delaying talking to the people in charge of accounting because I really didn't like the though of <b>begging for my hard earned money</b>."
I think this is exactly the problem the article is talking about. The idea that asking someone to pay for something they purchased equates to "begging".
I've never had this problem (I've sent out invoices for $5, and if you're a day late, expect to hear from me the next day.. it took 2 invoices to collect that $5, btw).
I think it's helpful to put yourself in their shoes. Could you imagine calling one of your freelancers, having them do work for you, and then not paying them? When they call, would you think they were begging for their money or being greedy?
Of course not. If there's no dispute about the work, then you know you owe them money. You know you never paid for the product you purchased.
I don't think of Safeway as greedy when they ask me to pay for a loaf of bread. And I wouldn't expect a customer to think I'm begging when I remind them they haven't paid their bills.
I found that the hardest part is not about sending invoice tho, but the hardest part is to actually collect the money. I once dealt with a company I needed to collect money from for a job I did, it took me 364 days (yes, almost a year!) to get the money wired. Thing is it could have been dealt faster (it was part my fault as well), but I kept delaying talking to the people in charge of accounting because I really didn't like the though of begging for my hard earned money.
Part of that fear by the way is derived from the fact that you still want to retain some kind of good relationship with the company/individual and you wouldn't want to harm any potential future jobs. However if you're not getting paid instantly, would you really keep working for the same guy?
I have a rule in my company, we pay immediately after the job is done. We don't wait 1 week, 2 weeks or 60 days like some other companies. We pay immediately and I think so far it paid off since freelancers like to work for us.