Re: What are your most important business policies?
Payment Policy: If the client is new to me, I ask for half or all upfront depending on the situation and whether or not anything within the job requires cash out of my pocket to execute; e.g. If a client wants a mailing list, I have to get paid for that first b/c I have to pay the company I purchase the list from. For regular monthly clients, after the relationship is established and I can tell they'll pay, I can bill by-weekly or monthly after the fact instead of by retainer. But sometimes you can tell it's best to keep the relationship on a retainer basis. Lots of judgment calls sometimes.
Policy for Phone Calls: Another policy I have, I let clients know that while I do interact with their contacts by phone, I don't provide the service of "Answering Service". This was a bit of a challenge at first b/c I didn't want to sound like "I don't do windows" kind of thing. I make and take lots of calls but I could tell there was a line that needed to be drawn. Most of my interaction with contacts of clients is to set or confirm appointments so it seems be working so far. I was relieved to see that my clients were understanding. Just as it is important to my clients that I understand what is expected of me, It was a relief to let them know I had some professional expectations of my own. I just made sure I was tactful when bringing it up.
Take care,
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