Everyone likes to get paid, right? But...who enjoys asking for money.
Currently I split my doula service fee into 3 payments. The first payment, a deposit, I ask to be paid when they sign their contract with me. The second payment I like to collect at or around the time of the first prenatal and the third payment at or around the time of the second prenatal. This all sounds easy enough. The problem for me arises when they forget to have a check ready at the prenatal appointments. I don't like saying "do you have my money?". I know this sounds silly to some, but I have heard from MANY other doulas that feel this same way.
My Solution
YourDoulaBiz solves this problem for me! YourDoulaBiz is a web based business management program that we released in August of 2011. It is designed by a doula (me) specifically to meet the needs of doulas. There is a handy feature in the program that allows you to send Invoices to your clients via email. I LOVE THIS FEATURE! My new routine is to send an invoice via email to my clients on the day of their prenatal meeting. I confirm the meeting and remind them of the balance due. If they forget to have a check at the meeting I will send another email reminder the next day so that they will send the check asap. The Invoice feature is one of the top rated program features and really is helpful if you are like me and hate asking for money.
How to Send An Invoice Via Email
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Maria
November 10, 2012
Thanks for this! I used to encounter this often – the pay lag! Contract-signing lag, too. I’m glad to see solutions. I use a program called EchoSign for my contracts and for invoicing I use PayPal. I tell all of my prospective clients up front that my practice is paperless, and I find that my returned contract and pay times are much more efficient. There are still those who drag their feet, but it happens with far less frequency.
I am rnjoying your blog — thanks!