Here’s the biggest lesson I can possibly hope to teach you: YOU DESERVE TO GET PAID FOR WHAT YOU DO. AND, both you and your clients deserve an easy and (yes) even fun experience with that money exchange. After all, the easier it is for someone to pay you, the faster that money is in your bank account and your impact simply expands.

Let’s go back to the Dinner Party Strategy™ from consult to client and look at how you brought your guests into your home. They said Yes to the invite and now it’s time for them to come on in. Is the door locked with no light on outside? How’s the parking situation? And once they’re actually in, do they know if they should take their shoes off, where to put their coat or purse, or who else is there? Have you offered them a drink or are they on their own?

Thinking this way can give you perspective on how you bring your clients into your business. Your intake process is all part of the Dinner Party Strategy and laying out the systems here will set you both up for success down the line.

Once a contract is signed, a client says YES!, or you’re clear that things are moving forward, it’s time to get paid.

This is where I want you to take a fine toothed comb to your website and process as it stands. Do you have payment buttons on your sales pages or do you ask your clients to contact you? If they are contacting you, do you provide them with a form or are you asking them to copy and paste an email address to get in touch?

Make it easy for your potential clients to hire you. Setup contact forms for those services or products that need more than just a “Buy now!” button. Believe it or not, in today’s digital age, your welcome experience has to be quick, efficient, and clear or you’re missing out on one of the most crucial parts of engagement with your customers.

[Tweet “In today’s digital age, your welcome experience has to be quick, efficient, and clear.”]

Now let’s talk about payment. Many of your products or services will have an option to book or buy them right away. And you want to collect payment in some form to get the ball rolling.

Payment portal options vary from PayPal to Stripe to Gumroad and more.

The most important thing to remember is that the instructions must be clear. Payment buttons should look like payment buttons, the text should tell them what they’re doing, and they should know how to “get inside”. Imagine trying to get inside a house with no front door – so frustrating! Make it easy on your customers from the first step.

Wanna know how to create buttons in PayPal or sell items via Gumroad?

Here’s the Guide To Create a Buy Now Button on PayPal
And here’s Guide To Selling Products on Gumroad

Collecting money from your clients does not need to be awkward. Setting up systems and tools to support your unique purchase experience makes you stand out from the beginning.

[Tweet “Collecting money from your clients does not need to be awkward.”]

What’s your front door experience? Do your customers know what steps to take and are they as easy as possible?

Don’t forget to follow along on Bloglovin’ every day this month or take a moment to pin, tweet, and share with other creative business owners you love. Tomorrow we’ll cover everything you need to know about rolling out the red carpet once those clients come through your front door.

Need more motivation and inspiration to get yourself paid? Follow along with Season 2 of the Get Paid Podcast. It’s live now in iTunes and Stitcher or you can signup for email notifications of new episodes right here.