Want clients who are thrilled—or resigned?

If you invoice clients, your bills likely tell clients what they owe. But not what you delivered.

But if you only focus on the monetary bottom line, you miss pivotal opportunities to leverage bills for additional good will, revenue, and referrals. I call the beyond-the-bottom-line bill the Value-Delivered Invoice (vs. the money-owed invoice).

Why go this route? Because clients’ attention is heightened when they’re on the verge of paying you. And they may well be wondering (consciously or subconsciously) are you WORTH it??

They can either be thrilled to pay you…or resigned to pay you.

Newsflash: You can set the stage for them to be thrilled—invoices are ideal documents for reminding them of all the goodness you deliver.

Of course, typically the plain old, everyday invoice notes what’s owed, and includes a rather generic, auto-generated cover note. “Attached is your invoice, net 21. Thanks for working with us.”

But the Value-Delivered Invoice is customized to reflect the outcomes your work generates, and puts you in a much more memorable, positive light. For example, when I send invoices to clients, I include a note like this:

Hello! Thank you for teaming up on _____ (name of project). I’m eager to hear about the opportunities that come your way as a result of your new messaging.

Speaking of results, your attached invoice reflects the OUTCOMES of my work for you:

Formed a clear business case for your solution, and why you’re not “just another ___”

Wrote a jargon-free website that clearly describes your value proposition and service scope

Generated new a LinkedIn profile and company page aligned with your website content, so all pieces work together for greater impact and clarity

Wrote an easy-to-remember tagline and elevator pitch to confidently use in conversation and in writing

Provided a clear path for converting cold referrals to warm, and warm to hot, because more prospects clearly see how you solve their most expensive problems.

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