Paying Out of Appreciation or Obligation!

The attitude one has when paying for services rendered is a subject that few people acknowledge or even consider, yet the impact on the recipient goes far beyond simply writing a check or depositing money into someone's account.

I had the good fortune of working with a client who demonstrated the most impressive attitude and professionalism in regard to payment. I was so struck by his approach and attitude that I was compelled to write about it. And although it may seem like a very small thing in comparison to other business experiences, it affected my own attitude about money so strongly, that it has altered the way I give and receive payment permanently.

The events unfolded when the potential client read an article written by me in a popular international publication on the web. He liked what I had to say, checked out my web site and testimonials and then wrote requesting help with a bio for his web site.

As always, I responded promptly, providing the details of the writing process along with what I would need and what it would cost. What happened next surprised me. I no sooner sent him my quote for the initial project, (the e-mail was barely out of my send box), when only a few seconds later, payment was already submitted to my account.

Thinking that he was just eager to get things started, I began the process of writing for him and had the first project ready within two days. He was very pleased with the end result and requested my expertise on another project. I again sent him my quote and told him I would begin that afternoon. Once more, as soon as I sent him my quote, and I mean within seconds of my submitting it, he sent payment.

This time I had to comment, so I wrote him to thank him kindly for his quick response in regard to his compensation turnaround. I told him that I really appreciated his attitude about payment and was quite impressed and surprised at how quickly he responded. What he wrote back will stay with me forever.

He wrote to say and I quote: "It is my philosophy not to put anyone under any undo stress about money so that their attention will be only on the project at hand." He further stated, "I want you to be free to express your creativity and not have to worry about when you would be receiving payment."

I was speechless. As a writer for more than 15 years, I had never heard anyone put it so eloquently nor had anyone ever paid so eagerly. I was truly impressed. His attitude definitely reflected on the quality of my work as I felt the best of myself come pouring out. More than likely he had many experiences where people paid out of obligation and not out of appreciation, which taught him an important lesson.

I want to emphasize that I love what I do with all my heart and soul. Granted I love earning a living and enjoy seeing the dollars appear in my bank account, but I work as much for the joy of helping my clients achieve success as I do for the money received. I believe in always giving the best of myself whether it's a simple note or a huge writing project, but when someone pays from an attitude of appreciation and not from obligation, the desire and willingness to give more triples. I would have bent over backwards to support this client's efforts as I so appreciated his attitude of gratitude.

I firmly believe that if more people paid out of appreciation and less out of obligation for services rendered, we'd have many more happy people in the world and a great many more people eager to please. That client taught me an important lesson, which is one I will never forget. We can get so much from each other so easily, if we just showed a bit more appreciation. As a result, he has forever made me aware of the impact of paying out of appreciation and not out of obligation and the affect it has on every business interaction.