Apr 15 • General discussion
Scenario: A client wants to pay you AFTER the site goes live. What do you do?
Real scenario. This happened to me and I want to hear how you'd handle it.
A potential client reaches out. Good project — redesign and build of their company website. Budget is reasonable. Timeline is realistic. Everything looks great.
Then during the scoping call they say: "We don't pay deposits. We'll pay the full amount once the site is live and we're happy with it."
They're polite about it. They say it's company policy. They seem legitimate.
What do you do?
Here's what I did: I said no. Politely. I explained that I work on a 50% deposit upfront, with the balance due before the site goes live on their domain. I told them this protects both of us — it commits them to the project and it means I'm not working for free.
They pushed back. Said they'd never paid a deposit before. I held firm and offered a small compromise — 30% deposit instead of 50%, with a second milestone payment at the halfway mark.
They agreed. The project went smoothly. They paid on time at every stage.
The lesson? Clients test boundaries. Not because they're bad people, but because nobody else has ever set boundaries with them. The moment you hold your ground professionally, most of them respect you more for it.
But I'm curious — would you have handled it differently? Have you ever worked without a deposit? How did it go? Let's hear the stories.
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Scenario: A client wants to pay you AFTER the site goes live. What do you do?
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