My small business has a mix of B2B and B2C clients. When a new client signs up we always ask them what their preferred payment method is. Most people reply with “credit card” or ‘bank transfer’. But on several occasions now clients have replied with “invoice”.
What on earth are they thinking? An invoice is a document detailing what they are being billed for. 100% of our clients get an invoice, but it is not a payment method.
Why do people think that an invoice is a payment method??
People are dumb. They’re asking for terms. When they ask for “invoice”. You just respond “We invoice all orders. But we do require payment to proceed with an order. You can either pay via credit card or via bank transfer. We like to have this noted on your file because otherwise we have to ask every time you place an order.”
A lot of people are just dumb OR they’re so used to dealing with vendors they have long relationships with that they forget or are unaware that steps were done when that account was open.
Play their game.
“Okay, I can have a COD invoice issued”