Generally, I agree with you, and yes, you described exactly how you want to run a business long-term, but when your wife is in and out of the hospital and you w

Generally, I agree with you, and yes, you described exactly how you want to run a business long-term, but when your wife is in and out of the hospital and you were just served an eviction notice, $3,600 now is way better than $4,000 in 2 months. And saving up 6 months salary doesn't happen overnight. Reality is reality. On the other side of the coin, it's just numbers. If you can justify, say, a $4K/week rate, charge $4.5K standard or $4K for upfront. If the customer is in a position to bend payment terms to save $500/week, they can, and you're now in line with market rate but more favorable payment terms. If they're not in a position to do so, $500/week probably doesn't matter one way or the other to them, anyway. Either way, you win. Most customers will ask for a discount, as a rule. Hinge that discount on something you want (faster payment) instead of just giving it to them. Then they can make the decision. Either way, they feel good about it. Either way, everybody wins.