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I stopped using agency retainer contracts last year
Too many clients ghosted after the first month. Now I just bill hourly with a 10 hour minimum per month. Has anyone else tried switching off retainers?
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oscarb7722d ago
Yeah, hourly with a minimum is the way to go.
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david_rivera422d ago
@oscarb77 gets it. The minimum is the only thing that stops people from wasting your time. Had too many jobs where someone books two hours and wants you to stay for five. Hourly with a floor means everyone knows what they're getting into from the start. Saves the headaches on both sides.
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terryf6218d ago
Man, I read somewhere that the whole retainer model was invented back when agencies had way more leverage than clients. These days people treat a retainer like a Netflix subscription they can cancel anytime without a second thought. Your 10 hour minimum makes total sense because it forces a real conversation about value upfront instead of hoping they stick around. I remember a blog post from a marketing firm saying they lost 40% of retainer clients after the first month and had to chase payments for the rest. That 10 hour floor probably weeded out the people who weren't serious from the start, which is worth its weight in gold. Have you found that the minimum changed who actually hired you?
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