[consulting] Retainer Plans

[Sam Cohen]

Josh -- and anyone else,

Can you share how you structured your retainer program?

My biggest stuggle now is finding time for all my smaller clients who want
changes to their sites -- I'm finding it really hard to fit them in.  I'm at
the point where I have far more work than I can do and let's face it, the
big clients need to come first.

So, I've been thinking of offering smaller clients some type of retainer
program, where they buy so many hours a month.  This could also give me the
steady income to potentially take on an employee or regular freelance.

But I'm unclear how such a plan might work.  for instance, if they don't
have any changes, do they pay anyway?  Do hours rollover?  Do you schedule a
fixed time when you're available for them.

Thanks,
Sam

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 9:29 AM, Josh McCormack <josh at interactiveqa.com>wrote:

> On Wed, 2008-09-17 at 04:53 -0400, Michael Goldsmith wrote:
> > Another thing to consider, when thinking about how much a consultant
> > is
> > worth at a full time gig would be a "bulk discount" on your hours.
> > <snip>
>
> We started offering a retainer plan that was really buying hours in
> bulk, and it's been well received. We bill earlier, clients get a better
> rate (hours don't expire and can be used however needed), and it
> establishes longer term relationships that are almost quasi employee.
>
>
> -Josh McCormack
> Owner, InteractiveQA
> Social Network Development & QA testing
> http://www.interactiveqa.com
> 917.620.4902
>
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