Getting Retainer Clients as a Freelancer

When you offer retained services, your income will be more predictable and stable, and you won't need to constantly generate new business.

Running a business purely on one-and-done services can get pretty exhausting. You constantly have to find new clients, which can be tough, especially if you don't enjoy sales and marketing.

That's why it's a good idea to offer some type of retained service. Your income will be more predictable and stable, and you won't need to constantly generate new business.

If you don't already offer a retainer service, think about what you could offer on an ongoing basis (and if you need help figuring out what you could offer, book 90-minutes with me and we'll create a strategy together).

Approach existing or past clients

Start with people who have already invested in your services. It's easier to sell to people who already know you, like you and trust you, especially if you exceeded their expectations the first time around.

Even if they aren't interested in your retained services, they might happily recommend you to someone who is.

Offer a foot-in-the-door product or service

Not everyone is comfortable committing to an ongoing service straight away, so offer a "foot-in-the-door" product or service first.

Start with a problem your ideal clients commonly face and offer the solution. Once you have solved that problem, you can then talk to them about other ways you can help them on an ongoing basis.

Provide different options

Depending what you offer, you could have different service levels, packages or tiers to suit different needs and budgets. But don't just create packages for the sake of it. Think about what clients might actually need (and what you can realistically deliver).

And don't create too many options, as you'll make it too confusing or overwhelming.

Create tailored packages

If set packages don't work for you, you can offer bespoke retainer services based on the kind of support each client will benefit from most.

This can work well if the client has very specific needs or budget constraints, as you can tailor the package to them. But make sure it works for you as well. You don't want to commit to something that drains all your energy or gives you very little return on your time.

Don't fill all your time with retained work

It might sound like a good idea to fill all your available work-time with retained work, but this will actually limit you. You could miss out on great projects because you don't have any capacity. And if you have an emergency and can't work for a week, you'll have a lot of work backed up.

Find a balance between retainer clients and ad-hoc projects, so you don't limit your earning capacity or burn yourself out.

Don't get complacent

A retainer client could end their contract with you at any time. They might decide they are no longer happy with your work, or they might hire someone in-house to do what you do. They might not have the budget to pay you any more, they might be making huge changes to their business, or they might be winding up the business (out of choice or necessity).

So don't get complacent. Always deliver a great service, communicate with your clients and be dependable. And keep on top of your marketing. Even if you aren't actively seeking more work, you should be visible to your ideal clients so you aren't starting from scratch if a retainer client ends their contract with you.

Don't rely on one client for more than 30% of your income

This isn't a hard and fast rule (more of a recommendation), but it's risky relying on one or two clients for large proportions of your income. If you only have three clients, each making up 30-40% of your income, and you suddenly lose two, you have a big gap to plug.

So while it's tempting to keep taking more and more work from one client, be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket. And, again, make sure you stay consistent with your marketing.

Make sure your marketing attracts the right people

The last thing you want is retainer clients who are a nightmare to work with so make sure your marketing attracts the right kind of people. And if you need help with that, book a 90-minute starter session with me.