How to turn hourly clients into retainer clients

As a solo consultant, fractional, or freelancer this is the way stabilize your revenue and establish yourself as partner who delivers true value.

There are 3 primary pricing strategies for consultants & freelancers: hourly, project-based, and retainer. I posted last week about the differences of both consulting frameworks and pricing models, but today I want to focus specifically on closing retainer-based deals or moving existing clients to that model.

Let’s make sure we are clear on what a retainer model/retained fee is. A company hires you for a certain number of days or hours per month for a set fee. You are reserving that time for that client and thus get paid whether you work the full hours or not. This is extremely important language to include in the scope and contract, by the way!

I want to give you the plays for two scenarios – an existing client and a new one.

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Existing Clients

You’ve been working with this client on an hourly basis and they want you to do more work. How do you propose a new pricing model without them banking?

1. Acknowledge the transition

   • Use language like: “This is my current hourly rate, but I typically work on a retainer model for clients who need ongoing support.”

   • This frames hourly as the exception, not the rule.

2. Anchor to value, not hours

   • Instead of focusing on how many hours you’ll work, frame the retainer around the outcomes you’ll drive.

   • Example: “What we’re really solving here is [insert the cost of the problem], so let’s structure this in a way that ensures you have consistent support to hit that goal.”

3. Propose a minimum commitment

   • Offer a baseline of hours (say 20 hours/month) at a flat fee, with additional hours billed at your hourly rate.

   • This helps reduce risk for them while locking in predictable revenue for you.

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New Clients