Why You Should Pitch Retainer Agreements - RD255

<h2>Do you pitch retainer agreements to your clients?</h2> <p>In the <a href= "https://resourcefuldesigner.com/community">Resourceful Designer Community</a> Slack group, we have a channel called #Bragging-Rights. It’s a place where community members share their most recent wins. Things like Katie telling us her client approved the logo she asked us to critique a few weeks ago. Or Brian sharing the completion of a huge website project with an extremely tight deadline. Or Mike sharing yet another signed design proposal.</p> <p class="p1">Whether it’s landing a new client or having their design business showcased in a magazine, everyone in the Community is genuinely happy for the person sharing the good news. That’s what being part of a community is.</p> <p class="p1">But nothing seems to garner more congratulations than when someone says they’ve landed a new retainer client. We don’t even have to know the details. The fact that it’s a retainer client is huge and worth celebrating on its own.</p> <p class="p1">You see, having a <a href= "https://resourcefuldesigner.com/episode32">client on retainer</a> is considered the pinnacle of client acquisition.</p> <h2 class="p1">What is a retainer agreement?</h2> <p class="p1">So what does having a client on retainer mean?</p> <ul> <li class="p1">It means guaranteed work.</li> <li class="p1">It means guaranteed income.</li> <li class="p1">It means a fixed schedule.</li> <li class="p1">And most importantly, it means better clients that you can create long-lasting relationships.</li> </ul> <p class="p1">A retainer means your client pays you in advance, regularly, in exchange for whatever work you outlined in the retainer agreement.</p> <p class="p1">You see. One of the drawbacks of being a <a href= "https://resourcefuldesigner.com/episode17">freelance designer</a> is the unpredictability of income. You don’t work a 9-5 at a set hourly rate. Nor are you working in a salaried position with a guaranteed income. There’s no predictable paycheck arriving on a fixed schedule. That’s