Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

What Should A Retainer Not Include?

Posted by Anonymous on 6/20/2013 at 9:39 AM ET 125 Points
I have 3 clients on a retainer basis. 1 is local and 2 are 200miles away (I inherited them after leaving my full time employment.

Quarterly meet-ups with these clients are required for some face-to-face brain storming, especially in the early months of our relationship.

I give 10hours of retainer each month for each client.

A client visit will involve an all day meeting, probably an overnight stay, and a 300mile round trip.

How do I go about billing this reasonably?
Recharge the mileage or bill for travelling time?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Moriarty on 6/20/2013 at 1:37 PM Accepted
    Make sure that the advice you're giving is worth way more to them than the retainer's worth. If you're right, they'll stay. If they're a poor client, you're well rid of them.

    If your hourly rate is under $250 have a hard think why. My bet is if you aren't charging this, you should be.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 6/20/2013 at 6:14 PM Accepted
    One way to charge a client for car mileage and travelling time is to charge the IRS standard mileage rate (56.5 cents per mile) PLUS half your hourly billing rate. I recommend you just set a flat rate and incorporate it into your overall fee structure.
  • Posted on 6/28/2013 at 5:36 AM Author
    Thanks so much for the comments.
    I decided to offer a flat rate which was accepted.

    I'm just starting out with this....and its a worry to over-quote in the case that you don't get the business or cheese off a key account.
    Thanks!
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