Retainer
Twenty-five years ago
a
BIG management consulting firm hired me for my services for
$3,000.
I thought that was a fair amount until my client later
revealed to me that they had been paying their previous PR
firm $85,000 a month!
Not only was I stunned that he would tell me that just one
minute after our contract was signed, but I was humiliated
that I had undervalued my own worth just to have a big name
for a client. As a result the relationship started badly
and went downhill fast. The client was arrogant and
difficult, and expected an $85,000 campaign for his small
investment. Had I known how he would behave,
$85,000 would not have been enough. Now I don't undervalue
or overvalue my services' worth... and I don't accept every
client who comes along.
Before I determine what the retainer will be for the
assignment you bring me,
I will ask a lot of questions and I will expect answers
from you that will allow us to have
a good working relationship. The more we get along, the
better the results I will be able to achieve for you. If I
like you, respect you, admire you (you, meaning your
organization or corporation) the more I will want to see
you succeed and the more I will do to make that happen.
If I give you an estimate, it is usually
valid for no more than 30 days. That's to give you
enough time to make a decision, but not so much time that
you risk losing the opportunity to work with me. If the
estimate expires,
the new estimate is likely to be considerably more than the
first one. That's to teach you to
stop procrastinating.
If you want me to
write you a big, long, detailed proposal, a fee will be required.
If you then retain me for services,
the proposal fee will be applied as a deposit toward the
monthly retainer. If you don't retain me,
you will have received good value for your investment.
Retainers are accepted as check or PayPal payment
transaction. (You need not have a PayPal account to make a
payment.)
Checks should be made payable to
"Andrea Reynolds" and mailed to:
Andrea Reynolds, 2501 West 12th St., Suite 647, Erie PA
16505.
PayPal: consultant@AndreaReynolds.com