TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
DURL wrote:
>
> Anybody out there willing to share a bit of info regarding
> retainer agreements with clients?
Retainers tend to keep your clients honest. However, there are some
clients who simply won't cooperate on that front.
A retainer up front does several things. (1) It establishes at least a
minimum value for your professional efforts to create a proposal and
initial documents like an outline and schedule. (2) It gives you
assurance for getting paid for at least some of your efforts, even if
the client changes his/her mind about what the project should include.
(3) Because the client has bought into the project with a retainer, the
client is more likely to negotiate with you about changes in scope,
direction, end-product, etc. In short, the client is not as likely to
shift direction suddenly without taking your part of things into
account.
Some clients have problems approaching a business deal this way, because
they're used to paying someone by the hour, on a 30-day (or more)
payables basis. That can be a problem, and you might approach it by
saying that you'll do a first project on an hourly basis, so they can
confirm your reliability, but that subsequent projects will be on a
retainer-plus-milestone basis, covered of course by weekly status
reports/time sheets showing what you've done to earn the money.
