I called retainer clients a scam for 3 years, then my crew lead quit and I signed two in a month
I swore retainers were just a way for agencies to charge for nothing, so for 3 years I bid every job hourly and ate the gaps when work dried up in February. Then my crew lead quit in March and I needed steady cash to keep payroll covered, so I pitched two property managers a flat monthly rate for touch-up work and both signed in a week, which basically saved my spring. For those running retainers, how do you handle the month where a client barely uses you and starts asking if they're overpaying?