Why Retainers Matter Now More Than Ever
What’s inside the Retainer eBook?
- Understanding Retainers: Learn why retainers offer more than monthly billing—they’re strategic partnerships that drive stability and client trust.
- Choosing the Right Retainer Model: Explore the pros and cons of time-based, deliverables-based, and hybrid retainers—so you can pick the right structure for every client.
- How to Pitch & Onboard Without the Awkwardness: From positioning and pricing to overcoming objections and setting expectations—get the tools to sell retainers confidently.
- Managing Like a Pro: Discover how to prevent scope creep, track profitability, and deliver consistently with the help of FunctionFox’s time-tracking tools.
- Scaling Smart: Set your agency up to grow by standardizing what matters, building retainer-ready teams, and tracking performance metrics that matter.
- Keeping Retainers Fresh: Learn how to evolve your retainer offerings, prevent stagnation, and re-energize long-term relationships through strategic check-ins and modular services.
- Why Retainers Benefit Clients, Too: Retainers don’t just help agencies—they also give clients predictability, faster turnaround, brand consistency, and priority access.
Build Revenue Stability and Stronger Client Relationships
Creative agencies are no strangers to the feast-or-famine cycle. One month, you’re slammed with last-minute deliverables, and the next, you’re chasing leads and refreshing your inbox, hoping a past client circles back. It’s not just exhausting—it’s unsustainable. Retainers offer a smarter path forward. They transform your business from reactive to proactive, giving you the structure and consistency to plan ahead with confidence.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to break free from one-off project chaos and step into a more reliable, relationship-driven model. Learn how to shift from simply being a creative vendor to becoming a strategic partner—one that your clients rely on month after month.
When your agency operates on retainer-based relationships, you’re no longer guessing what work is coming in. You’re forecasting revenue, improving resource planning, and deepening your client relationships in the process.
Inside the guide, you’ll explore how to structure retainer offerings that actually work—for you and your clients. We break down the key differences between time-based, deliverables-based, and hybrid models so you can choose the right fit for every engagement. You’ll also learn how to set clear boundaries that prevent scope creep, create smooth onboarding processes, and track profitability with confidence.
We know that implementing retainers successfully means more than just pricing differently—it’s about mindset, systems, and trust. That’s why this guide also covers how to build repeatable internal processes, train your team, and leverage tools like FunctionFox to manage time, communication, and deliverables at scale.
And we don’t stop there. You’ll also learn how to keep long-term relationships fresh and exciting by evolving your offerings, suggesting new strategies, and positioning your agency as an indispensable part of your client’s business growth.
Whether you’re brand new to retainers, trying to fix an inconsistent approach, or looking to scale a successful model, this guide gives you the actionable insights and strategies you need to succeed.
Download your copy now to start building a more stable, profitable, and client-loved agency—one that grows with clarity instead of chaos.
Check out FunctionFox’s Results
Blackbox
Absolutely love the tech and the team at FunctionFox. They go above and beyond to make sure it’s doing exactly what you need it to do. Our org manages over 400 projects a year and there’s NO WAY we could do it without our FunctionFox!
Melissa Elliott
PR Works
A good time-tracking system will make you money, not cost you money. I run a small PR company. I’ve been using FunctionFox for nearly 11 years and have been extremely pleased. It’s invaluable for client reports.
Joseph Feeks
Darnauer Group, LLC
I’ve been using FunctionFox’s time tracking and reporting system for my boutique PR Agency for nearly 20 years. It’s an impressive platform and I’ve been very happy with the performance and the customer service.
Jeanette Darnauer
Zoup Creative
I have been very impressed with the FunctionFox staff and their project management software from the very beginning of the process. The sales rep. was very knowledgeable and explained the features and benefits very clearly.
Claude Benoit
Beauly Station Ltd
Great product. My partner had used FunctionFox in a previous company and found it useful. We found it much easier to use than alternative products we used elsewhere so returned to Function Fox as soon as we had the opportunity.
Jane Cumming
Norton Engineering Consultants Inc.
This software has helped us stay on top of billable time & streamlined our billing process as well as helped with keeping on top of budgets.
Donna Vizzuso
Memorial Health System
The best thing about FunctionFox is how it has transformed our previously chaotic process into an organized one, and made it quick and easy to retrieve data all while helping us track our time and ensure we are completing each request.
Amy Hockenbrocht
Glue Inc.
Very easy to pull reports of timesheets and associated fees in order to understand actuals, and use these in preparing invoices. FunctionFox is so much easier than doing timesheets manually!
Tim Morawetz
Senpai Consulting Kft.
Best choice for marketing agencies. We are using almost every part of the software. FunctionFox is perfect for agencies, their staff, and their contractors. CEOs can easily see through the global situation and details of each client.
Nebojsa Damjanovich
OddOnes Interactive + Design
FunctionFox has allowed my company to track and invoice for hourly work that “slipped through the cracks” in the past; my billable hours have nearly doubled since I started using the product. FunctionFox helps you get paid for your work. All of it.
Shauna Stafford
EXL Media
The biggest benefit we have realized over the years is when we are spending too much time on an account or project, if we need to raise our fees we have reports we can provide to clients to show how much time we are spending on their account, etc.
Aera Neumann
Cazayoux Creative
When deciding on project management and time tracking software a few years ago, I did a ton (I mean hours) of research and and FunctionFox has been perfect for our needs.
Kylee Lewis
Ashton Design
It won’t make you lunch, but it does everything else. The reporting gives us insight into areas we need to improve or quote differently. FF provides us with a big picture view of our workload along with the granular data for digging into the details.
Ashton Design
Genesco Sports Enterprises
Our company has 125 employees who use this to track time against retainers and projects. One employee has used several different systems on various projects and remarked this is by far the best one she’s used “it makes life so much easier”
Doug Lynch
Iris Creative
Early adopter – ongoing lover. Its easy to learn and use. Its perfect for our needs. There’s really nothing I don’t like. This company has had stellar customer service since day one.
Beth Brodovsky
TriAd Inc
FunctionFox is a project Management software that is simple to use and is straightforward. It offers excellent reporting capabilities and we’ve never had difficulty using this tool. We highly suggest this system.
Elliott Benzle
Cloud 9 Design LLC
FunctionFox has revolutionized my time tracking and billing process. It has become such a vital part of my work process that I have it open all day, every day as I work to track my work time and review project priorities for the day/week.
Ashley Grisham
Designworks Group Pty Ltd
Best time tracking software by far! Super easy to use. You just start using it, simple. Great reporting features. CEO desktop provides a great snapshot of all customers and project status.
Warren Schroder
Holy Cow Communication Design
Couldn’t do without this product. Easy to use, tier access to functionalities, quick and trackable time, job costs and invoicing. FunctionFox has been part of our business for over 20 years.
Julie Coward
Elevate Consulting
Smooth and simple! It is friction-free and fast when logging in, has an intuitive dashboard that only took a few minutes to master, and is reliable and available in the cloud. Works equally well on mobile devices and my desktop, too. FunctionFox is an amazing product to use as a consultant- tracking and reporting my hours is so much smoother and simpler than the other products I’ve had to use previously!
Kate Fagan Taylor
Paper Investigator Inc
What a great product, it’s simple, it works well, and has never failed to do what we need. I felt taken-care of the entire onboarding process. I highly recommend this for time-tracking.
Jaydra Perfetti
Lukas Byorth
The product is easy to use, with a lot of features. Was easy to learn due to the responsiveness of the team members and built in support. Couldn’t recommend it more.
Lukas Byorth
Cleveland Design
We have used FunctionFox for over 12 years, so that basically says it all. They have always been responsive to suggestions to better the product, and implemented change or fixes in a timely fashion.
Lynn McNamee
Scope Architectural Consulting, PLLC
We’ve tried Trello, ASANA, and a few other programs that are out there, however, FF has been hands down a better option with greater utility and functionality. I’d give them 10 stars if it were an option.
Jimmy Pitsiniagas
Tom, Dick & Harry Creative Co
Great! The customer service alone is worth the price we pay, we are always treated so well, and the team goes above and beyond to solve any questions/issues we run across!
Margaret Maxstadt
Communication Infrastructure Group, LLC
We’ve Used FunctionFox for Years! Honestly, we couldn’t function well without it!
Terri Atmore
SkyeLine Studio
I’ve been with FunctionFox for almost 20 years, which should speak for itself. It’s great software with nearly 100% uptime. They also have excellent customer service.
Jim DeMicco
Elevate Consulting
Smooth and simple! Its intuitive dashboard only took a few minutes to master, and is reliable and available in the cloud. Tracking and reporting my hours is so much smoother and simpler than with other products I’ve used!
Kate Fagan Taylor
Tom, Dick, and Harry Creative Co
Great! Customer service alone is worth the price we pay, we are always treated so well, and the team goes above and beyond to solve any questions/issue we run across.
Margaret Maxstadt
SkyLine Studio
I’ve been with FunctionFox for almost 20 years, which should speak for itself. It’s a great software with nearly 100% uptime. They also have excellent customer service.