Struggling to Land Retainer Clients? Here’s What Works

You're tired of the project-to-project grind. Every month starts at zero revenue. You're constantly chasing new work, sending proposals, and following up. One good month is followed by a terrible month because you were too busy delivering to sell.

You know, retainer clients would solve this. Predictable monthly revenue, deeper relationships, less sales hustle. But how do you actually land them?

Most advice on this topic is either too vague ("provide value!") or too tactical without strategy ("send this email template!"). Let's talk about what actually works, from positioning to pricing to the conversations that convert.

Why Retainers Feel Impossible

Let's start with why this feels so hard, because understanding the barriers helps you overcome them.

You're positioning wrong. If clients see you as a vendor who translates stuff when they need it, they're not thinking retainer. They're thinking transactional. The positioning work needs to happen before you ever bring up retainers.

You're targeting the wrong clients. Not every client needs a retainer. If they translate something twice a year, a retainer makes no sense for them. You need clients with ongoing, predictable translation needs.

You're not making it easy. Retainers require commitment. If you're not clearly articulating what they get, why it matters, and how it works, it feels like risk rather than value.

You're bringing it up too early. Asking for a retainer before you've proven value is like asking for marriage on the second date. You need to earn the relationship first.

You're scared to ask. This is real. Asking for a retainer feels like asking for a big commitment, and rejection stings. So you hint at it or wait for clients to suggest it (they won't).

All of these are fixable. But you need to approach retainers strategically, not hopefully.

Who Actually Needs Retainers

Before you pitch retainers to everyone, get clear on who they actually make sense for.

• Companies with ongoing content production. SaaS companies are releasing features monthly. E-commerce businesses are constantly updating product descriptions. Content marketing teams publish regular blog posts. These businesses have predictable, recurring translation needs.
• Businesses expanding internationally. If a company is actively growing in new markets, they need consistent translation support. Website updates, marketing campaigns, customer support materials, it's ongoing work.
• Regulated industries with compliance requirements. Medical device companies, pharmaceutical firms, financial services, they have regular regulatory documentation that needs translation. This work doesn't stop.
• Companies with customer-facing teams abroad. If they're running customer support, sales, or marketing teams in multiple languages, they need ongoing translation for internal communications, training materials, and customer resources.
• Brands that take localization seriously. Companies that understand localized content isn't a one-time project, it's an ongoing initiative. These are your ideal retainer clients.

Notice what all these have in common? Ongoing needs, not one-off projects. If you're trying to sell retainers to companies that translate their annual report once a year, you're barking up the wrong tree.

The Positioning That Opens Retainer Conversations

You can't sell retainers if clients see you as a "translation vendor." You need to be seen as a strategic partner in their international growth.

This starts with how you talk about your work. Instead of "we provide translation services," try "we help SaaS companies scale internationally without the localization bottleneck."

See the difference? One is a commodity service. The other is solving a business problem.

When you're in conversations with potential retainer clients, you need to demonstrate you understand their business, not just translation:

"It sounds like you're launching features every three weeks and trying to get translated versions live simultaneously. The back-and-forth of getting quotes, approving each project individually, and managing one-off deliveries is probably slowing you down. What if we structured this differently?"

You're not pitching retainers yet. You're identifying the business problem that retainers solve: the friction of transactional project management when you have ongoing needs.

The Proof-of-Value Period

Here's the truth: most retainer clients don't start as retainer clients. They start as project clients who you convert after proving value.

This is actually good news. It means you don't need to close retainers in the first conversation (which is hard). You need to get the first project, deliver incredibly well, and then transition to retainer.

The proof-of-value period typically looks like this:

Month 1-2: First project. Deliver excellent work, on time, with minimal client effort required. Over-communicate. Be responsive. Show them working with you is easy.

Month 2-3: Repeat projects. They come back because the first experience was good. Each project reinforces you're reliable, you understand their needs, and you make their life easier.

Month 3-4: Identify patterns. By now, you've seen their translation needs up close. Maybe they're translating website updates every month. Or product documentation quarterly. Or marketing campaigns ongoing.

Month 4-5: Retainer conversation. Now you have data and relationship capital to suggest a better way.

Trying to skip to retainer without this foundation rarely works. Clients need to trust you first, and trust comes from delivery.

The Retainer Conversation That Actually Works

When the time is right, here's how to bring up retainers without being pushy:

Start with observation: "I've noticed we're working together pretty consistently, looks like you're translating website updates at least once a month, plus occasional marketing materials."

Identify the friction: "I'm guessing the quote/approval/invoice cycle for each project adds administrative overhead on your end. And from my side, scheduling your work around other clients means we can't always prioritize you when you need fast turnaround."

Present the solution: "What if we structured this as a monthly retainer? You'd get X hours of translation capacity reserved exclusively for you, priority scheduling, and simplified billing. No quotes for every little update, no fighting for translator availability."

Frame the benefit: "Basically, we become an extension of your team with predictable capacity and pricing, instead of treating each update like a new negotiation."

Make it easy: "We could start with a three-month commitment to see how it works, and adjust from there based on your actual usage."

Notice what you're doing? You're solving a problem they have (administrative friction, unpredictable availability), not asking them to commit to something that benefits only you.

Structuring Retainers That Actually Work

There are a few common retainer models. Pick the one that fits your client's needs.

1. Hours-based retainer: Client pays for X hours of translation work per month at a discounted rate. Unused hours roll over for 1-2 months. This works when volume is somewhat unpredictable but clearly ongoing.
2. Word-count retainer: Client commits to X words per month at a set rate. Similar to hours, but with more predictable capacity planning.
3. Scope-based retainer: Client gets specific deliverables included (e.g., website updates, monthly blog posts, product descriptions for new items). Works when their needs are consistent and defined.
4. Hybrid retainer: A base monthly fee covers project management, priority access, and a certain amount of work, with overflow charged separately. This is common for clients with unpredictable but definitely ongoing needs.

Pricing retainers usually involves a slight discount from your project rates (10-20%) in exchange for commitment and predictability. But don't undervalue yourself; the predictability is valuable to you, but so is the priority access to you valuable to them.

The key is making sure the retainer structure matches their actual usage patterns. If they need 5,000 words one month and 500 the next, a strict monthly word count doesn't work. Build in flexibility.

Common Objections and How to Handle Them

"What if we don't use all the hours?" "We can structure it with rollover, unused hours carry forward for up to two months. That way you're never losing capacity, and we both get the benefit of predictability."

"We can't commit to a specific volume." "Totally understand. What if we base the retainer on your average usage over the past few months, with flexibility to adjust quarterly based on actual needs?"

"Can we just continue as-is on a project basis?" "Of course, I'm not trying to force something that doesn't make sense. I suggested this because I thought it might solve the scheduling friction we've both experienced. But if the current approach works for you, we can definitely continue that way."

"This feels like a big commitment." "I hear you. What if we start with a three-month pilot? That gives both of us time to see if this structure works better than project-by-project, with no long-term obligation."

"Your retainer rate isn't much different from project rates." "The value isn't just the rate, it's the reserved capacity and priority service. When you need something translated, you're not waiting for me to fit you into the schedule between other clients. You have guaranteed availability."

The key is making retainers feel like a win-win, not you trying to lock them into something.

What to Include That Makes Retainers Irresistible

Beyond just translation capacity, here's what makes retainer packages compelling:

• Priority scheduling. Retainer clients get first dibs on translator availability. Rush project? You're handled before non-retainer clients.
• Simplified billing. One invoice per month, regardless of how many individual updates or projects happened. This alone saves clients administrative headaches.
• Dedicated PM attention. They're not just another project in the queue, they get consistent point-of-contact and proactive communication.
• Faster turnaround. Because you've reserved capacity, you can commit to faster standard turnarounds than you'd offer for one-off projects.
• Glossary and style guide maintenance. As part of the retainer, you proactively maintain and update their terminology and style preferences. This ensures consistency without them managing it.
• Regular strategic check-ins. Monthly or quarterly calls to review what's working, what's not, and how to optimize their localization approach. This positions you as a partner, not just a service provider.

Using tools like Awtomated can help you manage these benefits efficiently, priority scheduling, attached glossaries, automated updates, so retainer clients genuinely get a better experience without you drowning in administrative work.

How to Actually Grow a Retainer-Based Business

Landing your first retainer client is exciting. Building a business on retainers requires strategy.

Target industries with ongoing needs. Don't spray and pray. Focus on sectors where retainers make sense: SaaS, e-commerce, regulated industries, international brands.

Optimize your onboarding. The first month of a retainer is critical. Over-deliver. Be exceptionally responsive. Show them immediately why this model is better.

Track and share usage. Send monthly reports showing how they used their retainer hours/words. This keeps the value visible and helps them see they're getting what they pay for.

Proactively suggest optimization. If you notice they're consistently under or over their retainer capacity, suggest adjustments. This shows you're paying attention and optimizing for their actual needs.

Build in growth potential. As clients scale internationally, they'll need more capacity. Structure retainers to accommodate growth, maybe tiered levels they can move between.

Make renewals easy. Auto-renewal with 30-day opt-out notice removes friction. Most clients will continue as long as the value is there.

Leverage technology. Managing multiple retainer clients without good systems becomes chaos fast. Project management platforms designed for LSPs (like Awtomated) help you track retainer usage, automate reporting, and ensure retainer clients genuinely get priority treatment without manual effort.

The Revenue Transformation

Here's what happens when you successfully build a retainer-based book of business:

1. Predictable revenue. You know what's coming in next month before the month starts. This changes everything about how you run the business, hiring decisions, capacity planning, and financial stability.
2. Better cash flow. Retainers are typically paid at the beginning of the month. No more waiting 30-60 days for project invoices to be paid.
3. Less sales effort. Once you have a solid base of retainer clients, you're spending way less time constantly hunting for the next project. You can be more selective about new business.
4. Deeper relationships. Retainer clients stick around longer. You build actual partnerships instead of transactional vendor relationships. This leads to referrals and expansion opportunities.
5. Premium positioning. When you're not desperate for every project, you can charge appropriately and walk away from bad-fit clients. Retainers enable better business decisions.
6. Easier scaling. Predictable revenue makes it easier to hire, invest in technology, and plan for growth. You're building a business, not just managing a freelance operation.

The Bottom Line

Retainer clients don't fall from the sky. You have to position for them, target the right prospects, prove value, and make the ask.

But once you build a retainer-based business model, the transformation is remarkable. You go from month-to-month hustle to predictable growth. From vendor to partner. From project manager to strategic advisor.

Start with your best current clients. The ones who come back consistently. The ones you've proven value to. Have the conversation. Structure something that makes sense for their needs. Start with a pilot.

Most LSPs never try because they assume retainers are for "bigger agencies" or they're afraid to ask. But are the agencies building sustainable, profitable businesses? They're the ones who figured out how to transition from transactional projects to strategic partnerships.

Your business will never be truly stable running project-to-project. But three to five solid retainer clients? That's a foundation you can build on.

So stop waiting for the perfect moment. Pick one client this week who's a good fit, and have the conversation. The worst they say is no, and you're exactly where you are now. The best they say is yes, and your entire business model just shifted.