Regarding advisory retainers, here is the exact template I use for quotes.
Feel free to copy+paste and adjust as needed.
This is an advisory role, assisting with strategy and best practices without hands-on involvement. I will meet regularly with the team to review progress, answer any questions, and generally advise the team as needed.
In addition, a dedicated person will have unlimited 24/7 access to me via Slack and email. I return all messages no later than the next business day, although usually my response time is much quicker (particularly between 9am to 5pm EST, but also nights and weekends).
Topics that fall under this option include:
- Participation in an initial in-depth meeting to define long-term business goals, existing legacy systems architecture, and organizational challenges
- Regular meetings with the primary project contact to discuss strategy, longer-term issues, business goals and current challenges
- Strategic and tactical advice provided during ongoing meetings with team leaders. In addition, I’ll serve as a sounding board as they work to achieve their business and technical goals
- Providing implementation and rollout strategies
- Recommending Salesforce and 3rd party apps
Price: $10,000/month
The takeaway
This simple and straightforward quote can help unlock your true value. The wording is intentionally vague to allow for your discrepancy in determining the actual scope limits.