I finally stopped pitching retainers first, after 11 years of doing it wrong
Sat down with a agency owner in Tampa named Dave who runs a 6 person shop, and he asked me how many retainers we pushed last quarter that actually renewed. I said maybe 3 out of 12. He just nodded and pulled up his own sheet, 9 out of 10, because he sells a $2,500 paid audit first and only pitches the retainer once the fixes prove out. That hit me hard. We've been leading with the $4k a month pitch for years and burning leads who weren't ready. Anyone else flip their offer ladder around like this, or am I late to the party?