Price your services with a floor, real options and retainers that hold their shape
A complete pricing toolkit for freelancers, consultants and studios of 2 to 40 people: the method, the workbook, the forms and the exact words, in any currency and any country.
- A 10-chapter e-book on rate setting, value-based pricing, packages, productised services, retainers, discounts and price increases, with one composite freelancer's year running through it
- The Pricing and Retainer Workbook: 16 sheets including a floor calculator, service menu with margin, three-tier package builder, retainer model, client register, discount log, recurring revenue tracker, increase plan, win-rate analysis and two dashboards
- 4 fillable PDF forms and 6 Word templates, including 41 pricing messages and scripts, a rate card, a retainer agreement discussion sheet and 31 AI prompts
- A 7-sheet scenario simulator, a Start Here map, three cheat sheets including dated invoicing and late-payment notes by country, a 34-event calendar and a 29-task CSV
The Retainer and Pricing System · Bodhih Pro Kits · 211 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How should a freelancer set their rates?
Start with a floor: the pay you need after tax, plus overheads and a buffer, divided by the hours you can really bill. Then set a target rate above it using market evidence and your positioning, and price larger work by value with three options. The Retainer and Pricing System from Bodhih Training gives you the workbook, forms and scripts for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Price Freelance Services: Rates, Packages and Retainers.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Busy every week, short every month
The calendar is full and the invoices go out, yet the money never seems to catch up. Without a floor, it is impossible to tell which work is quietly losing you money.
Faster work, smaller invoices
Hourly billing turns every improvement in your skill into a discount for the client. The better you get, the less each job earns.
One price, one chance
A proposal with a single number gives the client two choices: yes or no. When budgets are tight, no is the easier answer.
Discounts given to fill a silence
Someone asks if you can do something on the price, the pause feels long, and a discount slips out. You only find out later what it really cost.
Old clients, old prices
Your longest-standing clients pay the least because raising prices feels awkward. Every year the gap grows.
Starting from zero every month
Without retainers or subscriptions, every month begins with an empty revenue line and another round of quoting and chasing.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the evening you finish the floor calculation. You type your pay target, overheads and real billable hours into the Settings sheet, and the Floor sheet shows the rate you must never go below. Two of your prices turn red. For the first time, you know exactly which work to change.
Now imagine the next enquiry. Instead of quoting hours, you open the value conversation planner, ask what the work is for and how the client will measure it, and write down their numbers. Two days later your proposal opens with their objective in their own words and offers three options, with the one you recommend in the middle.
Think about the client who has sent you hourly work almost every month this year. As you run their numbers through the simulator, you see the retainer side by side with today: steadier income for you, a fixed cost and priority for them, and clear limits on rollover and extra work. The offer email is already written in the library.
And at the end of the year, you block two hours for the annual review. Win rate, average deal, margin and recurring share are on the Dashboard. Whether you start with the workbook tonight or the e-book this weekend, every price you set from now on has a number behind it and a date to review it.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Retainer and Pricing System (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: pricing map
The whole pricing job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, a 30/60/90 day use plan and links to measure your starting point.
Pricing and Retainer Workbook
16-sheet workbook: settings, cost-plus floor calculator, service menu with margin and effective rate, three-tier package builder, retainer model with rollover and usage alerts, client pricing register, discount log, recurring revenue tracker, price increase plan, proposal log, performance by quarter and price band, and two dashboards with recurring-revenue and margin charts.
Retainer and Package Scenario Simulator
7-sheet simulator: hourly versus retainer for one client, break-even client loss for price increases, package mix and blended price, and the extra work a discount costs, with a summary chart.
Pricing floor and rate worksheet
Two-page fillable worksheet: work out the floor you never go below by hand, then set your target rate and positioning against the market.
Value conversation planner
Three-page fillable planner for discovery before proposal: prepare the questions, capture the business value in the client's words, and choose three options to propose.
Offer and retainer design sheet
Three-page fillable sheet: design a three-tier package or productised service, then scope a retainer with type, inclusions, rollover, minimum term and review rules.
Annual pricing review and price increase decision
Three-page fillable form: the yearly pricing review from your numbers, then a per-client price increase decision with timing, message and fallback.
Pricing message and script library
41 ready-to-edit messages and spoken scripts in 7 groups: value conversations, quoting, retainer offers, discount refusals, payment terms and late payment, scope boundaries and price increase letters.
Rate card, service menu and productised offer templates
Ready-to-send rate card and service menu with three-tier packages, plus four productised service description templates and a completed example.
Retainer agreement discussion sheet
Plain-words retainer terms to agree with your client and hand to your lawyer to formalise: type, inclusions, rollover, change orders, fees, payment, term, review and exit.
Pricing policy one-pager
One-page pricing policy a freelancer or small agency can adopt: floor, how prices are set, options, discounts, payment terms, scope, reviews and increases, and AI use.
Worked example pack: two clients to retainers and a rate rise
One freelancer's whole pricing overhaul shown completed: floor, service menu, value conversation, packages, two hourly clients moved to retainers, discount decisions, price increases and the year-end numbers.
AI prompt pack for pricing and retainers
31 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the pricing job, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the output.
Pricing model and retainer decision card
Which pricing model fits which work, twelve if-this-then-that moments, and the eight retainer rules.
Pricing mistakes to avoid
Fifteen pricing mistakes with what they cost and what to do instead, plus honest pricing psychology: what to use and what to avoid.
Invoicing, late payment and tax notes by country (October 2026)
Dated quick reference to late-payment rights, payment terms and tax registration points in the UK, EU, US, India, Australia and other markets, with what to check.
6-week pricing overhaul calendar
34 calendar events: a six-week pricing overhaul, weekly Friday checks, three quarterly pricing reviews and the annual review, each naming the file to open. Import into a new calendar and move to your dates.
Pricing overhaul task board
29 pricing tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with step, week, file to open and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 64 pages
- Workbooks
- 16-sheet pricing workbook and 7-sheet simulator, with sample data, formulas and charts
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Freelancers, independent consultants and studios of 2 to 40 people, in any country and currency
Busy Is Not the Same as Paid
Why being busy is not the same as being paid, and the eight-step pricing system in one loop.
Hourly Billing, the Ceiling and When It Still Fits
The four limits of hourly billing, when time-based pricing still fits, and how to audit what each service really earns.
The Floor: Your Never-Below Number
Pay, tax reserve, overheads, buffer and billable hours turned into the rate you never go below.
Market Rates, Positioning and Pricing Across Borders
Cost, market and value as three lenses, positioning that changes your market band, and pricing across countries and currencies.
Value-Based Pricing in Plain Words
Pricing in proportion to the client's result, when buyers accept it, and the discovery conversation that comes before any proposal.
Options, Packages and Honest Pricing Psychology
Three real options with one recommendation, anchoring and the decoy effect used honestly, and a rate card.
Productised Services and Subscriptions
Turning repeat work into fixed-scope offers and when a monthly subscription fits.
Retainers That Work
Access, capacity and deliverables retainers, the terms that keep them healthy, and moving an hourly client across.
Terms, Discounts and Saying No to Bad Deals
Deposits, payment terms and late payment in general terms, the true cost of discounts, negotiation and saying no.
Raising Prices with Existing Clients
Timing, notice, grandfathering, break-even loss and the exact words for a price increase.
Measuring Pricing, the Annual Review and AI as Your Analyst
Win rate, average deal, margin and recurring share, the annual pricing review, and AI as analyst rather than price-setter.
A Price You Can Say Out Loud
What you now have, the three habits to keep, and your first hour.
Pricing Formulas in Plain Words
Every formula used in the workbooks, in plain words.
Taxes, Invoicing and Contracts: Questions for Your Accountant and Lawyer
Fourteen questions to take to your accountant and lawyer.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Retainer and Pricing System: 10 chapters, 2 appendices and 6 hand-drawn figures (PDF)
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Pricing-Map: the pricing job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheets
- Pricing and Retainer Workbook (16 sheets): Start here, Settings, Floor, Services, Packages, Retainers, Clients, Discounts, Revenue, Monthly, Increases, Proposals, Performance, Win Rate by Price, Dashboard with 22 live measures and a recurring-revenue chart, and Margin View with a margin chart
- Retainer and Package Scenario Simulator (7 sheets): hourly versus retainer, break-even client loss for price increases, package mix and the extra work a discount costs
Fillable PDF forms
- Pricing floor and rate worksheet: your floor by hand, market evidence, positioning and target rate
- Value conversation planner: discovery questions, value in the client's words and three options
- Offer and retainer design sheet: three-tier packages, productised offers and retainer scoping
- Annual pricing review and price increase decision: yearly numbers, decisions and a per-client increase plan
Word templates
- Pricing message and script library: 41 messages and spoken scripts for value conversations, quotes, retainer offers, discount refusals, payment, scope and price increases
- Rate card, service menu and productised offer templates, with a completed example
- Retainer agreement discussion sheet in plain words, for your lawyer to formalise
- Pricing policy one-pager for a freelancer or studio
- Worked example pack: one freelancer moves two clients to retainers and raises rates
- AI prompt pack for pricing and retainers: 31 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Pricing model and retainer decision card
- Pricing mistakes to avoid, with honest pricing psychology
- Invoicing, late payment and tax notes by country, dated October 2026
Calendar and import
- 6-week pricing overhaul calendar (ICS): 34 events including quarterly and annual reviews, for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Pricing overhaul task board (CSV): 29 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Calculate the floor rate you never go below from your pay, tax reserve, overheads, buffer and real billable hours
- Set a target rate from market evidence and a clear positioning sentence
- Run a value conversation before you quote, and write proposals with three real options
- Turn repeat work into productised services with fixed scope, price and turnaround
- Choose the right retainer type and agree scope, rollover, minimum term and reviews
- Handle discount requests by trading scope or terms, using exact words
- Plan and send price increases with notice, grandfathering where it fits, and a fallback
- Track win rate, average deal, delivery margin and recurring share, and run a yearly pricing review
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Pricing & Discount Discipline
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentNegotiation & Value Creation
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentBusiness Arithmetic — %, Profit & Loss, Interest
Take the assessment →JobularySet goals you actually reach with the WOOP method (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 7
Brightline Health, a US digital health company, had sent Tanvi hourly work almost every month for a year: posts, newsletter edits, a launch email. Some months 9 hours, some months 18. Each month she quoted, tracked time, invoiced and waited. Each month Brightline's manager had to approve a different number. Both sides were working harder than they needed to. ## The idea A retainer is a monthly arrangement in which the client pays a fixed fee for an agreed service, usually with a minimum term. For you it brings predictable income and fewer sales conversations. For the client it brings priority, a fixed cost and a provider who knows their business. Retainers fail when the terms are vague. Almost every retainer horror story comes down to one of three things: nobody wrote down what was included, unused hours piled up, or the fee never changed while the work grew.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting a rate | Copy what others charge | A floor from your real costs and billable hours, then a target rate from market evidence and positioning |
| Proposals | One price, take it or leave it | A value conversation first, then three options with a recommendation |
| Retainers | A monthly fee and a hope | Three retainer types, rollover caps, change orders, minimum terms and reviews, modelled against hourly |
| Discounts | Given on the call | A discount log that shows the extra work each one costs, a policy and scripts for trading instead |
| Price increases | Avoided for years | A yearly review, break-even loss, notice dates and six letters for different situations |
| Measurement | A blank invoice list | Recurring share, win rate by price band, margin by quarter and client dependence on two dashboards |
| Countries and AI | One country assumed, AI not mentioned | Any currency, dated country notes, and an AI prompt pack with a human review rule |
Made for you if…
- Freelancers and independent consultants in design, writing, marketing, development, video and similar services
- Owners and operations leads of small agencies and studios with roughly 2 to 40 people
- Freelancers who bill by the hour and want to move steady clients onto retainers
- Anyone whose rates were set years ago and have never been reviewed
- Service providers selling across borders who need to think about currency, payment terms and tax questions
- People who give discounts to avoid awkward silences and want a better script
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone wanting tax, legal or financial advice: the kit teaches practice and points you to your accountant, lawyer and local rules, with country notes dated October 2026
- People just starting out and looking for their first clients: the AI Freelancer Launch Kit covers starting out; this kit assumes you already have paying work
- Teams preparing formal tenders: The Proposal and Tender Response Kit covers that ground
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Know your floor before the next client asks for your rate
Open the Start Here map, type your numbers into the Settings sheet and read your floor. Whether you begin with the workbook tonight or the value conversation planner at your next enquiry, the first hour is already planned.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
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The Agency Operations Kit
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The Proposal and Statement of Work Kit
Write clear proposals and scopes that protect you.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Retainer and Pricing System: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow much should I charge as a freelancer?
Start with your floor: the take-home pay you want, plus a tax reserve, overheads and a buffer, divided by the hours you can really bill. Then choose a target rate above it from market evidence and your positioning. The workbook calculates the floor and flags every service and client below it.
Is hourly billing a bad idea?
Not always. It fits work whose scope cannot be known, such as advice on demand or investigations, and some procurement systems require it. For defined work, fixed prices with options usually serve both sides better, because your growing speed is not penalised.
What is the difference between a retainer and a subscription?
A retainer is negotiated with one client: access, reserved capacity or defined deliverables each month, with its own limits. A subscription is a standard monthly product sold the same way to everyone. The kit covers both, with a design sheet, a simulator and terms to discuss with your lawyer.
How do I move a client from hourly to a retainer?
Look for clients who buy from you most months, model the retainer against their hourly history, pick one retainer type, write the inclusions, rollover and minimum term, then offer it with a short email and a call. The simulator, design sheet and library messages cover each step.
How do I raise my prices without losing clients?
Review each client yearly, give notice, keep agreed fees to the end of any minimum term, state the change without apologising, and offer a smaller scope if budget is tight. No method can guarantee a client stays, so the workbook shows break-even loss to help you size each increase.
How do I measure my starting point?
AssessAll offers assessments that match this kit: Pricing & Discount Discipline, Negotiation & Value Creation, and Business Arithmetic: %, Profit & Loss, Interest. Take one before you start and again after your first annual review. Links are on the Start Here map; they are separate products and not included.
How do I turn my pricing goals into a plan I follow?
Pick one or two pricing goals, such as raising your recurring share or reviewing every client this quarter, and plan for the obstacles. Jobulary's article on the WOOP method for professional goals explains a simple way to do that, and the link is on the Start Here map.
Does it work for agencies as well as solo freelancers?
Yes. The floor works from a whole team's costs and billable hours, delivery margin is tracked per service, package, retainer and proposal, and the pricing policy one-pager gives everyone who quotes the same rules. It suits studios of roughly 2 to 40 people.
Is this tax or legal advice for my country?
No. The kit is educational. It teaches pricing practice and keeps country specifics, such as late-payment rights and tax registration points, in one cheat sheet dated October 2026. Templates are starting points for your accountant and lawyer to check and formalise.
Which software do I need?
The workbooks open in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice and use no macros. The forms fill in Acrobat Reader and most PDF apps, the templates open in Word or Google Docs, the calendar imports into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and the CSV imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
What is the refund policy?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. The exceptions are corrupted files that are not fixed within 3 working days, duplicate charges, or failed delivery.
How much does The Retainer and Pricing System cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
