February 27, 2026

How I Handle Zombie Retainers

One of my private coaching students has been working with a client on retainer for a long time.

The monthly rate they’re paying is about a third of what he’s charging now.

Also, he has observed that they’re not really asking him to do anything and aren’t taking any of his advice, so he feels they’re not getting any value.

It’s what I call a Zombie Retainer.

If you’ve ever been in this situation, you might have noticed a weird paradox:

On the one hand, it’s basically free money, so why not keep taking it?
On the other hand, the money doesn’t adequately compensate for the awful feeling of “I’m cheating the client!”

So... what can you do in this situation?

I think the best option in most cases is to force the issue with a price increase.

Something like:

“The thing you hired me for at $X/mo — I don’t do anymore. I’ve continued doing it for you because we’ve been working together a long time, and you’re a good client. The thing I do now is more strategic, at $2X/month. I can keep working on the old basis for three more months, but then we need to switch.”

This either gets them to start using you at the higher rate or ends the relationship.

Either way, you are both better off.

Yours,

—J