Retainer Reduction — 2026-03-09
Overview
During the [1], the team confirmed a decision by Mark to reduce the Flynn Audio retainer by 50% for two months. The reduction was a negotiated response to client Sam's complaint that service quality dropped while Karly was out and a different team member was covering the account.
Decision
Retainer reduced to 50% for two months.
Sam's original ask was to work for free for a couple of months. Mark countered by offering a half-price retainer while continuing to deliver the same scope of work.
"Mark said, we'll cut your retainer in half and continue to work the same, essentially, for these next couple of months." — Karly
The team acknowledged that Sam's complaint had some merit: emails were not consistently delivered during the coverage period.
Confirmed Scope of Work
To prevent scope creep during the reduced-rate period, Karly committed to sending a formal scope-of-work email to Sam. The agreed deliverables are:
- 1 monthly email
- 2 blog posts per month
- Website maintenance and updates
- Google Ads management and optimization
- Local SEO optimization (light)
Note: Social media posts are not included in this retainer.
Action Items
| Owner | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Karly | Email Sam to confirm the new scope of work for the reduced retainer period | Open |
Context & Risk Notes
- The retainer reduction is temporary (2 months). The team should track whether deliverables are being met so there is a clear record when the retainer resets.
- Scope creep is a flagged risk. Karly noted that even at reduced rates, clients at lower price points sometimes receive disproportionate attention. The scope email is intended to establish a clear boundary.
- Flynn's original contract may be in GoHighLevel rather than the shared folder — Karly noted the contract was not immediately findable. This should be located before the scope email is sent to ensure alignment with original terms.
Related
- [2]
- [3]