How to bill clients as a marketing consultant

Marketing work has a rhythm: a meaty strategy phase up front, then steady monthly retainer work, then the inevitable “can we also…” that bolts on mid-engagement. Fee-Lion lets you bill each beat the way it actually happens — deposit on the strategy, recurring retainer for the ongoing work, and clean surcharges when scope grows — so you’re paid on time without chasing.

Front-load the strategy phase with a deposit

The discovery and strategy phase is where you do your heaviest thinking, so it deserves money on the table before kickoff. Build it as an estimate and collect a deposit the moment the client approves.

1. From the Estimates sidebar, create a new estimate for the client and add your strategy work as task line items (hours × rate) — audit, positioning, channel plan.
2. Set a deposit % on the estimate so a slice is due on approval. Want every estimate to default this way? Set it once at Settings → Preferences under your deposit defaults.
3. Send it. The client approves in the magic-link portal — no login — and pays the deposit by card straight into your own Stripe.
4. One click converts the approved estimate into an invoice (or a project) so the strategy work is already tracked and billed.

Tip: A 50% deposit on the strategy phase is common for consultants — it covers your thinking time and filters out tire-kickers. Not sure what number to use? See how much deposit should I ask for.

Put the retainer on autopilot

Once strategy ships, the relationship usually settles into a monthly retainer. Don’t redraft an invoice every month — let it send itself.

• From Invoices, set up a recurring invoice for the monthly retainer amount on a monthly cadence.
• Invite the client to turn on auto-pay so each month’s invoice charges their card automatically — money lands in your Stripe without a single reminder.
• Track the hours you actually spend with time tracking, then bill any overage above the retainer to that month’s invoice.

This is the heart of consultant cash flow: predictable revenue you can plan around. Walk through it end to end in set up a monthly retainer with recurring invoices.

Handle scope changes with surcharges and discounts

Marketing scope creeps — a surprise landing page, an extra campaign, a rush deadline. Instead of awkward side conversations, price the change right on the estimate so the client sees and approves it.

1. Open the estimate (or build a small change-order estimate) and add a surcharge line for the added scope or rush work.
2. Need to sweeten a longer commitment? Add a discount line for a quarterly prepay or multi-month retainer.
3. Use fee or unit line items (qty × rate) for fixed deliverables like ad creatives or blog posts, and let the tax defaults apply automatically.
4. Send the revised estimate; once the client approves it in the portal, convert it to an invoice.

Tip: Keep your retainer and project invoices separate so reporting stays clean — tag invoices for reporting with labels like “retainer” or “project” and you’ll see exactly where your revenue comes from.

What’s next

• Set up a monthly retainer with recurring invoices
• Collect a deposit on an estimate
• Add discounts and surcharges to an estimate
• Connect Stripe to get paid