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Decide between a monthly retainer and hourly billing
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
A client offered a retainer. Estimate your monthly hours with the average of the last 3 months. Write exactly 2 numbered lines: 1) hourly = average hours x $90, 2) retainer = $3,000 ÷ average hours = effective hourly rate, each with the math, then one unnumbered last line: Take: retainer or hourly. Plain text, under 60 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not saying which months. The AI includes onboarding July or uses one month. Try: Add: "Use the average of Aug, Sep and Oct."
- Not asking to see the work. You'll want to compare the effective rate yourself. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Hourly: 28 x $90 = $2,520"
- Counting maybes. The AI adds the possible podcast hours. Try: Add: "Ignore unconfirmed work."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 14 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in your business notes. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Says which months
- Asks for effective rate
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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