retainer_downgrade_response_email
Write professional responses when retainer clients request reduced hours or scope. Choose to accommodate, retain, or pause the commitment to preserve the relationship.
Instructions
Write a professional response when a retainer client asks to reduce their commitment — fewer hours, a lower tier, or a scaled-back scope. One of the awkward conversations freelancers avoid, but handling it well keeps the relationship intact and sometimes reverses the decision. Three routes: 'accommodate' (accept the reduction professionally, confirm the new terms cleanly — use when the client's situation is clear and fighting it would cost more than the hours lost), 'retain' (make a measured case for keeping the current commitment — summarise the value delivered, flag transition costs, offer a short-term adjustment before a permanent change), 'pause' (propose a temporary pause instead of a permanent downgrade — protects the relationship and keeps the door open for a return to full scope). Required: client_name, reduction_request (what they asked for, e.g. 'halve the monthly hours', 'drop from 20 to 10 hours/month', 'pause for 60 days'). Optional: current_terms (e.g. '20 hours/month at $3,000'), proposed_terms (the reduced version they're asking for), retainer_name (project or retainer label), route (accommodate/retain/pause — defaults to accommodate), your_name. Does not count against your monthly draft limit.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| client_name | Yes | Client's first name | |
| reduction_request | Yes | What the client asked for (e.g. 'halve the monthly hours', 'drop from 20 to 10 hours/month', 'step back to the basic tier', 'pause for 60 days') | |
| current_terms | No | Optional: your current retainer terms (e.g. '20 hours/month at $3,000', '$2,500/month for ongoing support') | |
| proposed_terms | No | Optional: the reduced terms they're proposing (e.g. '10 hours/month', '$1,500/month', 'ad-hoc only') | |
| retainer_name | No | Optional: name of the retainer or ongoing engagement (e.g. 'the marketing retainer', 'our monthly support agreement') | |
| route | No | Optional: 'accommodate' (accept the change professionally — default), 'retain' (make a case for keeping the current scope), or 'pause' (propose a temporary pause instead of a permanent reduction) | |
| your_name | No | Optional: your name for the sign-off |