Consulting sells advice, so define the output
The hardest thing about consulting contracts is that the product is often intangible. Anchor the agreement to things you can point at: a number of sessions, a written report, a workshop, a roadmap.
Pick a fee structure
- Hourly or daily: best for open-ended work; cap it or report hours weekly.
- Project fee: best for defined outcomes like an audit or strategy document.
- Retainer: ongoing access (see the retainer guide).
Clauses specific to consulting
- No guarantee of results: you advise, the client decides and implements.
- Confidentiality both ways.
- Non-solicitation kept narrow and short, if at all.
- Expenses: travel and tools, pre-approved above a threshold.
Templates
Consulting retainer, fractional CMO, brand strategy. Draft it now with Clinch: describe the job in a sentence, get a clean draft, send one link. Your client signs from their phone without an account, and the deposit is paid in the same step.