How to build data costs into your retainer
Work out what each contact really costs, add a buffer for losses, and price list-building into a retainer you can defend.
Data is the cost agencies tend to guess. Then a client asks for double the volume, and the margin disappears. A clear cost per contact fixes that, and lets you quote the same way every time.
Start with the cost per contact
In ContactYard, searching is free. You use one credit when you unlock a contact's email and phone together. Credits come with a monthly plan, so your cost per contact depends on how many you use.
| Plan | Price | Credits per month | Cost per 1,000 if you use them all |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $49 | 10,000 | $4.90 |
| Scale | $99 | 30,000 | $3.30 |
Unused credits carry forward for two billing months, so a quiet month doesn't have to be wasted.
Add a buffer for contacts you lose
Not every contact you unlock gets emailed. Some are removed as competitors or wrong titles. Some bounce and need a replacement. Add 15 to 25% to your contact count when you price.
Fictional client: 3,000 new contacts a month
- Contacts to email
- 3,000
- Buffer for removals and bounces (20%)
- 600
- Credits needed
- 3,600
- Cost at the Growth rate
- About $17.60
- Cost at the Scale rate
- About $11.90
That is the data line for one client. Compare it to your sending tools and your team's hours, which are almost always the bigger costs.
Three ways to charge for it
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle it into the retainer | Most clients. Simple to explain | Set a contact cap per month |
| Pass it through at cost | Clients who want to see every dollar | More invoices and more questions |
| Charge per contact above the cap | Clients who may ask for more volume | Agree the rate in writing before you start |
Tip: Bundling with a monthly contact cap works best. The client gets a clear number, and you get a limit to point to.
Quote before you sign
Because search is free, you can run the client's real filters, read the total and price the work on the same call. Check their market size first, so you only quote a campaign that can run for a year.
Common mistakes
- Pricing on the plan cost alone. A plan serves several clients. Split it by contacts used.
- Forgetting the buffer. Replacements are real contacts and cost real credits.
- No monthly cap. Without one, volume creeps up and nobody remembers agreeing to it.
What to do next
Show the client what they're getting for it: report list quality every week.
Keep reading
How to check a client's market size before you sign them
Count how many people a client can actually reach, for free, and work out how long that list will last.
How to report list quality to clients
A weekly report template covering list size, match rate, bounces and replies, so clients see the data work behind the results.
What cold outreach costs in month one
A realistic budget for your first month: domains, inboxes, sending tool, data and the weeks of warm-up before results.