Ending well is part of the work. But not all projects end cleanly. 

Clients pause, priorities shift, and budgets dry up – sometimes without warning. 

And when it ends right in the middle of work, your calendar and cash flow take the hit. 

One bad experience with it can change your mind and make you think “maybe I need to add a kill fee in my contracts.”

While it feels like insurance, they’re not always the best way to build trust – or protect your business. 

Both of these tools are written into contracts to make sure indie consultants and fractional execs get paid for the sunk time if a client cancels.  

In some settings, they might be useful. 

But if you’re someone who banks on your flexibility, they create the wrong impression. 

Most people skip kill fees because they’re afraid to enforce them. 

I skip them because I don’t need them. And I have two great reasons for this. 

First, I believe that our advantage as independent consultants is our agility – and having a kill fee doesn’t reflect that. Clients hire us because we move quickly and step back when priorities shift.

Charging a kill fee quietly says, “my value ends when the project does.” But as consultants, our real value lies in how easily we pivot, pause, and redeploy value elsewhere. 

At Keenan Reid, we set the expectation of value differently. Instead of a kill fee, all of our contracts are set at a 15-day window – which means it’s cancelable for any reason within 15 days.

This way, we show that we’re agile. We make sure that our capabilities are a flexible way that clients can apply or peel back value into their organization.  

Second, after working for over a decade as an indie – I find that clients calling off an engagement right in the middle rarely ever happens. 

Even if they do, it means they have bigger problems they’re dealing with. I wouldn’t want to pile on that and potentially damage the relationship. 

The cost of maintaining a good relationship with that client is worth more than what I could get in a kill fee. 

Companies hire consultants for optionality – to apply expertise where it’s needed and peel it back when priorities change.  

But kill fees undermine that value.

When a client needs to end early, penalties won’t create that big of a leverage for you – but it will cause friction in the relationship you have with them. And friction at the end of an engagement makes people less likely to hire you again. 

If a client needs to pause, then treat that as part of the model – not a problem. 

Instead of kill fees, you need to make the exit smooth. You need to create a structure that’s still in the service of the relationships to those clients. 

Here’s what that looks like: 

Client budgets, needs, and priorities change quickly. And when it does, it’s almost always out of the direct client’s control.  

It’s usually a decision from finance or leadership, which means they can’t do anything else to move the project forward. In such cases, it’s important for us to continue being a partner – not an adversary.  

At Keenan Reid, we exit as cleanly and in the most valuable way possible to do what’s right for the client – we include a 15-day termination period in our contracts. 

This gives us the added benefit of building trust in the sales process. 

When clients know they can exit if the value doesn’t show up early, the decision to hire a consultant feels safer. That confidence reduces friction in the sales process and builds trust before the work even starts. 

Another reason why the 15-day termination period is so strategic is because it gives us enough time to plan for transition, organize all files, and pass the knowledge on to the new owners. 

Let me give you an example. 

We, unfortunately, had a client who ended an engagement a month early last year. With the extra 15 days, our consultants were able to pull all materials into a searchable file, meet every stakeholder, and share information. 

It left both us and the client team prepared before ending the engagement completely. 

And short notice periods aren’t only beneficial for clients – consultants also find it useful.  

For us at Keenan Reid, we’ve only ever had someone use this because there’s a true issue in their life – and providing them with an easy way to exit the agreement is a way for us to show support.

The window allowed us to find and bring in another consultant just as talented. 

While some are shorter, most consulting engagements last months at a time – which is why it’s better to build them in phases. 

Having multiple phases gives clients a specific time period by which they should realize value. From there, they can decide if the value is worthwhile to keep going or not. 

And I trust that you deliver great value, so use each opportunity as a point to build deeper trust. 

The job doesn’t end as soon as all the deliverables are turned over. Consultants still need to close strong and leave the door open for more opportunities with the same clients – or someone in the team. 

At Keenan Reid, we exit cleanly by doing these three things: 

Consultants who make it easy to work with them even when things change are more likely to succeed. 

When clients know they can leave freely, they’re more likely to stay – and return later. 

Because contracts aren’t about control. They’re about protection and clarity. 

Your clarity, flexibility, and passion to be of genuine service to others will keep you in business. 

Remember, the path to success is paved with continuous learning and embracing fresh perspectives.

Let's stay connected, share ideas, and elevate your consulting business.

Stay curious, friends.

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