One of the biggest mistakes agency owners make is charging for work instead of charging for growth.
I only take on clients using a percentage-based model.
Why?
Because I make more only if they make more.
And I want more.
That means my incentives are perfectly aligned with the client’s.
If the client wins…
I win.
If the client grows…
I grow.
If the client stalls…
I feel it too.
Most agencies get paid whether the client succeeds or not.
Monthly retainer.
Monthly invoice.
Same paycheck.
That’s backwards.
When you’re paid a percentage of the revenue you help generate, everything changes.
You stop obsessing over tasks.
You stop obsessing over reports.
You stop obsessing over vanity metrics.
You become obsessed with one thing:
Growing the client’s business.
I explain this to prospects all the time.
You should WANT your agency compensated this way.
Why?
Because now everyone on the team is motivated by the same outcome.
My sales team.
My account managers.
My fulfillment team.
Everyone makes more when the client makes more.
That creates a completely different level of effort.
People start looking for opportunities outside the original scope.
Ways to increase conversions.
Ways to improve follow-up.
Ways to improve offers.
Ways to increase retention.
Ways to generate referrals.
Ways to squeeze more revenue out of every lead.
Because every dollar we help create benefits everyone involved.
That’s how real partnerships work.
Not vendor relationships.
Partnerships.
The best clients I’ve ever had understood this immediately.
They didn’t want an agency.
They wanted a growth partner.
And growth partners should get paid when growth happens.
Simple.