Pay-for-performance is having a moment. AI made delivery cheap, so plenty of firms now say some version of "we only win when you win." Some of them mean it. Many are retainers wearing a costume, and the costume is good enough that you won't see the seams until the second invoice.
The way to tell is in the terms. Six of them do most of the work. For each one, here's what the costume looks like, what the real thing looks like, and our own answer, on the record, so you can hold us to it.
1. What counts as revenue you owe a share on
The costume: "revenue influenced by our work," "revenue in accounts we touched," or any phrase with the word "influenced" in it. That language lets the partner claim a share of deals your team was closing anyway.
The real thing: revenue that can be traced end to end in your CRM to something the engine did, with your existing customers and your existing pipeline carved out on day one.
Ours: traceable or it doesn't count. Baselined before we start. When it's ambiguous, it's yours. We'd rather under-claim than argue, and we've written out exactly where the line sits.
2. Who funds the media
The costume: a "performance fee" on top of ad spend you fund yourself, sometimes with a "platform fee" or "tech fee" layered on. The firm's downside is a few hours of labor. Yours is the whole media budget.
The real thing: the partner pays for the ads. If the campaigns don't produce, the money they lose is their own.
Ours: we fund the ad spend. It's the part of the deal that costs us real money, and it's the reason we're careful about which channels we run.
3. The floor
The costume: a "minimum monthly" or "base fee" of a few thousand dollars, described as covering costs. A base fee that's owed whether or not revenue shows up is a retainer. Calling it a floor doesn't change what it is.
The real thing: zero until revenue exists.
Ours: $0 up front and no minimums on the revenue-share path. Our first dollar arrives after yours does.
4. The term, and how it ends
The costume: an evergreen share that auto-renews, a share that keeps running on customers after the engagement ends, or a clawback if you leave early.
The real thing: a defined window with an agreed end date, and you keep the engine, the accounts, and the data when it closes.
Ours: revenue share runs on a defined term and stops on the date we agreed to. Equity is permanent by design, because that's what equity is, and you choose which shape fits. No auto-renew, no balloon clause, no penalty for outgrowing us.
5. Exclusivity, and which direction it points
The costume: you're exclusive to them. They're free to run the same playbook for your competitor next quarter.
The real thing: one company per market, in writing, binding on the partner.
Ours: we won't build the same engine for your competitor. Exclusivity isn't a perk we charge for. It's how we make sure our incentive points one direction.
6. What happens when it doesn't work
The costume: "we'll re-evaluate the strategy together," followed by an invoice for the base fee.
The real thing: they eat it.
Ours: on revenue share, you've paid nothing. The build and the media were our bet, and if we were wrong, that's our loss to absorb. We don't take deals we don't believe we'll earn, which is why we turn most of them down.
The whole thing on one card
| Term | The costume | The real thing |
|---|---|---|
| What counts | "Influenced" revenue | Traceable, baselined, ambiguity breaks your way |
| Media | You fund it, plus fees | They fund it |
| Floor | A "minimum" that's a retainer | $0 until revenue |
| Term | Evergreen, auto-renew, clawback | Defined end; you keep the engine |
| Exclusivity | Binds you, not them | One company per market, binds them |
| If it fails | "Re-evaluate," then invoice | Their loss |
You don't have to take our word for any of this. Put the six questions to anyone offering you a performance deal, including us, and watch which answers come fast. The ones that take a day to come back usually come back with a floor in them.