Commercial model comparison
Compare owning the client relationship, packaging another firm’s service and referring the opportunity.
Your agency keeps the client and the strategy. We do the work under your name.
The short answer
In a white-label model, the agency keeps the client and another team works under its brand.
In a reseller model, the agency packages or resells another firm’s offer, with branding and communication varying by agreement. In a referral, the referred firm normally contracts with the client and pays or records the introduction.
These labels are often used loosely. The useful questions are who contracts, who sets the price, whose brand appears, who fulfils, who communicates and who carries a bad outcome.
Selected work
SEO · 64 months
ConfidentialOrganic work under the agency’s name. The client has never heard ours.
One engagement’s reported results, not a forecast.
Read the agency case“Partner” is not a commercial model. Name the contracting party, invoice issuer, brand, account owner, client-contact rule, work lead, data controller and transition path.
The more client responsibility the agency retains, the more its margin must cover strategy, account care, review and risk. A referral gives the agency less control because it carries less of the work.
If the referred firm will pitch, contract and cross-sell directly, the account is not protected just because the agency receives a commission.
None of the models is inherently superior. Trouble begins when the buyer believes one model is in force while the agreement and behaviour describe another.
Before you choose
Use these tests on the work in front of you, not on a generic list of services.
Who signs with the end client and carries the commercial promise.
Who may communicate, renew, cross-sell and retain the account after termination.
Whose name appears in proposals, tools, email, calls, invoices and reports.
Who corrects the work, explains the miss and bears any service credit or refund.
Side by side
Three ways to add the work. The useful comparison is the account in front of you, not the brochure.
| Option | Operating model | Where it fits | What you take on |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-label work | The agency owns the client and approves work completed behind its brand. | Agencies building a retained service and willing to carry strategy, review and account responsibility. |
|
| Reseller arrangement | The agency packages or resells another firm’s offer; brand and client roles depend on the programme. | Agencies wanting a fixed catalogue or packaged service rather than custom work. |
|
| Referral | The opportunity is introduced and the referred firm normally owns the sale and work. | Advisers who do not want work or account responsibility for that service. |
|
Read the edges
Sources
Common questions
Pressure-test the decision on one real account.
Yes. Some reseller programmes remove third-party branding. You still need to check who owns the client, communication and cross-selling rights.
Margin depends on price, service fee and the work or risk retained. A larger spread is not better if it fails to cover strategy, sales and account responsibility.
Yes, if the firm records the model per account and the contract prevents the two from being confused.
Your agency does. LOKAL works on one retainer per partner, from USD 2,000 a month. What you charge your client is yours to decide.
Yes. One real account shows the brief, review and communication load before either side commits to more. The first term is six months, then monthly, with a day-60 fit check.
Pressure-test it on real work
Tell us what is already promised, who owns the client and where the work needs help. Thirty minutes with someone responsible for the work.
The brief