The model
Fixed salary plus commission.
A fixed amount for the work that is done anyway. A commission for the results achieved.
From the second year onwards, only the commission.
JUSTIFICATION
Why this model
Revenue-relevant
Most marketing mandates in the SME sector don't fail due to implementation. They fail because nobody bothers to ask whether anything has sold. A retainer runs, reports come in, reach increases. After a year, the question arises whether revenue has grown proportionally, and no one can answer it.
Success-oriented
We’re interested in this question because our fee depends on it. The fixed fee covers the costs of the work. We make our money from the additional revenue. That shifts the focus of every decision on the project: We don’t build what looks good, but what sells.
Consistent
This has consequences — some of them unpleasant. We say no to projects where we can’t influence the outcome. We ask about profit margins before we quote a commission rate. And we need access to financial data that many small and medium-sized businesses are reluctant to share. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re better off with a traditional agency.
Effective
Starting in the second year, the base salary is eliminated. What remains are the systems that have been put in place and a commission that’s been cut in half—as long as they generate revenue. If they no longer do so, we don’t earn anything anymore. That’s the point.
STRUCTURE
The Three Building Blocks
Fixed salary: CHF 24,000 per year
Four quarterly instalments of CHF 6,000, due in advance. The first instalment upon signing the contract. The fixed fee is independent of the result and covers setup, content, campaign management, attribution, and reporting.
Success fee in year 1
A percentage of the additional revenue compared to the previous year, calculated on the channels we develop together. The rate is individually determined based on your margin and average order value — lower for lower margins, higher for higher margins. Billing is quarterly in arrears, based on attribution.
Asset fee from year 2
50 percent of the commission rate from year 1, as long as the developed systems are active and demonstrably generate revenue. No new fixed salary, no minimum term. If you shut down the systems or they no longer deliver, the commission ends.
SCOPE
What's in it. And what isn't.
Included
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Website Implementation
Landing pages, offer pages, purchase or booking processes. Implementation, not just concept. -
Content
Texts, structure, editorial plan. Regular posts throughout the year. -
Ads
Campaign setup and ongoing operation on Meta and Google. Budget runs through your account. -
Attribution
GA4, Meta Pixel, UTM structure, clean attribution of revenue to channel. -
Monthly Status Report
Two pages: what was done, what was measured, what's next. -
Quarterly Review
One meeting per quarter to discuss numbers and priorities.
Not included
- Ad-Spend
The media budget goes directly through your account. We don't charge any fees on it. - Legal and Tax Consulting
GTC, data protection, contract law, VAT. This requires specialists. - Complete Photo and Video Production
If no usable material is available, a production will be quoted separately. - Software Licenses
Shop system, booking tool, email dispatch. Run on your accounts and invoices.
PROCESS
How it works.
Month 1
KICK-OFF
Review figures, define the basis, sharpen the offer and target group. Attribution will be set up before anything goes live.
Months 2 to 4
SETUP
Landing pages, purchase or booking funnel, initial content series, campaign launch with a small budget for learning purposes.
From month 5
OPERATION
Ongoing content, budget control, ongoing optimization. Monthly status report.
END OF MONTH 3, THEN ANNUALLY
Honest interim status with an exit option. Afterwards, an annual review will decide whether to continue.
What can be measured – and what cannot.
Commission requires clarity on the origin of revenue. This is never perfectly solvable in the daily life of SMEs, but it is much more solvable than most people assume. We work with four building blocks.
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First-Click, 30 days
The first contact point within 30 days before purchase is attributed. Anyone who comes via a campaign and books directly three weeks later is counted as part of the campaign. -
Meta Pixel
Tracking of purchases and bookings from Meta campaigns, with server-side augmentation where possible. -
GA4
Channel attribution, conversion tracking, revenue values. As a reference system for quarterly billing. -
UTM Structure
A fixed naming convention for all links. Without clean UTMs, any attribution is guesswork.
Attribution in an SME environment is never exact. Phone calls after an Instagram post cannot be fully attributed. Cookie rejection reduces the data basis. Walk-in customers in the business are completely excluded.
That’s why the rule is: When in doubt, assign it conservatively — that is, against us. If a sale cannot be clearly attributed to a shared channel, it is not subject to commission. This occasionally costs us money, but it saves both of us any disputes at the end of the year.
FAQ
Questions about the model.
Why exactly CHF 24,000?
The fixed fee covers work that is incurred regardless of the outcome: website implementation, content production, campaign setup, attribution, and reporting. Calculated over twelve months, this amounts to CHF 2,000 per month — less than a part-time marketing position and significantly less than an agency retainer of comparable scope.
The amount is deliberately fixed and not negotiable downwards. Those who pay less receive less attention, and then the model does not work.
What happens if you don't deliver?
Then I only earn the fixed fee and no commission. That's the built-in self-protection for you. Additionally, there's the review quarter: at the end of month 3, we sit down and look at what has been built and what has measurably happened. If you want to withdraw at that point, the collaboration ends without further installments.
How long is the contract for?
One year, in quarterly installments. After the trial quarter, termination is possible at the end of the current quarter. From year 2 onwards, there will be no new fixed fee, only the asset commission, as long as the systems are running.
How is the additional revenue calculated?
The basis is the revenue of the twelve months prior to the start, broken down by channel. The difference in the channels that we build together is commissionable: online direct sales, direct bookings, inquiries from paid campaigns. Revenue from existing contracts, regular customers, or platforms that were already running is not included.
The demarcation will be recorded in writing before the start so that there is no need for discussion at the end of the year.
Why not a regular retainer?
Because a retainer rewards presence. After three months, you see reports on reach and impressions, but nobody asks if more was sold. I want to have to ask that question because my fee depends on it.
Why only six seats?
Because I do the work myself and don't delegate it further. Six mandates with revenue responsibility are the maximum where I can truly delve into the figures every quarter. With twelve, I would be managing instead of selling.
What if I already have an agency?
No problem, as long as responsibilities are clearly separated. If the agency handles branding and I handle sales, that works. If both are using the same channels, attribution becomes unusable – then we need to clarify beforehand who does what.
Do I need an ad budget?
Yes. Paid reach runs through your account, not mine. Realistically, it's CHF 800 to 2,500 per month, depending on the segment and catchment area. Before we start, I'll tell you what's needed for your goal, and if the budget isn't sufficient, I'll also tell you that.
