Are You Choosing a Contract Model … or Copying One? Every week an Amazon agency
By Simon Ellicott · February 9, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Are You Choosing a Contract Model … or Copying One?
Every week an Amazon agency founder asks me:
“Which contract model is better : rolling or 12-month?”
And every week I give the same answer:
You’re asking the wrong question.
The useful question isn’t about contracts. It’s about alignment.
Which model actually fits:
– your ICP
– your positioning
– and how you intend to grow this agency?
Because after watching dozens of agencies wrestle with this, the pattern is painfully consistent.
Smaller brands.
Ambitious startups.
Lean DTC operators.
They love rolling monthly like a warm duvet.
Low risk.
Fast onboarding.
Easy exits when the CFO wakes up at 3am questioning everything.
Bigger brands?
Exit minded founders?
Operators who think in quarters, not Thursdays?
They want commitment.
Stability.
Planning horizons.
A partner, not a fling.
Here’s the part people miss: Neither model is “right.”
But put the wrong one in front of the wrong buyer and the whole thing wobbles like a Jenga tower in an earthquake.
This is positioning logic in disguise.
“Full service” means one thing to a £20k/month brand…
…and something entirely different to a £2m/month one.
Contracts behave the same way.
They must match the buyer, not the agency down the street treating their template like gospel.
So let’s be clear.
➡️ 12-month agreements
Predictable cash flow.
Deeper strategic work.
Stronger valuation if an exit is on the cards.
➡️ Rolling monthly
Lower friction up front.
Faster top line growth.
Ideal for ICP discovery and offer refinement.
Plenty of smart agencies run both : tiered, intentional, and transparent.
That’s not a compromise.
That’s maturity.
The winning move is deceptively simple: Know who you serve.
Understand how they like to buy.
Be honest about where you’re taking the agency.
Then build your contract model around that, not someone else’s playbook dressed up as universal truth.
So I’ll flip the question back to you:
Are you choosing your pricing and contracts deliberately ...
or inheriting them by default?
#AmazonAgencyPricing #AgencyOperatingModel #Amazon
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