← LibraryCase No. 19
High stakesBrand client where another shop is encroaching (agency retainer) · $66K ARR retainer

Another Agency Is Selling Around You

You hold the SEO retainer. Their PR agency is now recommending a separate AI visibility shop they get a kickback from.

Based on real client experiences, but anonymized and dramatized to protect identities and confidential relationships.

The setup

Your client at a consumer brand tells you their PR agency is recommending switching AI visibility work to a separate vendor "for consolidation reasons." You know the PR agency receives a meaningful referral fee on the alternative.

The three data points
  1. 01Brand has worked with your agency successfully for 18 months
  2. 02The recommended alternative lacks several deliverables the brand uses weekly
  3. 03PR agency framing: "simpler stack, easier reporting" — never mentions the referral fee
How you pitch

3 minutes — directly to the brand, with the PR agency on the call. Surface the misalignment without accusing anyone. Let the brand draw their own conclusion.

What makes it exciting

Political minefield between two agencies. Call out the referral fee too early → look petty. Don't surface it → lose the retainer. Time the reveal.