At Lean Layer, we intentionally chose not to structure our services around deliverable-based contracts. Here's why we don't do it and why it's in your best interest too.

Why We Don’t Do Deliverable-Based Contracts

Our goal isn’t just to be another service provider, we want to be the best revenue operations and business intelligence agency. To us, that means a few things: hiring exceptional talent, delivering solutions that actually work, building strong relationships with our clients, and creating a reputation that speaks for itself.

We’re not an implementation shop, and we’re not exclusively CRM admins. As a fractional team, our clients gain access to a $2M+ RevOps and BI team for the level of support and expertise they need, when they need it, on a flexible basis.

The way we’ve structured Lean Layer, including our month-to-month contracts, isn’t by accident. It’s part of our commitment to building strong, meaningful partnerships. We focus on delivering the right solutions at the right time, and our contracts are structured to support that.

This flexibility is also why we don’t do deliverable-based contracts. Working on an hourly basis allows us to stay responsive, adapt as needed, and remain fully aligned with what truly matters to your business.

Here’s why we believe this approach works best for our clients:

Flexibility is Key to Success

RevOps work isn’t a one-time fix. It requires ongoing iterations and adjustments as your business grows and evolves. Defining when a project is “complete” can be tricky, especially since priorities often shift over time. With deliverable-based contracts, you’re locked into a specific scope and timeline, which makes it harder to adjust as your needs change.

At Lean Layer, we believe flexibility is essential. We work as an extension of your team, and our approach allows us to scale up and down, bringing in the right skill sets as needed. We can adjust our focus depending on what’s most important to you, ensuring that we’re always working toward the most immediate goals and addressing challenges as they arise.

Deliverable-Based Contracts Usually = Templates

Like all businesses, agencies that offer deliverable-based work need to be profitable. In order to do this, that usually means they need to "templatize" the work so it's predictable. To templatize successfully, the agency will focus on one thing (e.g., implementations) for one segment (e.g., SaaS model) and one pricing model (e.g., subscription) to guarantee the “done work” while maintaining profitability.

The issue with this approach is that in RevOps, one-size rarely 'fits all'. While it might seem like a good solution on paper, a templated approach by nature doesn't take into account the complexity and unique needs of your business. This can lead to a situation where deliverables were technically “met,” they didn’t truly solve the problems or meet the long-term goals of the business and work needs to be done to make it fit for you

Take migrations as an example. When you’re merging two databases or integrating different systems, templates don’t fit. Each business has different processes, definitions, and data that need to be managed in a specific way. This becomes even more complicated when you’re working across multiple departments or with complex workflows. Agencies that use a templated approach often miss these critical nuances, which is why clients come to us to fix the issues that were overlooked.

We Don’t Add a Buffer Up Front

A common practice in deliverable-based contracts is adding a “buffer” in their pricing to account for unexpected challenges. We don’t do this. Instead, we assume things will run smoothly and keep our pricing transparent and fair.

If challenges arise, we let you know immediately and work together to decide the best course of action. Maybe your team can take on some of the challenges or additional work, or we can collaborate on the best solution. We don’t build in extra fees or inflate the pricing “just in case” something goes wrong. We’re committed to being transparent and working with you to solve problems as they come up.

Cutting Corners is Too Common

Agencies that operate on a deliverable-based model often face pressure to finish work quickly, especially if it’s taking longer than expected. This pressure can lead to cutting corners and unfortunately doing the bare minimum to meet contractual obligations, but not necessarily delivering what’s best for your business. The last thing we want is to rush through work or deliver something that isn’t up to our high standards just to meet a deadline.

At Lean Layer, we focus on quality over speed. We prioritize doing the work right, even if it means taking a little more time to ensure that everything is aligned with your business goals. We’re committed to providing results that will actually make an impact, not just checking boxes.

Why This Approach Works Better for You?

• True Partnership and Flexibility
  • By not being locked into fixed deliverables, we can stay flexible and adapt as your business needs evolve. We work as a true partner, adjusting our focus as necessary to ensure that what we’re working on aligns with your most important goals. You’re not stuck with a rigid contract; we can pivot when new opportunities or challenges come up.
• Customized Solutions for Your Unique Business
  • Every business is unique, and we know that templates don’t work for everyone. We take the time to understand your business, your goals, and your challenges. Our solutions are customized specifically for you, ensuring that what we implement is the best fit for your company-not just a generic solution that might work for other businesses.
• Quality Over Quantity
  • We don’t incentivize cutting corners. Our focus is always on quality, ensuring that every task we take on is completed thoroughly and with care. Whether a task takes a bit more time or requires more resources, we’ll take the necessary steps to get it right, because we know that high-quality work is the key to long-term success.
• Ongoing Adaptation
  • Your business is constantly changing, and we want to be able to change with you. Our flexible approach means we can reassess our work on an ongoing basis, making sure that what we’re working on today is still aligned with your most pressing needs.

In the end, our goal is simple: to be a true partner that delivers meaningful, lasting results. By staying flexible, transparent, and focused on solving the right problems, we’re able to build long-term relationships and drive real impact - not just complete a checklist of deliverables.