Service 03

Advisory Retainer

How do we ensure that channel, portfolio, and GTM decisions are not made in isolation — or distorted by internal politics?

Why this exists

The Retainer exists not to outsource work — but to raise decision quality. It ensures that strategic channel, portfolio, and go-to-market decisions are not made in isolation, operationally, or politically distorted.

As Advisory Partner, I support management, board, and investors in classifying, prioritising, and structurally evaluating ongoing channel and portfolio decisions — without operational execution and without project logic.

When it makes sense

  • Pre- or post-acquisition: channel integration questions arise
  • Channel strategy is unclear or contested at board level
  • New CRO/CCO on board — needs independent external perspective
  • Enablement investment is high, but measurable impact is low
  • Portfolio complexity is growing faster than channel clarity

What's included

Regular sparring

1–2 fixed sessions per month (60–90 min) at CEO/CRO/Board level. Decision-relevant topics: portfolio focus & prioritisation, channel roles & incentives, Buy-&-Build integration, partner productivity & scaling logic.

Ad-hoc decision feedback

Short assessments (email/call) — no analyses, no slides. Goal: clarity before decision.

Structure & architecture perspective

Classification of initiatives: "Symptom or cause?" — "Lever or activism?" — "Scalable or local?"

Concrete outputs

  • Decision framing for board and investor discussions
  • Challenge of internal proposals before commitment
  • Prioritisation support across competing initiatives
  • Pre-board sharpening of channel and portfolio positions
  • Thesis testing for M&A and integration scenarios

Explicit boundaries

The Advisory Retainer replaces no internal role and assumes no operational responsibility — it serves decision support exclusively.

  • Operational execution
  • Project management
  • Enablement / training delivery
  • Tool or vendor selection
  • KPI tracking / reporting
  • Team management

Two tiers

Core Advisory

1 session/month + limited ad-hoc

€3,000–5,000/month

Board-Level Advisory

2 sessions/month + regular ad-hoc

€5,500–8,000/month

Minimum engagement: 3 months. All fees excl. VAT.

Portfolio progression

The Retainer is typically not the first engagement. Most clients enter through a Diagnostic or Blueprint — the Retainer follows when leadership wants ongoing external decision support.

Diagnostic → Blueprint → Retainer