Shoutout to the partner agency that sent over a 3 page onboarding doc for a $500 referral
They wanted case studies, a mutual NDA, and a 30 minute kickoff call (for one lead). What is the weirdest hoop a partner agency has made you jump through before they would share a single deal?
Three pages for a $500 referral is wild but the NDA part is actually pretty normal in my experience. Once money changes hands you want it in writing, even on small deals, because people get weird about splitting commission later. The case studies thing is the real red flag here, that is just them trying to get free marketing content out of you. I had a partner ask for two client references plus a signed SLA before they would pass along a $300 lead, and I just told them to keep it. If someone needs that much paperwork for a few hundred bucks, the deal is never going to be worth the time you put in before you even see a dime.