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For businesses with proven unit economics and clear KPIs, Kaliber's performance retainer reduces your base fee and ties the rest to results agreed up front.
Best fit when you have conversion tracking, baseline data, and conviction in 2–4 KPIs that represent real commercial movement, not vanity metrics.
How it works
A simpler model than the math looks like.
Three steps from enquiry to engagement. We confirm your fit during a free diagnostic before either party signs anything.
01
Diagnose
Free 30-min call. We look at your conversion tracking, baseline performance, unit economics, and whether the model fits. If not, we recommend the fixed-fee tier instead.
02
Agree KPIs
We agree on 2–4 outcome targets that reflect commercial movement, pipeline, revenue, ROAS, CPA. Targets are quarterly, reviewable, and adjusted with market conditions.
03
Lower base + bonus on hit
Base fee drops to roughly 60% of the equivalent fixed-fee tier. Bonus releases when we exceed agreed KPIs. Some engagements include upside bands when we exceed by pre-agreed thresholds.
Qualifying criteria
Performance pricing only works when these are true.
Without these conditions, KPI targets become arbitrary and the model creates friction rather than alignment. We'll tell you honestly during the diagnostic whether the fit is right.
Monthly ad spend above SGD 5,000.Below this, there isn't enough signal volume for outcome attribution to be reliable.
Conversion tracking in place for 3+ months.Need a clean baseline to measure against. Tracking breaks invalidate the KPI math.
Proven unit economics (CAC, LTV, contribution margin known).If you don't know what a customer is worth, you can't agree on what a target outcome should be.
Clarity on 2–4 KPIs that represent real commercial movement.Pipeline value booked, revenue, qualified leads, ROAS, not impressions or clicks.
Willingness to share CRM/sales data quarterly.Outcome verification requires data the platforms alone can't see. Without this, performance pricing reduces to platform metrics, and then it stops working.
What it actually looks like
Two example engagements.
Illustrative only. Actual numbers depend on your scope, channels, and target ambition. Both examples assume Core tier baseline.
SGD 5,400 per quarter (released when all 3 KPIs hit)
Upside band
+30% bonus if blended ROAS exceeds 6x
What stays the same
The work doesn't change. Only how you pay for it does.
Performance retainer clients get the same team, tools, and operating standard as fixed-fee clients.
Same senior strategist leading the account
Same creative production capability
Same Kali OS intelligence layer
Same 24/7 monitoring
Same weekly or daily optimisation cadence
Same ad spend transparency. No markup
Performance vs fixed
When to pick which.
Both deliver the same work. The difference is risk distribution and budget predictability.
Fixed fee
Predictable. Default for most.
You pay the same every month. No surprises, easy to budget.
Best for businesses still establishing baselines, when KPI targets would be guesses, not commitments.
3-month minimum, month-to-month after.
Available at all 3 tiers. Starter, Core, and Unlimited AI-Copilot.
Performance retainer
Aligned. For proven businesses.
Lower base fee + bonus on KPIs hit. Total can match or exceed fixed-fee.
Best for businesses with clean tracking and proven unit economics.
6-month minimum. KPIs need 2 cycles to validate.
Available at Starter and Core tiers only (Unlimited AI-Copilot is fixed-fee only. Its AI-scaled throughput model doesn't fit performance bonus structure).
Common questions
Questions about performance pricing.
How does the performance retainer actually work?
Kaliber reduces the base monthly fee to roughly 60% of the equivalent fixed-fee tier. The remaining 40% is structured as a bonus, paid only when we exceed KPIs agreed up front.
KPIs are reviewed quarterly and tied to commercial outcomes, pipeline, revenue, ROAS, CPA, not platform vanity metrics.
Who qualifies for the performance retainer?
Businesses with: proven unit economics, conversion tracking implemented for at least 3 months, monthly ad spend above SGD 5,000, and clarity on which 2–4 KPIs would represent meaningful commercial movement.
Kaliber confirms qualification during the diagnostic phase before any contract.
What if Kaliber misses the agreed KPIs?
The bonus is simply not released. The work continues, the base fee covers ongoing execution. There is no punitive clause. Kaliber re-diagnoses with the client and recalibrates targets for the next quarter.
Can the bonus exceed the original fixed fee?
Yes. Some engagements include upside bands. When targets are exceeded by pre-agreed thresholds (typically +25% to +30% above target), the bonus scales above the original fixed-fee equivalent.
The exact band structure is agreed during onboarding and varies by engagement.
Why doesn't every Kaliber client get performance pricing?
Performance pricing only works when the business has clean attribution, predictable conversion patterns, and stable unit economics. Without those, KPI targets become arbitrary and the model creates friction rather than alignment.
The fixed fee is the better default for most clients. Performance retainer is an optimisation for the small subset where conditions are right.
How long is the minimum commitment?
Six months minimum, vs three months for fixed-fee. KPIs need at least one full performance cycle to validate, plus a second cycle to demonstrate compounding. After six months, switch to month-to-month.
Start with a diagnosis
See if performance pricing is the right structure for your business.