Finder's Fee and Referral Commission in B2B: What Percentage, and How to Set It Up

There is no legal finder’s fee percentage: the rate is freely negotiated. As a public reference point, French sources put the commission of a business finder (apporteur d’affaires) at roughly 2 to 15% of the revenue brought in, up to 20% in consulting and closer to 5 to 8% in low-margin activities (HubSpot France), or about 5 to 15% (L-Expert-comptable.com). The right rate for you depends on your margin, the deal size and what the finder really does.

This article covers how to think about the rate, how to formalise the relationship (agreement, status, invoicing) and an alternative many B2B companies overlook: paying per inbound lead instead of a percentage.

What is a finder?

A finder (also called an introducer or referral partner) connects your company with a potential client and then steps back. They don’t negotiate price, sign anything in your name or represent you. That is what separates them from a commercial agent, who negotiates and sometimes concludes deals for the principal.

A finder can be a consultant in your industry, a former client, a supplier of complementary products, a business network or a specialised company.

What percentage to pay

With no official scale, public sources give wide ranges. The best-documented ones come from France, where the business-finder role is common:

These are orders of magnitude, not industry benchmarks, and they come from one market. What actually moves the rate:

• Your margin. A software integrator or consultancy can give away a larger share than a manufacturer of series parts with thin margins.
• Deal size and recurrence. On a multi-year contract, a sliding rate or a commission limited to year one is common.
• The finder’s role. A name passed on is worth less than a warm introduction to the decision-maker with a need already qualified.
• Difficulty of access. A closed key account justifies a higher rate than a client you could have found yourself.

Illustrative example: a small industrial maintenance firm signs a €60,000 annual contract (excluding VAT) thanks to a finder. At 5% the commission is €3,000; at 10% it is €6,000. If the contract’s net margin is 12%, the second option eats about half of it. Run this calculation before you offer a rate.

Base, trigger, duration: what matters more than the rate

Most disputes aren’t about the percentage but about what it applies to. Put in writing:

• The base: net revenue collected, first order only, first year, or the whole relationship?
• The trigger: contract signature, first invoice or actual payment? Paying on collection protects you from clients who don’t pay.
• The attribution period: how long does an introduced client stay “owned” by the finder? Without a limit, you pay forever.
• Proof of introduction: how is it recorded (introduction e-mail, form) and what if the client was already talking to you?
• A flat fee option: a fixed amount per signed deal is sometimes simpler than a percentage.

How to formalise it

The finder’s fee agreement

The agreement covers the points above and adds one essential clause: the finder has no power of representation and doesn’t negotiate or conclude on your behalf.

That clause is not a formality. Across the EU, self-employed commercial agents are protected by Directive 86/653/EEC, which gives them an indemnity or compensation at the end of the contract, implemented for example in art. L134-12 of the French Commercial Code, §89b HGB in Germany, art. 764³ of the Polish Civil Code and art. 28 of Spain’s Agency Contract Law (Ley 12/1992). Courts judge the relationship by how it works in practice, not by its title. If your “finder” actually negotiates prices or terms for you, the relationship can be reclassified as agency. If you impose working hours, full exclusivity and close supervision, the risk becomes reclassification as employment.

The finder’s status

A private individual may receive an occasional commission, but regular activity usually has to run through a business (sole trader or company), with national rules on registration and VAT thresholds. Check the current thresholds in your country before you start paying someone regularly.

Invoicing and reporting

A finder operating as a business issues an invoice with the legally required details and VAT if registered. On your side, some countries require you to report commissions paid to third parties (France, for example, through the DAS2 return above an annual threshold per recipient). Commissions are generally deductible when they are real, documented and proportionate. Ask your accountant about local rules and any e-invoicing obligations.

As of October 2026. This is not legal or tax advice.

The limits of commission-only lead generation

A finder works well when someone has a real network in your target market. The model also has structural limits:

• Volume is unpredictable. A finder brings what their address book allows, no more.
• You give up margin on every deal, including ones you might have won alone.
• Admin is heavy: tracking introductions, disputes over who was first, chasing payments.
• You build nothing. When the finder stops, the flow stops.

The alternative: pay per inbound lead

A different logic: instead of a percentage of a signed deal, you pay for each qualified inbound inquiry. A provider attracts buyers who are already looking for your service, through niche websites and AI search answers, and passes on those that match a definition agreed in advance (industry, size, need, region).

Lead cost varies a lot by market; we collect sourced public ranges in B2B cost per lead, and compare payment models in pay per lead vs retainer. The two approaches aren’t exclusive: many companies keep one or two finders for key accounts and add an inbound flow for everything else. For the bigger picture, see what is lead generation.

Pay for inquiries, not a percentage

If you’d rather have a cost per inquiry known in advance than give away a share of every contract, see how our pay-per-lead model works: free start after a call, payment per interested lead, terms fixed before launch. Book a free discovery call.