How Much Does a Technology Advisory Service Cost?
Overlay Advisors' advisory services cost the client nothing. The firm is compensated by the carrier or vendor a client ultimately signs with, similar to how an insurance broker is paid by the insurer rather than the policyholder, so there's no consulting fee, hourly rate, or markup passed to the business.
How the carrier-compensated model works
When a business signs a contract through Overlay Advisors, the winning carrier or vendor pays Overlay a commission, the same commission it would otherwise pay an internal sales team or a different channel partner to close that deal. That cost is already built into how carriers price their services; it isn't added on top for using an advisor.
What's actually included at no cost
- Multi-carrier quoting and comparison
- Contract review and negotiation
- Install coordination and project management
- Ongoing escalation support for billing or service issues
- Renewal tracking so contracts don't auto-renew at a worse rate
When would there ever be a cost?
For the categories Overlay currently advises on — Communications, Software, Security, Infrastructure, Hardware, and Energy — the model is consistently carrier/vendor-compensated. If a project ever required custom project work outside that scope (e.g., a paid website build, as opposed to sourcing a contract), that would be scoped and quoted separately and communicated clearly upfront.
Frequently asked
Do I sign anything committing me to pay Overlay Advisors?
No. There's no client-side fee agreement for the advisory service itself — the only contract a client signs is with the carrier or vendor they choose.
Is the free model only for a first project, or ongoing?
It's ongoing. Renewal cycles, additional locations, and future categories are handled under the same no-cost, carrier-compensated model.
Does free mean lower-quality service compared to a paid consultant?
No — the free model is standard across the telecom and technology brokerage industry, not a discount tier. It reflects how the channel is structured, not the depth of the work.
See it in action, with your own numbers
Send a current bill or upcoming renewal and Overlay will show what a comparison actually looks like — no cost, no obligation.