AgencyRelay
How it works · No-poach & confidentiality

Trust terms, written down — not promised

Five contractual instruments and one set of working rules underwrite every AgencyRelay engagement. They're issued by Salt Technologies, Inc., signed before delivery starts, and worded to be enforceable — not impressive.

Book a Partner CallSend Us the Opportunity
  • Mutual NDA before the brief is shared
  • Mutual no-poach written into every MSA
  • All instruments issued by Salt Technologies, Inc.
What gets signed, in orderOrder

Before any client information changes hands

  • 01Mutual NDA
    Before the brief
  • 02Master Services Agreement
    Before delivery
  • 03Statement of Work
    Per engagement
  • 04White-label addendum
    If needed

All instruments issued by Salt Technologies, Inc. — the Delaware C-Corp behind AgencyRelay.

How we wrote this page

We describe what's actually in the agreements — not what sounds reassuring

Trust pages get written one of two ways. One way is to claim absolute protection and hope nobody asks for the contract. The other is to describe the instruments, what they cover, what they don't, and where they live. We chose the second one. The MSA itself is the binding document — this page is the plain-English summary.

  • 01

    We don't quote full legal clauses as marketing copy.

  • 02

    We don't promise absolute outcomes our counsel wouldn't sign off on.

  • 03

    We don't make no-poach sound unlimited — the scope and window are written, mutual, and finite.

The five instruments

What's signed, what each instrument covers, and what it deliberately doesn't

Five contractual instruments and one set of working rules. Each does one job — none of them does the other four.

Instrument 01 / 05Confidentiality protection

Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement

Mutual NDA

Purpose — Protect both sides before any commercially sensitive information — client names, account details, scope, or pricing — changes hands.

What it covers

  • Confidential treatment of partner-shared briefs and client information
  • Confidential treatment of AgencyRelay's delivery approach and rate cards
  • Mutual restrictions on use, disclosure, and onward sharing
  • Defined survival window after the relationship ends

What it doesn't

  • Information already public or independently known
  • Information required to be disclosed by law or court order
Instrument 02 / 05The core relationship contract

Master Services Agreement

MSA

Purpose — Govern the partner relationship at the master level — confidentiality, IP, payment, liability, and the no-poach commitment — so each engagement only needs its own SOW.

What it covers

  • Relationship structure (Salt Technologies, Inc. d/b/a AgencyRelay)
  • Confidentiality references to the standing NDA
  • IP ownership and assignment on delivered work
  • Payment terms in USD, monthly or per engagement
  • Liability framework and indemnities
  • Mutual no-poach / non-solicitation clause (see Block 03)
  • Governing law and venue: Delaware, USA

What it doesn't

  • Per-engagement scope, deliverables, or timelines — those live in the SOW
  • Day-to-day communication boundaries — those live in the white-label addendum
Instrument 03 / 05The mutual hiring restriction

No-Poach / Non-Solicitation Clause

No-poach clause

Purpose — Stop either side from hiring the other's relevant personnel during the engagement and for a defined window after it ends, so the partnership doesn't quietly turn into a poaching pipeline.

What it covers

  • Mutual scope — runs both ways, not just toward AgencyRelay
  • Direct and indirect hiring solicitation of relevant personnel
  • Defined window after the engagement ends — typically 12 to 18 months, confirmed in your MSA
  • Reasonable carve-outs for unsolicited applications and general public job posts

What it doesn't

  • Personnel who weren't materially involved in the engagement
  • Hiring outside the defined window after the relationship has ended
  • Clients of either party — that's covered by the non-circumvention language elsewhere in the MSA
Instrument 04 / 05Who can talk to whom — and when

White-Label Communication Boundaries

White-label addendum

Purpose — Make the white-label working rules explicit so nobody has to guess. Default is zero client-facing footprint from AgencyRelay; anything else is written into the addendum.

What it covers

  • Default: AgencyRelay does not communicate directly with end clients
  • Identity & representation rules — we operate as part of your team, not under our own brand
  • Approved channels — your shared Slack / Teams / project tool, never the client's
  • Joint comms exceptions, if any — defined in writing, never improvised

What it doesn't

  • What you tell your client about AgencyRelay — that's your decision
  • Public marketing references to AgencyRelay's involvement — written approval required from both sides
Instrument 05 / 05What happens when something goes wrong

Approved Escalation Rules

Escalation rules

Purpose — Agree the escalation route up-front so a delivery surprise doesn't turn into a client surprise. AgencyRelay surfaces material issues to you first — you decide whether and how they reach the client.

What it covers

  • Material issues surfaced to your delivery owner within hours, not at the next standup
  • Severity definitions written into the SOW so 'urgent' means the same thing on both sides
  • Named escalation contacts on both sides, with a backup
  • A short post-resolution write-up so the next engagement starts faster

What it doesn't

  • Day-to-day delivery decisions — those run through the standing comms cadence, not escalation
What white-label safe actually means

Communication boundaries — the default, in plain English

These are the working rules that sit underneath the white-label addendum. They're worded to be unambiguous — there's no 'we'll figure it out as we go' line in the SOW.

SituationDefault behaviourClient-facing?
First call about a live client opportunityMutual NDA signed before the brief is shared. Discussion stays bilateral.No
Active delivery — daily standup, design reviews, delivery syncAgencyRelay attends inside your shared channel. Comms route through your delivery owner.No
Client meetings or status callsAgencyRelay is not on the call by default. Your team owns the relationship.No
Joint comms (only when written into the SOW addendum)AgencyRelay can attend co-branded or named-team calls when explicitly approved. Identity rules are pre-agreed.Only if approved
Material delivery issue surfacesSurfaced to your delivery owner inside the agreed window. You decide whether and how it reaches the client.No, by default
End of engagement / asset handoverHandover runs through your team. Asset transfer follows the inventory in the SOW.No

The default is zero client-facing footprint from AgencyRelay. Every exception is written into the SOW addendum up-front — never improvised mid-engagement.

The no-poach commitment, mutual and finite

What the no-poach clause actually says — and what it doesn't

We're calling this out separately because it's the single biggest objection US agencies bring to a white-label conversation. The commitment is real, mutual, and bounded. It is not magical, infinite, or unilateral.

  • Clause / 01

    It is mutual

    The clause runs both ways. Your agency doesn't recruit AgencyRelay personnel; AgencyRelay doesn't recruit yours.

  • Clause / 02

    It is finite

    It applies during the engagement and for a defined window after — typically 12 to 18 months, with the exact term written into your MSA.

  • Clause / 03

    It applies to relevant personnel

    It covers personnel who were materially involved in our engagements together — not every employee on either side, forever.

  • Clause / 04

    It includes a carve-out for unsolicited applications

    Someone applying without solicitation, in response to a general public job post, isn't a breach. The clause restricts solicitation, not arrival.

  • Clause / 05

    It is enforceable, not aspirational

    Enforced under Delaware law (Salt Technologies, Inc. is a Delaware C-Corp). The remedy framework is in the MSA, reviewed by counsel.

  • Clause / 06

    It is not the same as non-circumvention

    No-poach covers people. Non-circumvention covers clients. Both live in the MSA — separate sections, separate scopes.

Bottom line: the no-poach clause is a serious mutual commitment with a defined window — not a marketing line. If this section reads more conservatively than competitor pages, that's the point.

Glossary: what is a no-poach clause?
When something goes wrong

The escalation flow — agreed up-front, run on the day

Most engagements never need escalation. The flow exists so that on the rare day something material breaks, neither side is improvising the response.

  1. Step 01

    Surface internally first

    AgencyRelay's delivery lead surfaces the issue to your named delivery owner inside the agreed response window — typically within hours, not at the next standup.

  2. Step 02

    Classify against the SOW

    Severity is matched against the definitions written into the SOW so 'urgent' means the same thing on both sides. The classification is logged, not debated in chat.

  3. Step 03

    Decide the client posture together

    You decide whether and how it reaches your client. AgencyRelay does not contact your client about a delivery issue — ever — without your written approval.

  4. Step 04

    Resolve under named ownership

    A single named owner on each side runs the resolution to close. Updates flow on the agreed cadence until the issue is resolved or the post-resolution write-up is delivered.

  5. Step 05

    Write up and feed forward

    Short post-resolution write-up — what happened, what changed, what's different next engagement. Lives in the shared drive. The next SOW starts smarter, not slower.

What we won't claim

The trust language we deliberately avoid

Some claims show up on competitor pages that we won't make — not because they're impossible, but because they're either unenforceable, misleading, or both.

  • 01Avoided

    "Bulletproof" or "airtight" confidentiality

    Why — Real contracts have carve-outs for legal disclosure, public information, and independent knowledge. Words like bulletproof imply the opposite.

  • 02Avoided

    "Lifetime" or "permanent" no-poach

    Why — Non-solicitation clauses have to be reasonable in scope and duration to be enforceable. An unlimited window often means no enforceable window.

  • 03Avoided

    "We will never speak to your client" without conditions

    Why — We won't, by default. If you write a joint-comms clause into the SOW, that's a different default. We're explicit about which it is.

  • 04Avoided

    "100% white-label, no exceptions"

    Why — There's always an exception you might want — a co-branded research piece, a named delivery lead. We make exceptions opt-in, not implicit.

  • 05Avoided

    Legal templates as a marketing differentiator

    Why — Counsel-reviewed templates are table stakes, not a unique edge. We mention them so you know they exist — not as the headline.

Keep exploring

Where most agency owners go next

Trust language is one part of the picture. These are the most common next stops once the protections feel real on paper.

Partner Models

Three engagement models — referral, white-label, and Dedicated Partner Pods — explained side-by-side.

See partner models
How It Works

The full operating model — partner models, comms, time overlap, pricing.

Read the operating model
Invisible Delivery Team

The active delivery solution where the white-label boundaries matter most.

See the solution
Powered by Salt

The 13+ year delivery company behind every AgencyRelay engagement.

See the proof
Privacy Policy

How Salt Technologies, Inc. handles personal data across the AgencyRelay site and forms.

Read the policy
Glossary: No-poach clause

Plain-English definition of the no-poach / non-solicitation clause for agency partners.

Read the definition
No-poach & confidentiality FAQ

The questions agency owners ask before signing the MSA

Direct answers to what comes up most often between reading this page and booking the partner call.

See full FAQ
  • Q.01

    Will AgencyRelay ever go around us and talk directly to our client?

    Not by default. The white-label addendum to every SOW says zero client-facing footprint from AgencyRelay. If joint comms ever make sense for an engagement, the exception is written into the SOW addendum up-front — never improvised mid-engagement.

  • Q.02

    Is the no-poach clause one-way or mutual?

    Mutual. It runs both ways for the duration of the engagement and a defined window after — typically 12 to 18 months, with the exact term written into your MSA. It restricts direct and indirect solicitation of personnel who were materially involved in our engagements together.

  • Q.03

    What happens if a member of one team applies to the other unsolicited?

    The no-poach clause restricts solicitation, not arrival. Someone applying in response to a general public job post — without being approached — isn't a breach. The carve-out for unsolicited applications is written into the clause.

  • Q.04

    Who actually issues and signs the agreements?

    Salt Technologies, Inc. — the Delaware C-Corp behind AgencyRelay — issues and signs every NDA, MSA, SOW, and addendum. AgencyRelay is the brand the engagement runs under; Salt is the legal counterparty on the contracts.

  • Q.05

    How does AgencyRelay handle escalations during an active engagement?

    Surface to your delivery owner first within the agreed response window, classify against the severity definitions in the SOW, decide the client posture together, run the resolution under named ownership, and follow up with a short post-resolution write-up. AgencyRelay does not contact your client about delivery issues without your written approval.

  • Q.06

    Can we see the templates before we sign anything?

    Yes. Mutual NDA template is shared first — usually before the first scoping conversation. The MSA, SOW, and white-label addendum templates are shared as soon as the relationship moves toward an engagement. Counsel-reviewed before they reach you.

  • Q.07

    What if our agency wants stricter terms than the standard MSA?

    We expect that on some accounts. The standard MSA is the starting point; partner amendments are common, especially around indemnities, liability caps, and non-circumvention windows. Counsel reviews changes from both sides before signing.

  • Q.08

    Are these terms different across the three partner models?

    No. The same NDA, MSA, and no-poach clause apply across referral, white-label, and Dedicated Partner Pod arrangements. The white-label addendum and SOW change shape per engagement; the trust spine doesn't.

Read the templates before the call

The MSA, NDA, and no-poach language can be on your desk before the first scoping conversation.

If you want to read the contract before the conversation, that's the right instinct — and the templates exist for exactly that reason. Bring the brief or just the questions; we'll respond with the documents and a clear read on fit.

Book a Partner CallSend Us the Opportunity
Operating defaultsMSA / NDA / SOW issued by Salt Technologies, Inc.Mutual no-poach in every MSADefault zero client-facing footprintCounsel-reviewed templates