@redacted‌, are you opposed to any kind of fee whatsoever or a specific range? I ask because I'm evaluating providers right now myself to help with my search and I'm facing the same conundrum you are. At the same time, I recognize that strong sourcing is a skill that takes time and effort and some nimbleness and I'm not opposed to compensating for that. Have you looked at a blended model of a modest retainer and then a larger success fee once a deal is closed?

Thanks for the tag Luke. We do a lot of off-market origination but it is chargeable. The only other version of this that we do is where we develop an understanding of what a buyer is looking for and then when we come across a business that meets those specific criteria (we would have come across them for another reason, such as that business reaching out to us for a valuation etc), we can refer for a simple referral fee (if the deal closes) - this is a "no upfront fee" model, but it is also not deliberate origination, it is merely keeping an ear to the ground for you. Proactive origination is time-consuming and costs money, as other posters have said, but it is more likely to result in suitable deal flow.