The verdict in three sentences
One-shot pays you once; recurring pays you every month for the same selling effort. A Kolonell referral partner earns 15 % on the showcase-site sale then 5 % on every monthly instalment of maintenance and SEO. With 20 clients under recurring contract, your referral MRR becomes an annuity that cushions the quiet months.
Why recurring changes everything
A showcase site sells once: 500,000 FCFA, 75,000 FCFA commission, then silence. Recurring services (maintenance, managed hosting, SEO, campaigns) are billed every month and generate a continuous 5 % commission. The difference is not the unit amount but the repetition: 12 payments a year instead of one.
| Recurring offer | Client monthly price (FCFA) | Referral commission 5 % | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic maintenance | 50,000 | 2,500 | 30,000 |
| Maintenance + hosting | 100,000 | 5,000 | 60,000 |
| SEO starter | 75,000 | 3,750 | 45,000 |
| SEO growth | 150,000 | 7,500 | 90,000 |
| SEO premium | 300,000 | 15,000 | 180,000 |
| Maintenance + SEO pack | 250,000 | 12,500 | 150,000 |
2026 order of magnitude: a single client on a 250,000 FCFA/month pack earns you 150,000 FCFA in commission over the year, with no re-prospecting.
Sizing the target MRR with 20 clients
The book is built client by client. The goal is not to sell everything at once but to add recurring revenue to every one-time sale.
| Book stage | Recurring clients | Avg ticket/month | Referral commission/month | Commission/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 5 | 80,000 | 20,000 | 240,000 |
| Consolidation | 10 | 90,000 | 45,000 | 540,000 |
| Growth | 15 | 100,000 | 75,000 | 900,000 |
| Mature | 20 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Extended | 30 | 110,000 | 165,000 | 1,980,000 |
At 20 clients you collect 100,000 FCFA/month in recurring commission. That income lands even in a month when you sign no new deal: that is the heart of the model.
Retention, your real wealth
A recurring book is only worth something if it stays. Retention rests on three levers: a genuinely delivered service (monthly SEO reports, visible backups), regular contact (a check-in every 60 days), and fast incident escalation. A retention rate of 90 % a year means you lose 2 clients out of 20 and must re-sign 2 to stay flat; at 75 % you lose 5 and end up chasing your own base.
Mini case study
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Modou, a referral partner in Thies, starts from zero in January 2026. He signs an average of 2 recurring clients a month, each at 100,000 FCFA of monthly services. By end of June he has 12 active clients: 12 x 100,000 x 5 % = 60,000 FCFA/month in recurring commission. By December, with 22 clients (2 lost during the year), he reaches 22 x 100,000 x 5 % = 110,000 FCFA/month, i.e. 1,320,000 FCFA over the year in recurring alone, before even his 15 % initial-sale commissions.
FAQ
How long to reach 20 recurring clients?
Signing 2 recurring clients a month, expect roughly 12 months to pass 20 net clients including retention. It is a marathon: MRR accrues slowly then becomes significant beyond 15 clients.
How long does the 5 % recurring commission last?
It runs as long as the client pays their monthly fee to Kolonell. A client loyal for 3 years at 100,000 FCFA/month earns you 3 x 60,000 = 180,000 FCFA in recurring commission from a single sale.
Maintenance or SEO: which to prioritise?
SEO has a higher ticket (75,000 to 300,000 FCFA/month) and a bigger commission. Maintenance is easier to sell because it is essential. The ideal is the combined pack at 250,000 FCFA/month generating 12,500 FCFA/month in commission.
What happens if a client cancels?
You lose that client's recurring commission but keep all the others. Hence the value of a broad book: losing 1 client out of 20 costs only 5 % of your MRR.
Do I have to handle the maintenance technically myself?
No. Kolonell delivers the service; you are the partner who brought and retained the client. Your role is relational, not technical.
Let's talk about your project. Build a book of recurring clients and turn every sale into monthly income. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
