amateur-proxies
The Amateur Proxy
A grown adult sitting between two principals, passing notes back and forth like a schoolchild, is not an intermediary. It is a human answering machine with delusions of importance. Here is why this circus kills deals.
The Human Answering Machine
Picture this: two serious businessmen need to sign a contract. Between them stands a man whose entire job is to repeat what Person A said to Person B, then repeat what Person B said back to Person A. He adds no commentary. He offers no verification. He provides no authority. He simply runs back and forth with messages, like a carrier pigeon in a cheap suit.
This is the amateur proxy. He believes that because he knows both phone numbers, he is entitled to a seat at the table. He is not. He is furniture.
The absurdity: Both principals must be connected to sign the contract. Sitting in the middle to relay messages is not intermediation — it is obstruction. It is counterproductive, amateur, and frankly embarrassing for everyone involved.
What the Relay Man Actually Contributes
Let us be brutally honest about what this person brings to the table:
The Proxy's "Skills"
- Copying and pasting WhatsApp messages.
- Misunderstanding terms and passing on confusion.
- Disappearing for days to "check with the other side."
- Adding his own invented details to sound important.
- Expecting a commission for owning a phone.
What Principals Actually Need
- Direct communication with decision-makers.
- Immediate answers, not delayed relay.
- Verified facts, not distorted gossip.
- Someone who can sign, not someone who can forward.
- A professional who adds value, not static.
The result is always the same: frustration, delay, and no deal. The proxy walks away blaming "the other side" or "the market," while both principals realize they wasted months on a transaction that was strangled by a man who thought forwarding an email was a skill.
If your intermediary's main talent is reading a message aloud to someone else, you do not have an intermediary. You have a parrot. And parrots do not charge commissions.
Added Value vs. Added Noise
There is a world of difference between a professional intermediary and a message-passer. One brings expertise, verification, and acceleration. The other brings delay, distortion, and a healthy dose of self-importance. We covered this in detail in our companion article on added value — the principle is simple: compensation must match contribution.
A proxy who only relays messages contributes nothing. He is not an intermediary. He is an obstacle wearing a suit and demanding a fee.
Read: Understanding Added ValueA real broker does not sit between two parties and pass notes. He brings solutions, verifies facts, and moves the deal toward signature. If someone in your chain cannot do that, he is not an asset. He is a cost. And a ridiculous one at that.
The Ymflow Standard
At Ymflow, we do not pass notes. We do not relay messages and hope the other side understood. We connect principals directly, or we step in with verifiable authority to move the transaction forward ourselves.
Our network consists of licensed professionals who can speak on the record, verify documents, and close deals. We do not introduce you to someone who knows someone. We introduce you to the decision-maker — or we get out of the way and let you speak directly.
Time is money. A proxy who only relays messages wastes both. If he cannot verify, cannot sign, and cannot close, he has no place in your deal.
Cut the Relay Man. Close the Deal.
Stop paying tolls to message-passers who add nothing but delay. Work with professionals who connect you directly to the source — or who have the authority to sign themselves.
Contact YmflowAbout the Author
