Why do MLM agencies always pitch custom builds?

It's their business model. Probe the SaaS question early; the answer tells you everything.

Because that's their business model. Even honest agencies have to. Mitigate by directly asking 'why not SaaS?' early in the conversation. The reply tells you whether they're a partner or a vendor. Honest agencies will articulate when SaaS wins (most scopes), recommend specific SaaS vendors when the buyer's scope fits, and only advance to custom when the differentiation case genuinely justifies it. Dishonest agencies dismiss SaaS broadly or claim every scope is unique. The ratio of SaaS-redirects to custom-engagements an agency runs is the cleanest signal of whether they're optimizing for outcomes or for engagement pipeline.