I guess then, that he is relying on his customers not discovering that there are options out there that will do this for them, without a "middle man" as it were

I guess then, that he is relying on his customers not discovering that there are options out there that will do this for them, without a "middle man" as it were. Seems like shaky ground to be standing on, but I suppose it can work for a while, if he already has good relationships in his industry.