The packaging problem is that the outcome is real but slow, and the market is full of people promising it next month.
Sell the measurement first
The cleanest entry point is a paid baseline: what buyers ask, what the assistants currently answer, where you appear, and who gets recommended instead. It is finite, it delivers a document the client keeps, and it tells both sides whether there is work worth doing.
Leading with a twelve-month retainer before anyone has seen a baseline is how this gets sold badly.
Price the model spend separately
Model calls cost money and scale with prompt count and cadence. Folding them into a flat fee means you either cap the client quietly or lose margin as they grow. Passing them through at cost is cleaner, and it is a straightforward conversation.
Table stakes
- A fixed-scope baseline as the first engagement.
- A written definition of recommended, agreed before work starts.
- Model spend priced apart from your fee.
- A reporting cadence slow enough that moves are real.
- Promises about measurement and work, not about ranking by a date.