For a local client with an actual business, I always do a few things:
1. Branding and Rep Management
2. Local Citation and Review
3. Regular SERP SEO
For one I do the following:
I register the business name on EVERY Parasite and Web 2.0 available. From Myspace to Wordpress. Any source of traffic or platform someone else could use to act as the business. I also register the business name to popular forums in the niche. For the Parasites, Social Accounts, and Web 2.0, I put up original content where applicable. I register the sites to an email address I own and if possible register it to a 'professional' email. The Web 2.0s are set up as review sites or employee blogs.
This step is something I think we should see more of with clients because it controls their online presence and prevents competition from ranking a parasite or 2.0 later and trying to extort your client or steal your business.
2. This is normal Local SEO to make your client stand out in the local space.
3. This is normal link building to get my client search results.
For the most part I do the same thing for most clients. When I offer packages I always include step one (It is beneficial to both of us and is easy to explain in non - SEO terms as a way to protect their business). Step two is normally included as I can explain a way to appear ahead of their competition for local search results.
The last step is the up sell. I do some KW research, find easy to rank KWs with some search volume, and offer a way to get X,XXX searches a month to their site which can convert into business for them if the site is set up properly.
An example of this is a business which sells whole foods / bulk food locally. Before I came along it was only an off line business and they did not have local competition. Ranking them locally was easy. Ranking them for county and state is what I decided to upsell. I put together a website which a shopping cart. Showed the owner how to upload pictures and put prices for a shopping cart. I then did KW research with their products and found some rare things people actually searched for online and did not have a lot of competition (Think: Lime Green Jelly Beans). I offered to get them traffic and ranked for KWs which I knew I could rank in a month for the right money (It would only cost me a few web 2.0s to rank these KWs).
The Parasites and Web 2.0s as the basic package were all filled with reviews. Many of them were real reviews I got from mentions of the store on social media and put them up. Then made social media pages. I own and control all of these properties and if the client wants them they continue business.
A job like this had a premium for a website (X,XXX), Basic Start up plan for the social media accounts, parasites, web 2.0s (XXX) which I would do anyways to ensure I had control and to prevent competition, Ranking local KWs (XXX a month), and ranking global terms (XXX one time). A small job turns into a huge ongoing project which is practically locked in with only a wee bit of start up effort and because you control all the platforms your client is locked in to you. I always offer to transfer ownership of everything over for a nominal fee when the contract is over. Most business owners do not want to touch it and even if another SEO wanted to take over they need to buy these properties from me first. After such success they have NO reason to leave.
Selling a local client a link pack is not helping them at all, and leaving money on the table for you. Explain it into terms they understand:
"Secure your online presence"
"Reach out to young people who frequently shop online and use social media to decide on purchases"
"Engage people who are already looking for your product but cannot find it"
"Show potential clients the feedback from your customers you want them to see, not what your competition wants them to see"
After the start up work your clients business will improve and they will continue to work with you. Plus, aside from reports, they do not really know how it worked or happened, just that it did.
If I were to ONLY offer links, I would limit my income to XXX at best, not help my client, and not secure future business. I for one would never do that. Bad business IMO.
If you are set on the business model of selling links, you need to rebrand the links.
Web 2.0s are now Reputation Management Blogs, PBN could be 'Real Website Refferals' or something. Package it in a language the business owner can understand.