New client, new domain, product launching in a month. They’ve got it in their heads that they need 50 links in the first month because a competitor “has 400”. Budget is there, they’re happy to pay.
I’ve told them it’s a bad idea, but they keep pushing and I think they’ll just go elsewhere if I refuse.
My current plan is to offer something like:
– month 1: fix the site, get brand mentions and citations sorted, 5-8 real links
– months 2-6: build up gradually tied to content and launch PR
They’re not buying it. They want a number.
How do you handle this kind of client? Do you just walk away? Put your advice in writing and then do what they ask? Show them examples of sites that got burned? I’ve been doing this long enough to know how it ends, but I’d still rather keep the client if I can.
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