Sales Mama Podcast with Sausha Davis

Why You're Repelling Premium Clients (And How to Fix It)

• Sausha Davis • Season 2 • Episode 59

Share episode

You're working hard, showing up consistently, but the clients who can actually afford you aren't biting. Here's the truth: you might be repelling premium clients without even realizing it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the three ways coaches accidentally push away high-paying clients and exactly how to fix it. We're talking messaging that's too vague, pricing that signals the wrong thing, and how you show up online. If you're tired of attracting clients who can't invest at the level you need them to, this is your wake-up call.

What you'll learn:

  • Why vague messaging repels premium clients (and how to get specific)
  • How underpricing is costing you the clients you actually want
  • What premium clients are evaluating before they ever book a call

If you're ready to stop repelling premium clients and start attracting them, book a call. Let's fix your positioning, pricing, and messaging. Link in the show notes.

salesmama.biz/ceo-strategy-session

salesmama.biz/school 

Thanks for listening to the Sales Mama Podcast. If this resonated with you, screenshot this episode and tag me on Instagram @salesmamaschool or @sausha.davis so I can celebrate you taking action.

Leave a written review and you'll be entered to win our monthly listener prize. We choose a winner every month who gets an Amazon Gift Card!

Ready to stop guessing and start closing?

Connect with me:

New...

SPEAKER_00:

Hey ladies, welcome back to the Sales Mama podcast. I want to talk to you about building authority that attracts premium clients. I have been okay, I'll just be straight with you. I have been talking to some some folks, some gals, and they're like, I want to charge$10,000. I want to charge$20,000. I want to charge$50,000. I'm like, great. What are you charging now? And they're like,$500. I'm like, okay. You know, and so it's a huge jump. And if your audience is used to you pay, you know, charging$500 or$100 or$200 or even$1,000. In order for you to then switch your entire audience and to start attracting premium clients, there's a lot of things that need to shift. Okay. Think about it going from the equate brand of things to the premium brand of things and the messaging that is surrounding that. Think of makeup, the wet n wild version of things, the elf version of things. And then the higher end, like the Tarte and uh oh gosh, what are some other brands? I've used the Lady Gaga one recently. I think I spent like$300 on makeup at the Lady Gaga brand. I don't even remember what the brand name is, but P.S. I do love her freaking makeup. And then there's this palette of makeup that I absolutely love. It's Saint, I think is how you say it. Um, and the Dang Gals on TikTok, not TikTok, Instagram, they got me again, but it is more of a premium experience. And so you have to have that premium messaging and premium experience in order to attract that type of buyer. So that's the things that I want to talk to you today. I mean, I could give you guys so many different examples. Think about cars, think about makeup, think about clothes, hell, even things like real estate. Think about, and you know, some people may take offense to this, but think about a mobile home or an apartment versus a condo, a high-end condo on the beach or a ranch, multi-million dollar luxury ranch. The things and how you present it and how you say it are going to be entirely different. Okay. So we need to build that authority, build that presence, build that messaging that is going to attract those premium clients. And that's what I want to talk to you about today. So the very first thing that I want to touch on is how to create that premium messaging to attract premium clients. And when I work with women in sales mama school, what ends up happening, they'll come to me and they'll have very vague positioning, very vague messaging. Like, I help women with health and wellness, I help women scale their business, I do XYZ. And it is just not specific enough. It it's it's kind of going to like a general practitioner instead of a specialist. Okay, it's the same damn thing. And so then when you get on a phone call with somebody and all of a sudden you're like, yeah, my program's$15,000, they're like, Holy shit, I cannot afford you. Okay. But when you start to specify who you work with, why you work with them, how you work with them, you can start to attract those premium buyers. Think of you again as that doctor with a diagnosis. You're no longer a general practitioner, you are a specialist. And so you are charging for your area of expertise. That is where you start to build that authority and track attract those premium clients. Okay. They really need to know that you understand the exact problem that they are having. And for the women, I mean, obviously, the women are you, you guys are women that are listening to this. I mean, who knows? Maybe there's the occasional husband that drops in here. But I think of myself when I, you know, thinking back to when I was having thyroid issues, okay, and I was going to a general practitioner. I was just going to my regular doctor, and they're like, Oh, we'll just give you some level thyroxine and you'll be on your way. I'm like, okay, but why do I have this problem? Okay. I wasn't looking for generic advice. I was looking, I would I really wanted to know how to solve this problem. And a general practitioner could not help me. Yes, they could give me a pill to solve my problem. They could give me a band-aid, basically, a band-aid solution for seven dollars a month, right? But that's not what I wanted. I wanted something that was going to heal the overall root problem from the inside out. So I went down this rabbit hole of solving my thyroid problems. And so I went to see different specialists. I went to see uh health and wellness practitioners, I went to see energy healers, people who specialized in the thyroid, in healing the throat chakra. And guess what? 10 years later, and I'm, you know, quote unquote cured. I no longer take thyroid medications. All of my thyroid is well within normal levels. Did I, you know, solve my problem with a$7 pill? Sure, temporarily, but I went and paid a premium in order to really solve that problem. I wanted a proven path. I wanted a specific path, a specialist to help me really solve that problem. And so I looked for somebody who knew exactly what it was that I was struggling with. So I looked for people that were like, oh, are you sick and tired of the general practitioners just giving you a pill? I was like, Yes, I am. Are you sick of being dismissed and nobody taking you seriously? Yes, I am. Right. And so that messaging immediately qualified me and attracted me to them. Okay. And on the equal opposite side of that, it immediately disqualifies the wrong people. So anybody that does not have thyroid issues is clearly not going to go to that type of health and wellness practitioner. Okay. Because if everybody relates, then nobody is going to pay a premium. It's like if everything's important, nothing is important. All right. Next, we want to talk about premium pricing signals that equal premium results. Okay. Another thing that I see that goes wrong, and this is this is complex because we want to have the sweet spot of pricing. Okay. We cannot underprice, but we also cannot overprice. Underpricing, let's talk about that first, because that doesn't just leave money on the table, it actually repels premium clients who assume you cannot deliver at their level. And let me give you a perfect example. So earlier this year, back in January, I was running a program and I let everybody, uh, I shouldn't say everybody, but quite a few people talked me into lowering the price on one of my programs. And I think only two people of the hundreds of opt-ins that we got, only two people took me up on this offer. And I think it's because it was that too good to be true type of mentality. Like, oh, there's no way they can deliver this much value for that. Like, there's there's no way. What's the catch? And so when I doubled, actually, I think I tripled the price. I put it back up to what I normally would have charged. I had, I think, doubled my signups or tripled my signups and pay in fulls, mind you, the very next month. I think I ended up having like six or eight people sign up for it. And it was like, yeah, because the quality and the premium feel of it, because people expect to pay a certain price for the level of support and the level of access and all of that that you give them. And so sometimes it's like, yo, you get all of this for$10. And they're like, what's the catch? So just be mindful of that when you're underpricing yourself, when you're undercharging yourself, you will repel some people. I've even done that where I've been on the phone with some people and you know, I'm looking for support and they say, Oh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and blah, blah, blah, blah. And it's only$2,000. And I'm like, okay, I probably know more than you then. And I know that sounds bad to say, but if they're charging$2,000 and I'm looking for them for support, I'm like, man, I have programs that I charge$2,000 a month. Like, what are you gonna give me that I don't already know if that's what your going rate is for one-on-one for six months? So again, premium clients are looking for a certain level of support and a certain level of accountability. And at some point, you have to expand that financial comfort zone. So, for example, somebody such as myself, to spend$10,000 or$15,000 or even$20,000 now on a coach or a consultant is no big deal. Like, I just spent$20,000 on my most recent investment. And it wasn't even about the money, it was more about the time. Like, is now the right time to be able to do this thing? And saying that now is no big deal. But if you would have asked me that 10 years ago, I'd have been like, oh shit, there is no way in hell I'm spending$20 or$20,$20,000 on something like this. I would not have been that premium client at that time, but I have been able to up-level my money mindset and the level of support that I am looking for. And so having the conversation with that person, had they been like, yeah, this whole package is$2,000. I'd been like, yeah, nope, no, thank you. That's not the type of support I'm looking for. I'm looking for like a done-for-you hands-on walk me through everything. I need this, this, this, and this. Like I'm very specific. And so that gives that premium client experience. So premium clients expect to invest for transformation. And those low prices can signal low results, low accountability, little transformation. Whether that's true or not, that price point signals that. Again, think of that equate pricing. Think of that low-value branding, that low value car. Even if it's not necessarily true. Yes, a car will still get you from point A to point B, but if you're driving a Kia versus a Bentley, what's the difference? The luxury, the feel, there is so much difference between the two, not just the brand name. Okay. Now the last thing that I want to talk about, okay, is how you show up matters way more than you think. Way more than you think. And yes, um, like I want to talk about how you know your pricing is part of your positioning. Okay. So I kind of want to go back to something that I that I didn't touch on, and I want to talk about this because this just popped into my head. Um, people sometimes can get caught up in pricing as their self-worth. And the simple law of supply and demand, keep that in, keep that in your mind when you are pricing yourself because there is still that component. Even if you're in coaching or consulting or service-based businesses or some type of product-based business, supply and demand still applies. Like that doesn't go away in business just because you have a different type of business. Okay. And so the more the more people demand you, the higher you can charge. All right. But if there is not much of a demand, you need to price accordingly until that demand is there. Again, this has nothing to do with your self-worth. You need to create the demand. So, how do we do that? And sometimes you have to work for low cost or free until you get the testimonials and the results that are going to justify that premium pricing. Okay. When I first started out, I think I charge like$20 or$25 an hour. My very first group program was like$400 for I think it was eight weeks or something. I was so excited. I was like, somebody just pay me$400. Now my DIYs are like$400. But I didn't start there. So you have to start where you're at and grow from there. Don't be one of those people that just feels entitled to a$20,000 premium package just because you feel like it. Like that's you're just setting yourself up for failure there. Okay. Now, moving on. How you show up does matter. Premium clients are evaluating you. They are reading you like a book. I don't care what anybody says, they are. This is why I still get professional photos, even though I don't, I don't dress in sparkly suits every day, you guys. But I get professional photos done every three to four months so that I have photos for my website. I have photos for my brand, like my branding guides. I have photos to send to the interviews that I do. I have photos for literally everything. Okay. You need it. You need to have your website up to date. If you don't have a website, what the fuck are you doing? Okay. You need to ask for testimonials from everybody. You need to have a brand. And I don't want you to get hung up on this because so many people get hung up on what are my colors and what are my fonts and what are this and what are that. That's not what I'm saying here. That's not the important thing. You need to have a brand, a brand kit, brand awareness, brand visibility, yes. But it doesn't need to be perfect. Okay. I update my quote unquote brand just about every year. I do little tweaks here and there. Okay. And so you need to look the part. This is the same thing with looking and feeling confident. If you do your hair, if you do your makeup, if you dress nice, you're going to feel confident. Well, the same thing is going to happen for premium clients being attracted to you when you show up and play the part. Now, for those that work with me, they know that sometimes I show up and I look like a hobo. Like that's just the real life of it. Like I live on a ranch, I have a bunch of kids. You know, I'm not walking around again in sparkly suits and cowboy hats 90% of the time. Like that is a very small portion of the time. But I do try to dress nice. A lot of the time, I try to do my makeup, I try to do my hair, I try to look the part, even though sometimes I'm like, man, this fucking sucks. But when I dress nice, I feel more confident and I attract the right type of people to me. It's the dress to impress. And I know some of you are probably like rolling your eyes at me and you're like, oh, I'm gonna whatever. If you want to make money, you'll do the things that you need to do to make the freaking money. And it makes you feel more confident. And even as I'm sitting here recording this, like nobody's looking at me. I'm literally wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt. So I'm not on camera, but when I'm on camera, sure as shit, I'm trying to do, you know, when I'm like recording videos and stuff like that, yes, I'm gonna have makeup on. Yes, I'm gonna have my hair done. Yes, I'm gonna try to look the part because that helps build my professional brand. That helps attract those premium clients. That helps people take me more seriously. All right. I know it sounds terrible, but how many people have you seen where they just look like a lazy scuzz bucket? And it's like, you want me to pay you how much? And you can't even get dressed for the you can't even get out of your pajamas? Like, no, thank you. All right. And I know that that sounds a certain way, but that's the reality of it. And I know that there's people out there on Instagram and TikTok and all the things, and they're, you know, influencers and they're make and bank, but that's different. They're not doing service-based businesses, they are literally influencers and they are making money by influencing and selling themselves on social media. They're selling their life. This is different. This is products, this is services, this is you talking to somebody in a professional manner. It's not the same thing. Okay, if you want to be an influencer, sure, go put your pajamas on and shake your ass online. I'm sure you'll make, I'm sure you'll make money. Go for it. But that's not what we're here talking about. All right. This is about you networking, you talking one-on-one to people in person and on Zoom and in professional settings and building a brand on top of that. Okay. And so you are signaling that you run a serious business and that you give serious results. Okay. And so if your business looks like a side hustle, if you treat it like a side hustle, if you talk about it like a side hustle, guess what? You are not going to attract premium clients. Not even a little bit. You are going to attract people who are also side hustlers. So you need to invest in your business like you are a premium client because the amount that you invest in yourself and to the inventory to the amount that you are able to expand your financial comfort zone, that is going to be the level of people, the type of people, the premium clients that are going to show up in your circle. And what I find is that there's these, you know, these women that I work with that are like, oh, I want to charge this much and I want to charge this much. I'm like, great. Have you spent that much before? And they're like, well, no. I'm like, well, do you feel comfortable talking about it? Well, kinda. Yeah, I think so. And they can't even pitch their product or service without flinching, like without cringing, or they're just not confident in it because they have not even spent that much on themselves. Okay. And so you need to think about that. How much are you investing in you? Because that is going to also be a direct reflection of the type of people that you attract into your circle. Because then you can walk them through the process. Yes, I've been there. I know what it's like to spend$5,000. I know exactly what you're feeling. Writing a, you know, uh putting in credit card information for a Thousand dollar purchase. I know exactly what you're going through, having to spend$25,000 and put it on three different payments. I know what you're feeling right now. I know the objections that you're going through. I can walk you through it. And, you know, really good salespeople have been there and they've done that. And they also believe in their product or service so much that they've also invested in their product or service or similar products and service so that they know exactly, exactly every thought, every feeling, every step that that person needs to take on the other end so that they can walk them through it. You can't believe how many salespeople I've talked to who have been in insurance or real estate or um consulting or coaching, you name it, and they're like, well, no, I've never actually done it myself. I'm like, are you fucking kidding me? Like, why would you sell something if you've never actually done it yourself? Like that is wild to me. So that'd be like working at a Ford dealership and being like, yeah, but I drive a Chevy. Like, what the fuck are you doing? Go work at the Chevy dealership then. Like, get out of here. So if you want to attract premium clients, just to recap, you want to have premium messaging, you need to have premium results, premium pricing, and show up like a premium brand. Okay. And if you're ready to position yourself as a premium brand and attract clients who pay accordingly, let's hop on a CEO strategy session. Let's clean up your messaging, let's clean up that pricing, let's clean up your positioning so that you can be finally seen as the authority that you are. I'll put the link in the show notes, and I hope you have a happy new year. Be safe, have fun, have a kick ass 2026. It's the year of the whores. Let's fucking go. All right, I'll catch you on the next episode.