08 - Power, Perception and Premium Clients

Premium clients aren’t just paying for your expertise. They’re paying attention to how power feels in the relationship. In this episode I explore how subtle shifts in confidence, boundaries, and leadership transform how you’re perceived in the premium space.

You’ll learn how to:

 ✔️ Move from service provider to partner
 ✔️ Create respect through controlled access instead of over-availability
 ✔️ Shift from pleasing to leading so clients see you as the safe, confident choice

Premium positioning is not only about what your brand looks like or how much you charge. It’s about how you hold yourself in the relationship. The small signals you send shape whether you’re seen as an equal and credible partner - or simply one of many options.

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Transcript

Welcome to Elevate Your Business, the show for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to raise their game, work with premium clients and build a business that feels as good as it looks on paper. I'm Sarah, business mentor, strategist and a firm believer that you don't have to hustle harder to earn more, you just need to think differently. Each week we'll dive into the mindset, marketing and strategies that will help you grow with intention so you can have the income, impact and freedom you started this business for.

Today I want to talk about something we don't often say out loud in business, which is power. Because when you're working in the premium space, your client isn't just paying for your service or your expertise, they're also paying attention to how the power feels in the relationship. And that dynamic is shaping whether they see you as worth it, whether they respect your boundaries, which I've talked about before, and whether they tell their peers about you.

Now when I say power, I want to clarify here, I don't mean dominance or playing hard to get, I mean the subtle balance between confidence and collaboration. If you're too deferential, you look like a supplier. If you're too rigid, you can look unapproachable. 

And the sweet shop, the sweet spot even, you can tell what I'm thinking about, the sweet spot is partnership and that's exactly what high net worth clients are looking for. In tutoring, I know that many of my listeners are tutors, it is worth making a distinction here, premium clients themselves rarely ask for discounts. If anything, haggling would feel out of place for them. 

But agents who are operating as the middleman sometimes do. And the reason they do this is that they're trying to create enough margin for themselves and part of that is testing whether you'll bend on price. For those tutors who are newer to the international market, this can feel confusing.

You might assume a discount request means the family can't afford you, when in reality it's often the agent checking whether they can build in their own fee on top. It is not personal, it's business. But how you handle that moment says a lot. 

If you hold your ground calmly and confidently, the agent, nine times out of ten, respects you more for that. If you wobble, it can set the tone for the whole relationship. The same goes for those first conversations.

Sometimes it isn't about your ability at all, it's about whether you'll fold. Because if you give away too quickly, the signal you're sending is that your boundaries are negotiable everywhere else too. And that's where power is being measured. 

Not in the big headline moments, but in those tiny exchanges that quietly shape how people see you. And this happens in business all the time. The entrepreneur who apologises for their price before they've even said it.

The consultant who agrees to unrealistic deadlines just to land the deal. Or the coach who replies to every message within minutes because they're terrified of looking unavailable. On the surface, these can feel like acts of service. 

But to a premium client, they're signals of insecurity. Premium clients don't want insecurity, they want to know that they're in safe hands. And this is where perception comes in. 

So perception is not about spinning or faking it, it's about realising that every part of your behaviour tells a story. When you set out your process clearly, you're signalling leadership. When you hold a boundary with calm certainty, you're signalling confidence. 

And when you explain your work without rushing to justify every single detail, you're signalling trust in your own value. And that perception shapes how they see you long before you've even delivered a single thing. I've noticed that in international markets, where I've spent a lot of the past few years working, this can play out in really interesting ways. 

In China, for example, families often want to see visible signs of availability, but paradoxically, they also respect you more when you control access. In the UK, understatement is often admired, but if you understate too much, you risk looking like you lack conviction. Cultural nuance really matters, but the principle is the same. 

Premium clients are watching how you hold yourself in the relationship as much as what you deliver. So how do you get this right? I'm going to give you sort of three shifts to think about here. The first one is to go from service provider to partner. 

Premium clients don't want to hire help. They want someone who stands beside them, not beneath them. And that means showing up as an equal, confident in your expertise, but also curious about theirs.

You bring clarity and they bring context. And together, you're building something. The second shift is moving away from over-availability to controlled access. 

Because scarcity signals value. If you're too available, you dilute your authority. Right? That doesn't mean being cold or evasive. 

It means setting expectations. And that could be, I reply within 24 hours, or I only take on five projects per quarter. But it's about being clear, firm, and calm. 

And this builds respect far more than a rushed WhatsApp reply at 10pm ever will. And then the final one is from pleasing to leading. And there is the temptation for sure in the premium market to keep clients happy at all costs. 

But what actually earns respect is guidance. If a client pushes for something you know won't serve them, authority is saying that won't get you the best result. And here's why. 

So when you're willing to lead, you become the person they trust most. What I want you to take away from today is this. Premium positioning isn't just about what your brand looks like or what your prices are. 

It's about how you carry power in the relationship. If you're always apologising, over-delivering, or bending yourself to fit, your client is not going to say how generous. They may well say they're not ready. 

But if you show up as an equal, and you're respectful, confident, and clear, you can shift that dynamic completely. You stop being one of many options, and you start being the person they'd be proud to work with. So a little challenge for you this week, because I've started to realise that I like to put these little challenges at the end of episodes, I want you to notice the tiny places where you give away power without realising. 

Maybe it's in the way you write your emails. Maybe it's in how you phrase your boundaries. Or maybe it's in your pricing conversations. 

I want you to catch yourself, pause, and then ask this question. How would I respond if I trusted that my value was unquestionable? And then practise that version. Because premium clients don't just want outcomes. 

They want to feel from the very first moment that they're in partnership with someone who knows their worth. Thanks for tuning in to Elevate Your Business. If you loved what you heard today, the conversation doesn't stop here. 

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