166: Are you ready for a premium business? (spoiler: yes!)
You're More Ready for Premium Clients Than You Think (And Here's How to Know)
A shift is happening in the market. Are you ready to stop playing from the sidelines?
I see you nodding along when I talk about premium clients and high-ticket offers.
You love the idea of working with fewer, better-fit clients who value your expertise and pay accordingly. But maybe you're still thinking, "I'm not ready yet" or "I don't even know what my high-ticket offer would be."
If that sounds like you, then what I'm about to share might just change everything.
The Truth About Being "Ready"
Here's what I've learned in seven years of running a successful boutique business: every single high-earning consultant, coach, and expert I've ever worked with has said some version of "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, and I sure don't feel ready, but I'm gonna go for it."
You don't decide to be premium after you've got it all figured out. You become premium because you start showing up differently in your business—more bold, more clear, more confident. Your audience feels that energy shift.
I think of one client in particular. When I helped her see her own magic and the places she was underselling herself and her expertise, it completely changed how she showed up. The messaging and copywriting work gave her permission to finally own what she was bringing to the table.
She sold out her $10K mastermind in a matter of days, and that kicked off an amazing upward momentum she's been riding ever since.
You Already Have What Most People Spend Years Chasing
If you've been in business for a few years, or you're pivoting from another career into private coaching or consultancy, you already have what most people spend years chasing:
A body of work
Deep client results
Real-world experience
A track record of integrity
These are the raw materials you need to build a premium business.
You're probably just missing:
The positioning that puts you as the go-to in your niche
The framework that sells your offer for you
The copy that connects and sells to your premium buyers
What High-Ticket Really Means
When people hear "high-ticket," they might picture pushy sales tactics, super luxury vibes, or $25K masterminds. It could be those things, but it's not exclusively those things.
High-ticket simply means high value and high transformation. It means a container, experience, or offer that delivers depth, transformation, or long-term impact—and it's priced for that level of expertise.
My fitness coach was a member of my group program for a long time. She never viewed her business as premium, and yet I pay her $165 a month (close to $2,000 a year) to access her very niche, women-only fitness programs.
When we started working together, she had one coach helping her deliver classes. Just three years later, she has added three more coaches to her team to accommodate the growth in her business. That's how you build a premium business: you get clear on your niche, your messaging, and your marketing, and it effortlessly attracts clients that allow you to expand.
So you might be selling a $1,200 annual membership, a $5K done-for-you service, or maybe a $50K corporate retainer.
High-ticket isn't just about charging more—it's about creating more value for your clients so you can work less, serve more, and have more freedom in your business.
Think back to my fitness instructor. She could be offering classes for everyone—men, women, children—but instead she's focusing on women's pelvic floor health and strength. She's narrowed her audience and gone deep into her level of expertise, and people are willing to pay more for that level of service and experience.
"But My Audience Can't Afford That"
Here's the truth: there are always premium segments in every industry.
There are people who will pay more for faster, better, deeper results. They're not looking for discounts or quick fixes. They're asking their network for recommendations and referrals, and they're looking for results.
Your messaging, positioning, and copy is what helps you become that recommended, trusted, niche expert.
What Really Holds Most Entrepreneurs Back
In my view, it's mismatched messaging and marketing, which erodes your confidence.
Most of the advice online—the reels, the freebies, the courses—is built for selling to beginner audiences. It's about how to start out, how to get your first client, how to create your first reel, how to lose the first five pounds.
But the truth is, you are far beyond that. And so is your audience.
You're speaking to beginner-level problems when your clients have premium-level problems.
If you're still using the same messaging and positioning as you did even a couple of years ago, your message probably feels flat and your offers aren't selling the same way they used to.
A Real Example of Mismatched Messaging
I recently performed about a dozen premium messaging audits for coaches and experts. In the majority of cases, I found they were talking about the wrong problems, selling the wrong benefits, and speaking to the wrong clients.
For example, one site I reviewed was for a designer with an incredible pedigree and decades of experience. Yet her website was focused on selling interior design services—trying to convince people why they needed to work with a designer.
But her premium buyer already knows they want to work with a designer. They're already sold on using a professional. Her premium buyers are searching for the best designer for their project and their personality.
Unfortunately, her current site didn't articulate what was unique about her or how she creates vibrant, joyful spaces that highlight her clients' interests like travel or their lifestyle. A few positioning shifts could reframe her expertise as the designer for a certain type of person or family, and elevate her messaging to speak to the elevated client.
Speaking to Advanced Buyers
This is what needs to shift: you need to refine your offers, positioning, and content so you're speaking directly to those advanced buyers—the ones who already have some success, who already know they want to work with someone like you, and who are ready to invest for that level of expertise and transformation.
These advanced buyers aren't scrolling Instagram consuming viral content. They're looking for authority and deep expertise. You need a few killer pieces that position you exactly like that.
The Value of One Premium Client
Before you decide whether you're "ready" or not, I want you to think about this: How much is one premium client worth to you?
Is it $2,000 like my fitness coach, or $12,000, or maybe $20,000? What's the lifetime value of that client returning to work with you on future projects or referring you to their network?
For me, one $5K client turned into $120,000 in repeat business and $50,000 in referrals. And that's just one client. I have several clients who have brought that level of business and revenue into my own business.
You Don't Get Clarity Before You Start
Here's the truth, my friend: You don't get clarity before you start—you get it because you start. You don't get sales before you improve your messaging—you get sales because you improved your messaging. You don't grow your business from the sidelines.
And when you surround yourself with seasoned entrepreneurs who are doing the same work with you, everything accelerates.
You're probably more ready for premium clients than you think. The question isn't whether you're ready—it's whether you're willing to start showing up differently in your business.
Because that energy shift? That's what your premium clients are waiting to feel.
Ready to stop playing small and step into your premium business?
Elevate your messaging, offers and sales inside Pivot to Premium - a 4-month incubator for women-led businesses: kimkiel.com/pivot.
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[00:00:00]
[00:00:51] Hello, my sweet friend. Welcome back to this episode of the Ill Communication Podcast. And if you've been listening lately, you know that a shift is happening in the market. Your audience, in my business, and maybe even in yours. And today I wanna speak to the person who's been playing from the sidelines.
[00:01:14] You see people kicking ass in their businesses, and yet you haven't been able to unlock the level of success you are seeking. You see people with less experience than you who don't create the transformation you create. Getting more attention, more referrals, and more clients. And if you've been listening to the podcast over the last few weeks.
[00:01:35] You've been nodding along and loving the idea of premium clients and high ticket offers because you know they have the potential to unlock the kind of success you know is possible. But maybe you're still thinking, oh, I'm not ready yet. Oh, I don't even know what my high ticket offer would be. Maybe.
[00:01:56] Maybe I'll get serious about this later. If that sounds [00:02:00] like you, then this episode. Is for you because you're probably more ready for a premium business than you think. And so I wanna start with anyone who has said, I'm not ready. I'm not ready to have a premium business. I'm not ready to invest in myself.
[00:02:18] I'm not ready to have that level of success. I'm not ready to step into my next level of business. I'm not ready to elevate my offers and my messaging. Here's the truth. Every single high earning consultant, coach, expert I've ever worked with has said some version of, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, and I sure don't feel ready, but I'm gonna go for it.
[00:02:41] But here's what I've learned in seven years of running a successful business, a successful boutique business that sells premium services, you don't decide to be premium. After you've got it all figured out, you become premium because you start showing up differently in your business, you are more bold, more clear, more confident, and your audience feels that energy shift one.
[00:03:07] Client I can think of in particular when I helped her see her own magic and the places she was underselling herself and her expertise completely changed how she showed up in her business. It's like the messaging and copywriting I did with her gave her permission to finally own. What she was bringing to the table and she began to play even bigger.
[00:03:33] She sold out her 10 K Mastermind in a matter of days, and that kicked off an amazing upward momentum. She has been riding ever since. If you've been in business for a few years, you've been working in another career that you're pivoting to. A private coaching offer or consultancy, you already have what most people spend years chasing, and that's a body of work.
[00:03:59] [00:04:00] Deep client results, real world experience, and a track record of integrity. And these are the raw materials you need to build a premium business. You are probably just missing the positioning. That puts you as the go-to in your niche or your service. You're missing the framework that sells your offer for you, and you're missing the copy that connects and sells to your premium buyers.
[00:04:28] The good news is that's exactly what we do inside Pivot to Premium, which is my group coaching program that I am, uh, launching this fall. Now I wanna clear up another miscommunication. When people hear high ticket, they might picture pushy sales tax tactics, like super luxury vibes or. You know, maybe even 20 5K Masterminds, and it could be those things, but it is not exclusively those things.
[00:05:03] High ticket simply means high value and high transformation. It. Means a container or experience or offer that delivers depth transformation or long-term impact, and it is priced for that level of expertise. My fitness coach was a member of my group program. That used to be called the Joy of Copy Club for a very long time.
[00:05:32] She never viewed her business as premium, and yet I pay her $165 a month or close to $2,000 a year to access her very niche. Women's only fitness programs now. I worked with her inside of my program to help her refine her messaging and positioning. From there, she rewrote her entire website using the frameworks I shared to really zero in [00:06:00] on her ideal buyer and sell to that woman when we started working together.
[00:06:05] In my program, she had one coach working with her to deliver classes and offer private training, and just three years later, she has added three more coaches to her team to accommodate the growth in her business. That is how you build a premium business. You get clear on your niche, your messaging, your marketing, and it effortlessly attracts clients to you that allow you to expand your business.
[00:06:33] So you might be selling a $1,200 annual membership or coaching package. You might be selling a 5K done for you service, or maybe it's a 50 K corporate retainer. But please know this high ticket isn't about charging more. It could be, but it's not just about that. It's about creating more value for your clients so you can work less, serve more, and have a little bit more freedom in your own business.
[00:07:02] It's really not about doing more. In many cases, it's about doing less, not doing all the things for everyone. And just think back to my fitness instructor. She could be offering classes for everyone, for men, for women, for children, but instead she's focusing on women's. Pelvic floor health and strength.
[00:07:26] She's narrowed her audience and gone deep into her level of expertise, and people are willing to pay more for that level of service and experience. And if you've ever thought, oh, but my audience can't afford that. Uh, here's the truth. There are always premium segments in every industry. There are people who will pay more for faster, better, deeper results.
[00:07:51] They're not looking for discounts or quick fixes. They're asking their network for recommendations and referrals, and they're looking for results. You are [00:08:00] messaging, positioning, and copy is what helps you become that recommended, trusted, niche expert. So what really holds most entrepreneurs back in my view, it really is misma mismatched messaging and marketing, and that really erodes your confidence.
[00:08:23] Most of the advice online, the reels to freebies, the courses is. Built for selling to beginner audiences. It's about how to start out, how to get your first client, how to create your first re, how to lose the first five pounds, how to hire the right people to your team. But the truth is you are far beyond that and so is your audience.
[00:08:47] But if you're still using that same messaging and positioning as you did even a couple of years ago, your message probably feels flat and your offers aren't selling the same way they used to. You're speaking to beginner level problems when you have. When your clients have premium level problems. Now, I recently performed about a dozen premium messaging audit audits for coaches and experts to assess what's working in their messaging and copy and what's missing.
[00:09:21] And in the majority of cases, I found they were talking about the wrong problems and selling the wrong. Benefits and speaking to the wrong clients. For example, one site I reviewed is for a designer. She has an incredible pedigree with decades of experience, and yet her website was focused on selling interior design services.
[00:09:51] He was trying to convince people why they needed to work with a designer. But her premium buyer already knows they wanna work with a [00:10:00] designer. They're already sold on using a professional, so her premium buyers are searching for the best designer for their project and their personality. And unfortunately, her current site doesn't articulate what was unique about her, how she creates.
[00:10:19] Vibrant, joyful spaces that highlight her client's interests, like travel or their lifestyle. I highlighted a few ways she could reposition her expertise as the designer for that certain type of person or family, and flag ways to elevate her messaging to speak to the elevated client and make it clear why they want to work with her in the sea of all the other designers in her city.
[00:10:48] And this is the work we do inside pivot to premium. This is what we fix. Inside of that program, you refine your offers, your positioning, and your content. So you are speaking directly to those advanced buyers, the ones who already have some success, who already know they wanna work with someone like you, and they are ready to invest for that level of expertise and transformation.
[00:11:14] Inside pivot to premium, we refine and rebuild your entire premium ecosystem piece by piece. You will identify and attract your premium buyers who are still investing even in the soft economy, you'll craft. Offers and you'll articulate how they deliver transformation and you'll be able to protect your energy.
[00:11:40] Because these offers are not about doing more, they're about doing less. You will master the kind of messaging that converts high ticket clients. And we're not talking about hustling or hypey or you know, false promises. We're [00:12:00] talking about authentic. Authority building content. We're talking about building trust.
[00:12:05] We're talking about making people feel safe and making a wise investment. And you'll create a consistent marketing rhythm that feels sustainable and aligned with your real life. Because remember, high ticket buyers aren't scrolling Instagram consuming viral content. They are looking for authority and deep expertise, and you need a few killer pieces that position you like that.
[00:12:32] You'll get access to my copy vault of high ticket templates, my premium authority prompts every month to help you share content without burning out or feeling overwhelmed. And the live coaching and strategic support you get from me on a week to week basis will bring it all together and help you create rapid transformation in your business and your marketing.
[00:12:56] Pivot to premium starts on November 1st, and you'll be, uh, able to immediately uplevel your messaging and copy for the year end selling season, and then build real momentum into the beginning of 2026. This could be an amazing Q4 for you, and I'd love to be part of your journey. But before I close up today's episode, I wanna ask you.
[00:13:18] How much is one premium client worth to you? Is it around $2,000 like my fitness coach or $12,000 or maybe a premium client is worth a $20,000 design package? What's the lifetime value of that client? Returning to work with you on a future project or another, um, uh, a retainer or referring you to their network?
[00:13:47] For me, a five. K client turned into $120,000 in repeat business and $50,000 in referrals, and that's just one client. I have several clients who have [00:14:00] brought that level of business and revenue into my own. So think about it. How much is one new premium client worth to your business? Because pivot to premium is a fraction of the cost of one premium client.
[00:14:14] It's only $2,000 to join or $500 a month if you sell one service. Based on the work we do together, you've probably paid for your investment. And if that client continues to work with you or refers you to their network, you are making an instant ROI. Now, here's the truth, my friend. You don't get clarity before you start.
[00:14:37] You get it because you start. You don't get sales before you improve your messaging. You get sales because you improved your messaging. You don't grow your business from the sidelines. And when you surround yourself with seasoned entrepreneurs who are doing the same work with you. Everything accelerates.
[00:14:55] I'd love to welcome you to join me and the other incredible business owners inside Pivot to Premium. It's my beautiful incubator to help you. C, rebuild your premium business. We start very soon and spots are limited, so I can give everyone my personal attention. Visit kim keel.com/pivot to read the invitation letter or to book a quick call with me if you wanna make sure it's a great fit.
[00:15:22] I can't wait to see how your messaging and sales will improve when you step into your premium business. I'll see you inside. [00:16:00]
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