You know what’s so stinking wild? You’re out here with experience, client results, and case studies that would make other people jealous, and you’re still attracting clients who need handholding, who question your price, and who ghost you after discovery calls.
I hate to break it to you, but it’s not them. It’s your messaging.
You’re speaking to beginner-level problems when there’s a whole world of champagne problems out there waiting for someone like you to solve them. And today, we’re gonna fix it.
If you’re a service provider (VA, OBM, ads manager, copywriter, funnel builder) who’s tired of attracting clients with beginner budgets and beginner problems, this is for you. I’m gonna show you exactly how to shift your messaging to attract premium clients who respect your expertise, make decisions quickly, and pay well.
What Are Champagne Problems (And Why They’re Your Ticket to Better Clients)
A champagne problem is a high-level business problem. It’s the kind of problem you only have when things are going well, maybe even too well. It’s the problem of success, not the problem of survival.
Let me give you some examples so you can see the difference.
Ads Manager: Beginner vs. Champagne Problems
Beginner problem: “I need ads to work. I need to get this offer off the ground. I’m not even sure if it’s gonna sell yet, but this is my last hope.”
Oh, that is not who you want to be talking to.
Champagne problem: “I’m so swamped with clients, I can’t even think about marketing right now. I need someone else to handle this entire thing for me so I can focus on my current clients.”
See the difference? One person’s in startup survival mode. They’re testing, they’re uncertain, they probably have a limited budget. The other person has a proven offer, they have revenue, they just need someone to come in and take over the things they’re not an expert at.
Copywriter: Beginner vs. Champagne Problems
Beginner problem: “I need a sales page because I don’t have one yet, and I’m trying to launch this $25 product.”
Champagne problem: “I am launching three times this year, and we already have a proven offer and a sales page that’s got us to this point, but we want these launches to be even bigger. I don’t have the bandwidth right now to write my copy myself. I need someone who can nail my voice and own this process.”
OBM: Beginner vs. Champagne Problems
Beginner problem: “I need help getting organized. My systems are a mess.”
Champagne problem: “My team is growing too fast, and I need someone to come in and build the infrastructure so we don’t implode.”
Y’all, these are completely different clients. Different budgets, different urgency, different decision-making timelines, different respect for your expertise.
And here’s the kicker: most of you are speaking to those beginner problems in your messaging. Your website talks about getting started, learning the ropes, running your first ad campaign, and building your foundation.
Which is fine if that’s who you wanna work with. But if you’re sitting here wondering why you keep attracting clients who nickel and dime you, who need a zillion Zoom calls to make a decision, or who ghost you after you send a proposal, it’s because your message is literally designed to attract them.
Why You Keep Defaulting to Beginner Messaging (Even Though You Know Better)
No one wakes up and says, “Hey, you know what? Today I wanna attract clients with no budget and a million questions.” No one wants those types of clients. But somehow they keep on ending up on your calendar.
You default to beginner messaging because it feels safe.
When you speak to beginner problems, you feel confident that you know how to solve those problems. You’ve done it hundreds of times. It’s comfortable.
But champagne problems? Those feel scary because speaking to champagne problems, you have to position yourself as someone who works with successful businesses. They have high revenue, they have offers that work, and they have teams.
And chances are, in your own business, you’re not at that level. So, as a service provider, a lot of times we work with businesses that are above our level when it comes to revenue, team size, infrastructure, and so we feel small because we haven’t done what they’re doing.
Or maybe you’re still just working through your own imposter syndrome. It feels like you’re almost waiting for the ball to drop, like you’re lying. If they ask you a question, you’re not gonna know the answer, and that is gonna mean that you don’t know what you’re doing.
So you play small. You talk to beginners because that feels honest, that feels safe, that feels like, “Hey, I’m gonna know every single question they ask me. I’m gonna know how to answer it.”
Here’s What You Need to Hear
Those champagne clients aren’t looking for someone who’s figured it out. They’re not looking for someone who’s running a million-dollar business already. They’re looking for someone who can solve a specific problem really, really, really stinking well.
An ads manager who works with a seven-figure course creator doesn’t need to have a seven-figure course. They don’t need to have a course at all. They need to know how to run profitable ads and get results for that course. That’s it.
A copywriter who works with established coaches doesn’t need to have an established coaching business themselves. They need to know how to write copy that converts. Period.
You are allowed to work with people who are ahead of you in your business journey. In fact, those are the best clients because they respect expertise, they make decisions quickly, and they pay well.
But you have to give yourself permission to speak to their level problems.
And I get it. It’s vulnerable, it’s scary. You may even be questioning, “But I don’t even know what those champagne problems are. Or maybe I don’t belong doing this, or maybe I’m not good enough to do this.”
But let me tell you what’s scarier: building a business full of clients who drain you, underpay you, and don’t respect your time or boundaries. And that’s what happens when you keep playing small in your messaging.
The 3-Step Process to Shift Your Messaging to Attract Premium Clients
Alright, so now, how do we actually make this shift? Let’s get tactical. Y’all know I love some action steps.
Step 1: Audit Your Current Messaging
I want you to look at your website, your Instagram, your LinkedIn, your discovery call script, your work with me page, wherever you’re talking about what you do, and I want you to ask yourself: Am I speaking to someone who’s just getting started, or am I speaking to someone who’s already successful and needs help scaling?
Be honest, because most of you’re gonna realize you’re doing the former. You’re talking to those beginner-level problems.
Here’s what beginner messaging sounds like:
- “I’ll help you set up your first ad campaign.”
- “I’ll teach you how to build systems.”
- “Perfect for new business owners.”
Here’s what champagne messaging sounds like:
- “I manage ad campaigns for course creators doing $500K+ per year, so you can focus on your students, not your Facebook dashboard.”
- “I build operational infrastructure for scaling teams so you can grow without chaos.”
- “For established service providers ready to stop trading time for money.”
See how different that is? One assumes inexperience. The other assumes success.
Step 2: Reframe the Problems You Solve
Instead of saying “struggling to get clients,” try “booked out, but sick of posting every day.”
Instead of “don’t know where to start with ads,” try “tired of being the one running your own ads when you should be leading your business.”
Instead of “need help getting organized,” try “your business has outgrown your systems, and it’s costing you money.”
Do you hear the shift? We’re not talking to someone trying to figure it out. We’re talking to someone who has it figured out and needs a different type of support.
So we’re gonna go from messaging that assumes inexperience, and we’re gonna shift that messaging to one that assumes success.
Step 3: Use Language That Reflects Their Reality
This is where people get tripped up the most, so lean in and listen up.
Champagne clients don’t say “I need help.” They say “I need to delegate this.” They don’t say “can you teach me?” They say, “Can you own this for me?” They don’t say “what’s the cheapest option?” They say, “What’s the best option?”
So your messaging needs to reflect that.
Words to start using:
- Streamline
- Scale
- Delegate
- High-touch
- Premium
- VIP
- Strategic
- Done-for-you
- Ownership
- Partnership
Words to stop leading with:
- Beginner-friendly
- Affordable
- Learn
- DIY
- Budget
I am not saying you can’t work with beginners if you want, but if you want champagne clients, you cannot lead with beginner messaging. You just can’t.
And here’s what’s gonna happen when you make this shift: you’re gonna feel uncomfortable. You might worry that no one will take you seriously, that you’re not cut out for this, you don’t know enough.
Post it anyway. Update your website anyway. Say it on the discovery call anyway.
Because the clients you’re meant to work with are waiting for someone to speak their language, and right now you’re not doing it.
This is the thing: there are so many people talking to beginner-level people on the internet. Like everyone talks to beginners. When you start talking to champagne problems, you are gonna hit an audience that’s not being talked to, that is craving you, that needs your support more than the beginners do.
And so you have to start stepping into that and using their language.
What Actually Happens When You Switch Your Messaging
So what changes when you make this messaging shift from beginner problems to champagne problems? Let me tell you exactly what to expect.
The People Who Inquire Are Completely Different
They’re not asking “what do you charge?” They’re asking, “What does your process look like?” So you need to have a process.
They’re not saying “can I think about this?” They’re saying, “When is your next available start date?”
They already decided they need help. They’re just deciding if you’re the right person. That’s a big difference. None of this “Okay, let me get my ducks in a row. I’ll be ready for this six months down the road.” No. They already know I need help now. Their timeline’s gonna be stricter, it’s gonna be tighter. They’re gonna need support now.
Your Sales Calls Get Shorter
Because you’re not convincing anyone they need your service. They already know they need it. You’re just showing them you can deliver.
Your Pricing Conversations Get Easier
Champagne clients expect to pay well for premium work. They’re not shopping around for the cheapest option. They want the best option.
You Get to Do the Work You’re Actually Good At
Instead of handholding someone through the basics you mastered years ago, you get to do higher-level work. No one wants to set up new ad accounts. That’s like the biggest headache ever. You want people who already have ad accounts that have been running ads, but now they need your support.
That’s what changes when you shift your messaging. But it starts with you having the confidence to speak to higher-level problems, to position yourself for clients you actually want, not the clients you think you’re allowed to have.
Ready to Become the Go-To Expert Premium Clients Seek Out?
If you’re sitting here thinking, “Okay, Brandi, I hear you. I know I need to shift my messaging, but I don’t know how to position myself as the go-to person for premium clients. I don’t know how to attract them without cold DMing or posting 17 times a day or crossing my fingers and hoping,” this is exactly why I created my From Chasing to Chosen workshop.
This is a hands-on workshop where I’m walking you through the exact frameworks for positioning yourself so that premium clients come to you. We’re talking about:
- How you become the obvious choice in your industry
- How to build authority without a huge audience
- How to create messaging that makes champagne clients say, “Where have you been all my life?”
No fluff, no theory, just the exact strategies I’ve used to build a multi-seven-figure business, and the same ones that my Strategist Society students are using to scale to $30K months.
Grab your spot by heading to brandimowles.com/chasing. Depending on when you’re reading this, it may be coming up in the next few days, or if you’re catching this weeks from now, it may be ready for you to grab on demand. Either way, you’re gonna have the full workshop and all the resources that come with it for a killer price.
If you know your messaging is the thing holding you back from attracting better clients, this is your sign to fix it.
Your Next Steps to Attract Premium Clients
Listen, you don’t need more skills. You don’t need another certification. You need to talk to the right problems for the right people. And once you do that, everything changes.
Here’s what I want you to do today:
Go audit your current messaging. Look at your website, your Instagram bio, and your discovery call script. Are you speaking to champagne problems or beginner problems?
Rewrite one piece of content this week using the champagne messaging framework. Start small. Update your Instagram bio. Rewrite your homepage headline. Change how you position yourself on your next discovery call.
And if you need support making this shift, I’ve got you covered:
If you’re an early-stage service provider just getting started, head to conversionsforclients.com to grab my free resources.
If you’re ready to scale past $10K/month and become the strategist premium clients seek out, Strategist Society is where you need to be.
And DM me on Instagram @brandimowles with the word “CHAMPAGNE” and let me know what your biggest takeaway was from this post. I read every single message.
Go out, update your messaging, speak to those champagne problems, and go do the dang thing.
This blog post is based on an episode of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast. Want to hear more? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and join me every week as I share strategies to help service providers build profitable, scalable businesses without the hustle.
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🎧Mastering Your Message: How to Communicate Your Value to Attract Champagne Clients
** This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you use one of the links to purchase. This helps keep the podcast going and I only share products I have used, tested and love.”
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
