bigger customers ignore you (even at higher prices)

Brought to you by The Art Of Positioning Podcast

You decided 2026 was the year you'd work with better customers.

Updated the website. Raised prices a bit. Started being more selective in your language.

Three months in, you've quoted three bigger opportunities.

One ghosted.

One said you were "too expensive."

One's still "thinking about it."

Meanwhile, your calendar is still packed with the same customers you've always had, the ones who call five times before deciding, negotiate every line item, and treat your decades of expertise like something you picked up last Tuesday.

Working harder.

Same place.

Same stress.

Because you can't attract bigger customers just by wanting them. You attract them by becoming invisible to the small ones.

The "level up" mistake most make

The standard advice is:

"Raise your prices."

"Target bigger customers."

"Show up where they hang out."

That's not wrong, just incomplete.

Your positioning is still set to "we can probably do that," so your pipeline reflects it. Your calendar reflects it. Your 4pm stress level definitely reflects it.

If you want bigger customers, you need to stop waving in the small ones first.

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38 years in business and they were hitting a brick wall.

Cameron Varner, principal at Banbury Lane, an architectural and cabinet hardware industry veteran, shares his experience overcoming these challenges and finding a fresh position and honing in a distinctive target market in this episode of The Art of Positioning Podcast.

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Why small customers keep finding you

Your positioning is a filter. Right now, it's set to "wide open."

If your positioning says:

• "Full-service construction"

• "From small jobs to large projects"

• "Residential, renovations, additions, light commercial"

Guess who that attracts?

Everyone.

Including the person with a $2,000 deck repair who wants five quotes and three callbacks.

You're getting small customers because your positioning still sounds like you when you were scrappy and needed any revenue.

Problem is, you're not scrappy anymore. You've got overhead. A team. A reputation. Real projects under your belt.

But your front door hasn't caught up.

You don't need to guess why small customers keep showing up.

Your positioning is telling them to.

Here's how to see it clearly in your message - so you can fix it today. Not in 6 months👇

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😎 Enjoying your read so far? I've built a diagnostic that shows exactly where your brand may be bleeding revenue.

5 minutes. Spots the gaps and gives you fixes that you can sort right now, not in 6 months.

Time to get ahead of the competition.

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Badass Tip

Step 1: Collect your current signals (10 minutes)

Open up:

• Your website homepage

• Your "About" or "Services" page

• A recent proposal or intro email

• Your LinkedIn About section

Copy every phrase that describes what you do or who you work with into a document.

Stuff like:

• "Full-service builder"

• "From renovations to new builds"

• "Competitive pricing"

• "Free quotes"

• "All your [industry] needs"

Don't edit. Just collect.

Step 2: Sort them into two buckets (5 minutes)

Now go through that list and mark each phrase:

Bucket 1: "Everyone welcome" signals

Phrases that say (or imply) you're for anyone with a budget and a pulse.

Examples:

• "Small jobs to large projects"

• "All budgets welcome"

• "Your one stop shop"

Bucket 2: "Built for this" signals

Phrases that describe a specific type of customer, project, or outcome.

Examples:

• "Custom homes in [region] for clients who want certainty on budget and timeline"

• "Exterior packages for builders who need warranty reliability, not the cheapest bid"

• "Tax and advisory for contractors doing $5M+ who want proactive planning"

Count them.

If you've got 8 phrases in Bucket 1 and just 1 in Bucket 2, your positioning is an open invitation to small customers.

And bigger customers can't tell if you're actually built for them, or if you're just saying yes to everyone.

Step 3: Replace the "Everyone welcome" signals (5 minutes)

Pick your top 3 "Everyone welcome" phrases.

For each one, rewrite it to describe the work you actually want.

Instead of: "From small jobs to large projects"

Try: "Full custom builds in [region] where discretion is important"

Instead of: "Competitive pricing"

Try: "Fixed-price no bs proposals with no surprise costs at the end"

The point is to be clear about the things your actual target market cares about, where it overlaps with what you do well.

Step 4 Update one visible place this week

Pick ONE:

• Website hero text

• Services page intro

• Proposal template intro paragraph

• LinkedIn About

Replace one "Everyone Welcome" phrase with your new "Built For This" version.

Small customers will read it and move on.

Bigger ones will lean in.

Your move: You can chase bigger customers all you want.

But if your positioning still says "we're for everyone," bigger customers will assume you're not really for them.

And small customers will keep calling.

When your positioning is clear, small customers stop showing up in the first place.

Then your calendar, your energy, and your margins all get better without the chase.

In the meantime, stay badass!

- B