The Emotional Side of Selling: Insights from a Recent Client Interaction

Running a business often entails navigating a complex landscape of both numbers and emotions. Recently, I found myself in a situation that beautifully illustrated this balance during a sales call with a distressed restaurant owner—a client I had previously worked with. Her urgent outreach was a reminder of how crucial effective pricing and understanding client needs are in maintaining a successful business.

This business owner reached out to me in a state of panic. Sales were plummeting, her financial records were in disarray, and she was contemplating selling her restaurant. To making matters worse, she was in the process of applying for a line of credit but had no tidy financial statements to present to the bank. During our call, I allowed her to vent her frustrations, recognizing that sometimes my role resembles that of an unqualified therapist who just happens to be proficient in Excel. Establishing rapport in such moments is essential.

In her situation, tidying up her financial books was not merely a practical necessity; it was deeply emotional. The implications of this project had the potential to secure her place in the competitive restaurant industry or offer a pathway for her exit. With stakes this high, it’s easy to overlook the fact that beneath the transactional nature of business, there is a human being facing significant challenges.

As I assessed her circumstances, the sheer volume of transactions, the mess of records, and the intermingling of personal and business finances became glaringly apparent. I quickly realized that this was not a situation that could be resolved with a simple, quick fix. I felt a sense of responsibility to balance supporting her needs with providing a fair pricing structure—one that acknowledged her status as a return client and valued partner, while also ensuring I didn’t underquote and end up overwhelmed by an extensive undetermined project.

To ground myself, I referenced a pricing worksheet I regularly use as a benchmark and prepared a proposal for $4,200. To my surprise, she approved it immediately, paid the deposit, and expressed that this was the first moment in months she felt at ease discussing her business’s difficulties. This experience reaffirmed my belief that when clients trust you to understand their pain points, the price becomes a secondary concern. They are willing to pay for a solution, especially when they have the resources to do so.

In past experiences, I have mispriced projects, often succumbing to the misconception that specific tasks should only take a certain amount of time. However, the value of my