I remember the first time I bought a pair of wireless earbuds. I had a hard time justifying spending $200.00 on something that the modestly priced wired pair did just fine. I don’t often splurge on technology, but I like to listen to music on my daily walks and I thought wireless airpods would be a game changer. It sounds silly, but I had a lot of emotion wrapped up in that purchase for something that I thought would be really cool, but spending way more money that I thought was sensible. We always like to think of sales in transactional terms. The expectations were high when I opened the box and tried them on, and I have to say that I was not disappointed as the thought of the amount of money I spent quickly faded away. But the reality is that we all go through an emotional process when we exchange our dollars for products and services. We have thoughts such as, “What did it take to earn this money? What else could I spend this money on? Will I have enough money left over for other things? Will I regret spending this money? Will spending this money make me happier or create more stress?”
Our customers and clients all go through this process in some form or another when they buy from us. We spend a lot of time trying to sell the value, but it’s much more than that. There are emotions and feelings that we don’t always take the time to address. If you want to think of price as the measure of value, then you should look at money as a measure of emotion because money always makes us feel something. It doesn’t matter how much or how little, what the money is in relation to, it stirs something inside of us because of what the money represents to us. I’m sure the idea of managing the emotions of our customers seems less than appealing, but it is a reality we have to face because that emotion is what will drive much of their purchasing decision. No exceptions. In other words, when it comes time to close the deal, customers will make their decision on one final and basic criteria; does this feel right? Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Money is tied to identity – For many people, how they spend (or don’t spend) is a reflection of who they are—responsible, practical, successful, cautious. A buying decision can either reinforce or challenge that identity.
- Money carries memory – Past experiences—good or bad—impact how people feel about similar purchases. If they’ve been burned before, fear enters the conversation. If they’ve been thrilled before, so does excitement.
Money signals priority – Every dollar spent is a decision to say “yes” to one thing and “no” to another. That trade-off creates tension. Even if they want what you’re selling, they’re still letting go of something else to get it.
Money provokes vulnerability – The act of spending means trusting—trusting you, your product, and the outcome. That leap of faith stirs up emotion, even for the most logical buyer.
Money creates pressure – The bigger the purchase—or the tighter the budget—the more emotionally charged the moment becomes. What looks like hesitation is often emotional risk management in disguise.
