“Rosti, great lecture. This is exactly what we need in the company!“
M.’s eyes were shining with enthusiasm as he described how he wanted to transform his logistics company. He had watched the free lectures on automation and artificial intelligence by co-founder Rostislav Karashki.
Two meetings.
Six hours of intensive discussions.
Eighteen automations, carefully divided into four agile phases. Everything seemed perfect.
We saw how his business would transform. He envisioned a bright future free from routine tasks and chaos. The energy in the room was contagious.
And then we sent him the proposal.
Silence.
When he finally called back, his voice was different. The enthusiasm had vanished, as if someone had flipped a switch.
Instead – questions. Many questions.
“How exactly will these automations help my business?”
“What will I gain from them?”
“Why is it so expensive?“
In that moment, we realized something critical – we had made the classic mistake of professionals.
We assumed instead of verifying.
We thought that since he came to us with specific requests, he understood what value he would receive. We thought enthusiasm was enough.
It turned out it wasn’t.
The conversation continued for weeks.
Meanwhile, we learned that the month – usually one of the strongest of the year for his company – had been catastrophically weak this year.
External circumstances change perspective.
Fear replaces excitement.
Investment appears to be risk, not opportunity.
Ultimately, we reduced the automations by half. We fit into his budget. But the feeling remained – we could have done this better. Much better.
This experience taught us a lesson that completely changed our approach to selling automations. A lesson about the psychology behind every business decision.
About the difference between “sounds great” and “I’m sure it’s worth it.”
About the power of concrete numbers in a world of general promises.
And that’s precisely what this article is about – how to transform enthusiasm into confidence, and desire into a decision supported by clear, measurable facts.
The Psychology Behind Price Objections: Why Enthusiasm Disappears
When our potential client said, “It’s too expensive,” he wasn’t actually referring to the price.
He was talking about something much deeper – his fear.
Contemporary research in sales psychology reveals a surprising finding: approximately two-thirds of price objections are not actually related to price, but stem from deeper psychological barriers.
When a client says, “It’s too expensive,” they are masking more serious concerns.
In the case of our logistics client, his enthusiasm was authentic. He genuinely saw the possibilities.
But the moment he had to commit financially, powerful psychological defense mechanisms kicked in.
The Phenomenon of “Loss Aversion” (Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky)
People fear losing money much more than they are motivated by the benefits of a purchase – a concept known as “loss aversion.”
This phenomenon means that buyers are often focused on avoiding what they perceive as an overpriced deal, rather than recognizing the long-term value of the solution.
Research in neuroscience reveals that the brain processes potential losses much more intensely than equivalent gains, creating an inherent caution in decision-making.
Practically speaking, the fear of losing 30,000 EUR is twice as strong as the joy of gaining the same 30,000 EUR.
In our case, the client saw the price for 18 automations but didn’t clearly see what exactly he would gain from them. His enthusiasm was emotional, but the decision had to be rational and financially justified.
The “Framing Effect” (Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky)
What made the situation even more complex was the temporal context. The month during which we were negotiating turned out to be weak for his business. Price objections can also be a symptom of a buyer who doesn’t feel a sense of urgency to take action.
When a business is experiencing a difficult period, every investment is evaluated through the prism of short-term cash flow rather than a long-term perspective.
In this case, our client was most likely thinking: “How can I spend X EUR now when last month I barely made budget?”
Value Perception Gap (Neil Rackham)
However, our biggest oversight was different.
When a client objects to a price, it is often a reflection of their internal assessment of value.
We hadn’t helped the client make that internal assessment.
We told him: “These automations will save time and money.“
But these are general phrases. They mean nothing concrete.
How much time?
How much money?
When will we see results?
What exactly will those results look like?
Here comes the key moment – we hadn’t prepared detailed KPI indicators to show measurable value.
We hadn’t properly executed the PDD (Process Design Document) phase, which would have documented the current state and expected improvements.
The Fear of Wrong Decisions and Losing Money
Let’s examine the mind of a business owner more deeply when they need to make a decision about investing in automation.
Three Main Fears in Decision-Making
Fear 1: “What if it doesn’t work?”
This is the fear of failure.
The client thinks: “What if I spend this money and the automations don’t work as they should? What if there are errors? What if my employees can’t handle the new system?”
The fear of making the wrong decision is one of the most powerful drivers of objections.
This fear manifests in various forms – direct expressions of uncertainty, indirect requests for additional information, comparisons with competitors, or extended evaluation periods.
Fear 2: “What if there’s a better option?”
This is the fear of missed opportunity.
Perhaps there’s another company offering the same thing at a lower price? Perhaps the technology will evolve in 6 months, and a better solution will emerge?
Fear 3: “What if I don’t get my money back?”
This is the fear of poor ROI (return on investment).
Every business owner knows that 30,000 EUR can be invested in many ways.
Will this money come back?
How quickly?
And exactly how will it come back?
Why Our Client Hesitated
In the case of the logistics company, all three fears were present. The client saw the figure and immediately began making internal calculations:
“X EUR… That’s the salaries of 5 employees for 3 months. That’s the new truck I was planning. That’s my advertising expenses for the whole year.“
And then he probably asked himself: “Am I sure these automations will bring more value than all these alternatives?“
We didn’t give him an answer to that question.
Not because the answer didn’t exist, but because we hadn’t formulated it in measurable terms.
When Emotion Collides with Reality
The client’s initial enthusiasm was an emotional reaction. He heard about the possibilities of automation, saw beautiful examples, and imagined how his business would transform.
But when it came time to sign the contract, emotion had to give way to logic.
And logic said, “I don’t see concrete numbers. I’m not sure how I’ll measure success. I don’t see how I’ll prove to myself and my accountant that this investment is worth it.”
When you don’t have a conversation about value before discussing price, you risk turning your offer into a commodity.
That’s exactly what happened to us – without a clear connection between the investment and concrete business results, our solution became “just a service with a price tag” instead of “a strategic investment with measurable returns.”
What is PDD, and Why We Neglected It
Now comes the moment to admit something important: we had two three-hour meetings with the client.
We detailed 18 automations. We divided them into phases. But we didn’t do something critical – we didn’t prepare a proper PDD (Process Design Document).
What is PDD and Why Is It So Important
PDD is a detailed document that describes:
- What are you doing today? (the current process)
- How will it work after automation is integrated? (the future automated process)
- Every detail in between – steps, data, systems, rules, exceptions
This isn’t just a “nice document for show.” This is the foundation of successful automation.
What We Should Have Done
PDD outlines the business processes that will be automated, providing a detailed guide for developers to create effective automated solutions.
For each of the 18 automations, we should have documented:
1. Process Goal: What business pain are we solving?
Example: “Reducing email response time from 4 hours to 15 minutes”
2. Current State (“As-Is”): How does the process work today?
- Step by step with screenshots
- How much time does each step take?
- Which employees are involved?
- Where do errors occur?
3. Future State (“To-Be”): How will it work with automation?
- What will the system do automatically?
- What will still require human intervention?
- How much time will the new process take?
4. Metrics and ROI: Concrete numbers
- Before: 12 hours/week manual processing
- After: 18 minutes/week automated processing
- Savings: 11.7 hours/week = 608.4 hours/year
- Financial value: At 15 EUR/hour = 9,126 EUR/year
Do you see the difference?
Instead of “you’ll save time,” we say “you’ll save 9,126 EUR annually.” Instead of “you’ll improve the process,” we say “you’ll reduce time from 12 hours to 18 minutes on a weekly basis.”
The Cost of Missing PDD
By not preparing a PDD, we:
- Couldn’t justify the price to the client
- Couldn’t show ROI for each investment
- Couldn’t create measurable expectations for success
The result?
A client who saw only the figure X, without knowing exactly how much he would gain in return.
KPI Indicators: The Language Business Understands
After this experience, we understood something fundamental: business owners don’t buy automation.
They buy results.
And these results must be measured.
What Are KPI Indicators in Automation
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are the key performance indicators that measure whether automation is achieving its goals.
But why are KPIs so important in automation?
Because they transform vague promises into concrete expectations.
Examples of Critical KPIs in Automation
1. Time Saved
This is the most direct indicator.
How much time does the process currently take, and how much will it take after automation is implemented?
Speed refers to the average time it takes to execute an automated process. This indicator is often tracked because it quantifies time and cost savings.
Example for one of the logistics company’s automations:
- Before: 4 hours/day from Maria
- After: 5 minutes/day review from Maria
- Time saved: 3 hours 55 minutes/day = 19.75 hours/week = 1,027 hours/year
2. Reduced Costs
One of the primary goals of automation is to reduce costs by optimizing processes, eliminating routine tasks, and minimizing the need for human intervention.
Continuing the example:
- Maria’s hourly rate: 15 EUR/hour
- 1,027 hours × 15 EUR = 15,405 EUR saved annually
- Investment in automation: 4,000 EUR
- ROI period: 2.5 months
3. Reduced Errors
People often make mistakes, especially when performing repetitive and monotonous tasks.
Automations don’t (or make far fewer).
Accuracy measures the percentage of transactions or tasks completed without errors.
Example:
- Before: 5% errors in manual processing
- After: 0.5% errors with automation
- Result: 90% reduction in errors
What does this mean financially? Each error leads to:
- Time for correction (1 hour × 15 EUR = 15 EUR)
- Possible customer dissatisfaction (lost orders)
- At 5% errors = 2-3 errors/day = 30-45 EUR/day = 9,125 EUR/year
4. Increased Productivity
When employees save time from routine tasks, they can do more valuable work.
Automation improves productivity by enabling faster and more consistent task execution.
In Maria’s case:
- 19.75 hours/week freed up
- Can handle more customer inquiries
- Or focus on complex cases
- Potential revenue increase: 10-20%
5. Payback Period
How quickly does the invested money return?
The formula is simple:
ROI = Investment / Annual Savings X 100
Why We Didn’t Use These KPIs Initially
Now, looking back, I wonder how it’s possible we didn’t show these figures to the client.
The answer is simple but painful: we hadn’t calculated them.
We thought the client “probably knows” what value he would receive. But he didn’t know. Because we didn’t know exactly.
This is the key lesson: The most essential business processes to automate are those that will make the most significant contribution to achieving the goals indicated by your metrics.
We should have started with the metrics.
We should have measured the current state.
And then show the future state in concrete numbers, not general promises.
How to Measure the Real Value of Automations
Now comes the practical part – exactly how to measure the value of automations so we can present it convincingly to the client.
Step 1: Calculate the Baseline
Before you can show improvement, you need to know where you are now.
To accurately measure the ROI of process automation, you must establish baseline metrics for your current processes before implementing the automation.
What to measure:
Execution Time
- How long does the process take from start to finish?
- Don’t forget “hidden” time – waiting, approvals, transfers between people
Number of People Involved
- Who exactly participates in the process?
- How much time does each person spend?
Frequency
- How many times is the process executed?
- Daily, weekly, monthly?
Labor Cost
- How much does each participant’s hour cost?
- Include not only salary but also insurance, overhead
Error Rate
- How often does something go wrong?
- What are the consequences?
Step 2: Design the Future State
Now you need to determine what the process will look like after automation.
Realistic expectations:
- Not every process can be 100% automated
- Some steps will require review from a company employee
- You must anticipate time for maintenance
Choosing the right processes to automate is fundamental to achieving a high ROI. Automation is most suitable for high-volume, repetitive, and rule-based processes.
Step 3: Calculate the Savings
Now comes the math.
Let’s see a concrete example:
Process: Sending weekly reports to clients
Current State:
- Ivan collects data from 3 systems: 45 minutes
- Ivan formats data in Excel: 30 minutes
- Ivan writes a personalized email for each client: 15 min × 20 clients = 5 hours
- Ivan sends emails: 20 minutes
- Total time: 6 hours 35 minutes weekly
- Ivan’s hourly rate: 17.5 EUR
- Weekly cost: 6.35 × 17.5 = 111.13 EUR
- Annual cost: 222.25 × 52 = 5778,76 EUR
Future State with Automation:
- System collects data automatically: 2 minutes
- System formats data: 1 minute
- AI generates personalized emails: 5 minutes
- System sends emails: 1 minute
- Ivan reviews results: 20 minutes
- Total time: 20 minutes weekly
- Weekly cost: 0.20 × 17.5 = 3.5 EUR
- Annual cost: 3.5 × 52 = 182 EUR
ROI Calculation:
- Investment in automation: 4,000 EUR
- Annual savings: 5778.76 – 182 = 5596.76 EUR
- ROI: 4,000 / 5596.76 x 100 = 7.1 (approximately 7 months)
Step 4: Add the “Soft” Benefits
Not everything can be measured directly in EUR, but it still has value:
Quality of Life:
- Ivan no longer works extra hours on Friday afternoon
- Ivan can focus on strategic tasks
- Less stress, higher satisfaction
Business Benefits:
- Clients receive reports exactly at 9:00 every Monday (not “somewhere during the day”)
- Reports are always consistent and error-free
- Ability to add new clients without needing a new employee
Although automation can handle most routine tasks, there will inevitably be exceptions that require manual processing.
That’s why it’s important to be realistic and include time for handling exceptions.
How to Present ROI to Business Owners
Following our experience with the logistics company, we developed a new approach for presenting automation solutions to clients. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Start with Their Pain, Not Your Solution
Wrong approach: “We have a great AI system for ticket classification with 98% accuracy, using the latest LLM models…“
Right approach: “You told me that Maria spends 4 hours daily classifying tickets and that it exhausts her. Let’s calculate exactly how much this costs you…“
Start with their reality, not your technology.
Step 2: Measure the Current State Together with the Client
Don’t come with ready-made calculations. Do them together with the client during the meeting.
Example conversation after learning our painful lesson:
You: “How many tickets does Maria receive on average per day?”
Client: “Well, about 40-50, depends on the day.”
You: “Let’s say 45 on average. How long does it take to classify one ticket?”
Client: “Mmm, 5-7 minutes, if it’s easy.”
You: “Okay, let’s take 5 minutes. That means 45 × 5 = 225 minutes, or 3.75 hours daily just for classification. Does that sound right?”
Client: “Yes, actually sometimes even more when there are complex cases.”
Do you see what’s happening?
The client realizes the scale of the problem themselves. You’re not imposing it on them – they’re calculating it with you.
Step 3: Visualize Savings in Time Horizons
People think in concrete time frames.
Show ROI at different levels:
Daily: “Every day you save 3.75 hours of Maria’s work time.”
Weekly: “Weekly, that’s 18.75 hours – more than 2 working days.”
Monthly: “Monthly, you save 75 hours – almost two full work weeks.”
Annually: “Annually, that’s 900 hours. At 11 EUR per hour, you save 9,900 EUR.”
Long-term: “Over 3 years, after deducting the 2,500 EUR investment, the net profit is 27,200 EUR.”
Step 4: Connect Savings to Business Goals
Don’t stop at “saved money.”
Show what else can be done.
Example:
“Those 3.75 hours daily that Maria frees up… what else would you like her to do?
Can she take on more clients?
Handle more complex cases?
Train new employees?”
Connect automation to growth, not just cost reduction.
Step 5: Address Risks Directly
Don’t avoid questions about risk.
Address them proactively.
Typical concerns:
“What if it doesn’t work?” – “We start with a 2-week pilot where automation runs parallel with Maria. If it doesn’t achieve 90% accuracy, you don’t pay.”
“What if employees can’t use it?” – “We include 4 hours of training and 30 days of support. Plus, the system is designed to be simpler than the current process.“
Conclusion
When our potential client from the logistics industry came to us, full of enthusiasm for automation, and then that enthusiasm disappeared when faced with the proposal, we learned the most critical lesson in selling technology solutions:
Enthusiasm is not enough.
Concrete numbers are needed.
Sales psychology tells us that people make two assessments before buying:
- Emotional assessment – “Do I like this? Does it excite me?“
- Rational assessment – “Is it worth it? Can I justify it?”
The problem arises when we, as service providers, rely solely on the initial evaluation.
The client is enthusiastic – great!
But when the time comes for the rational assessment, if there’s no concrete data, enthusiasm collapses under the weight of doubt.
Three Key Takeaways from Our Experience:
1. PDD is not a formality – it’s the foundation
Process Design Document is not “just another document for show.”
This is the process through which we, along with the client, understand the current state, measure it, and design the future.
Without PDD, we’re building on sand.
2. KPI indicators are the language of business
Business owners don’t buy “automation.” They buy:
- Saved time
- Reduced costs
- Increased revenue
- Happier employees
- More satisfied customers
But these things must be measurable. Not “we’ll save time,” but “we’ll save 1,027 hours annually.” Not “we’ll reduce errors,” but “we’ll reduce errors from 8% to 0.5%, which equals 9,000 EUR saved annually.”
When we speak the language of concrete KPIs, we’re not selling technology – we’re showing business transformation.
3. ROI must be visible at every level
Different stakeholders look through different time horizons:
- CFO looks annually and wants to see the ROI
- The operations manager looks monthly and wants to see improved efficiency
- Employees look daily and want to see how their lives become easier
Our task is to show ROI at all these levels.
Not just “after 3 years you earn X,” but “every day you save Y hours, which monthly is Z EUR, which annually is A EUR, and over 3 years is B EUR.“
Final Thought
At the beginning of this article, I shared how our client was filled with enthusiasm… until he saw the price. Now, with our new approach, the conversation looks completely different.
Instead of: “This costs X EUR”
We say: “These 18 automations currently cost you 47,000 EUR annually in lost time, errors, and missed opportunities. With an investment of X EUR, we reduce this to 6,000 EUR annually. The investment returns in X months. After the first year, the net profit is X EUR. After three years – X EUR.“
Do you see the difference?
The price is no longer a problem. It’s a solution.
When clients understand not only what they’re buying but what they’re gaining, enthusiasm doesn’t disappear when faced with price. On the contrary, it’s reinforced by a rational explanation.
This is the power of a well-documented PDD and clearly defined KPI indicators. They transform vague promises into measurable results. They transform hope into a plan. They transform doubt into confidence.
And most importantly, they transform automations from “an interesting idea” into “a necessary investment with proven returns.”
