Welcome to Close it now, the podcast that's revolutionizing the H Vac and home improvement trades industries.

Get ready to dive deep into the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

We're turning up the heat on industry standards and cooling down misconceptions.

And we're not just talking about fixing vents and adjusting thermostats.

It's about the transformative movement that's reshaping the very foundation of H Vac and home improvement.

We're the driving force, inspiring top performers who crave excellence not only in their professional endeavors, but also in fitness, nutrition, relationships and personal growth, proving that we can indeed have it all.

This is Close it now, where excellence meets excitement.

Let's get to work now.

Your host, Sam Wakefield.

Hey friends, welcome back to the Close it now podcast.

Sam Wakefield here.

Here's the thing.

We don't just teach sales, we elevate connection, influence, leadership.

So I'm your host, Sam Wakefield, of course.

And today we're, I'm kicking off a brand new mini series that's going to change how you show up to every sales interaction.

So what we're doing is we're going to dive into a concept borrowed from coaching.

If you've ever done any typ of say, life coaching or coaching with a business coach who is good at this.

So coaching and leadership.

So this concept, once you understand it, it's going to make your presentation a whole lot smoother.

Your buyers are going to be more open and your conversations are going to be way more powerful.

And the concept is called the container.

So now I know what you might be thinking.

Hey Sam, I sell ac, I sell electrical, plumbing, garage door, solar, you know, whatever it is.

I don't need these woo woo concepts.

But stick with me here.

This isn't fluffy, it's structure.

This is energy.

This is cells at the subconscious level.

And this is how true mastery happens.

So before we get into it, let's do a little bit of what is in your cup today.

So what is in your cup?

What's in my cup?

As if you've listened to many episodes.

You know, I've been going through the Rosso Cafe Nespresso pods.

Well, we, I made myself a.

I'm at home in the home office, got the Nespresso machine.

I made myself a hazelnut latte with the Ruby, a couple of the ruby espresso pods.

This one is pretty good.

It's kind of a.

It's, it's just darker than medium and I really like it a lot.

I think when these are done, I May actually order another box of these Rosso Cafe pods because they've been pretty dang good and it was a heck of a bargain.

Straight off of Amazon.

It was like, I don't know, eight or ten boxes of these at 10, 10, 10 pods in each box worked out to be pretty affordable.

So really dig it.

And so everybody, what is in your cup today?

Are you drinking nespresso?

You're drinking coffee, you're drinking tea?

What time of the day is it where you're, you know, you're drinking your monsters, you know, where are you at?

What's going on?

So if you're listening to this in the evening, you know, you got your after dinner drink.

What, what's, what's cracking?

So everybody, let's take a 3, 2, 1, take a sip together.

All right?

And if you have recommendations for Nespresso pods, for coffee beans for.

I'm going to be traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan coming up here in April.

So if you're in the area and you want to connect, maybe for Buy Me Buy Me Dinner or if you want to connect in the area, I would love to, to meet you all.

Um, I'm not going to have a ton of time.

I'm working, going to be working with an electric company for Flat River Electric up there.

Mike Lott, huge shout out to you.

He took the step and is having us out to train him and his team specifically.

And it is going to be fire.

I'll be posting plenty of updates from that.

But if you're in the area and you want to connect, maybe we can work out a time to grab a, you know, grab a meal or something and break bread together.

So I love to meet, ever meet all of you, everywhere I go.

But let's get into it, let's get into segment one here because this is huge, this is crucial.

So let's define it first.

What is a container?

A container, it's basically an energetic space that you create for a conversation.

If you've been to personal growth events, things like that, they do a really good job of setting a container.

If you've ever been to a church service, that is another example of a container.

There's a set level of expectations to do and not do within the space in the frame.

And it allows for people to be a lot more comfortable.

So it's this unseen frame that lets people know one, what the interaction is, number two, why it matters, and number three, what is expected of them and of you.

So when you walk into a home or a meeting without a clear container, it's like basically trying to hold water in your hands.

No structure, no boundaries.

It just all slips away.

You know, you pick up sand with your hands and it's just going to run out.

So here's.

So write this down.

The space you hold determines the energy that you create.

The space you hold determines the energy you create.

So here's a quick example.

So like, if you show up at your appointment and you dive right into casual conversation, maybe talk about their pets or the weather, with no intentional lead in.

So if you try to do the traditional form, you know what a lot of people train is, do form for rapport building, you know, family, occupation, recreation, you know, and material things, right.

The homeowner doesn't know what's going on.

There's no clarity.

People default to defense.

That's why their defenses goes up.

Because you start that.

When you start that way, you're not there to build relational rapport.

You're there to build a professional rapport.

You're there to be friendly, not be their friend.

Can a friendship develop out of a sales appointment?

Absolutely not.

Saying it can't.

However, you're there to be friendly, not to be their friend.

And so the entire time this is happening, when we step into, into that space, if there's no clarity, people go into defense mode.

Their nervous system is scanning, hey, am I safe?

Are you trustworthy?

What's happening here?

That's why this matters.

Their brain is constantly running that program of am I safe?

Are you trustworthy?

What's happening here?

That's why we work so hard to build trust and overcome those defenses.

So why containers matter in cells.

And this is important.

So not only just what the container is, but the human brain is wired to seek safety and predictability.

So when people know the boundaries of the interaction, they relax.

And of course, when they relax, what do they do?

They listen.

And when they listen, what do they do?

They trust.

And so trust is the precursor.

Or trust happens before buying.

It's the precursor to buying.

You have to have trust or there's no purchase made.

Right.

Trust is the main umbrella for the entire interaction.

So you don't have to be pushy when someone trusts you.

This is the best part.

You don't have to force a close when the space has already been built, when the space has built momentum toward the decision.

So if you're like me, raise your hand if you want some brain science behind this.

Okay, this sounds cool.

What?

You know, what's going on?

So, super quick, pop out into the brain science part.

Don't don't check out.

This is important.

It's basically what's called the amygdala, the fear center of the brain.

Basically, it goes on high alert when something feels uncertain.

We've talked about this a lot recently, but when we define the space, when we define the container, what we're doing is we're activating this prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that's responsible for logic, trust, and decision making.

So basic.

This is my new favorite quote.

You don't close a cell.

You open a space for trust, clarity, and commitment.

So write that down.

That one is yours truly.

I didn't pull that from anybody.

That's actually out of my brain.

So you don't close a cell.

You open a space for trust, clarity, and commitment.

Which is.

It's what a container does.

It creates this safe space because our goal is to set a, you know, in this space to be trustworthy, again, fun, safe, so they can make this comfortable buying decision in a way that, you know, this is why we're able to, you know, the top professionals, the top salespeople, you know, top closers.

You know, we're able to take people from basically blind date to.

I mean, and think of it in terms of a marketed lead.

There's no relationship there.

We're basically able to go from blind date to marriage proposal with A yes in 45 minutes, an hour, hour and a half, two hours, you know, for 20, 30, 40, 50, $75,000 in, you know, in the span of that little amount of time.

Why?

Because we've set the container and we've allowed that homeowner to.

We've built enough trust that they feel safe in that space to make that buying decision.

So how do we set a powerful container?

And this is really important.

So let's get real practical with this, because it's one thing for me to tell you about what a container is, but as you know, with closeit now, we're all about giving you very clear action steps you can implement right away and see results right away.

So here's the four elements of setting the correct container.

Number one, context.

So.

And it could sound like, hey, let me tell you exactly what I'm here to do today.

Just as simple as that, you know.

So is it okay?

Or in the form of a question, you know, is it okay if I go over exactly what we're here to do today?

Yes.

It orients the buyer.

No confusion.

There's no guessing.

It's just clarity.

The more clear we can get in our communication to Give a directive that we're training our homeowners how to buy from us.

And this is part of it.

We're telling them what's going to happen in the order it's going to happen in.

So number one is like, it's okay if I tell you exactly what I want.

You know, what I'm here to do today.

Number two, we've got to set some boundaries.

So one is context.

Number two is boundaries.

For example, hey, this won't take more than 90 minutes, and you can ask me anything along the way.

That's an example of some very clear boundaries.

It's not one, it's a.

We're giving the time, you know, now they know the time commitment and that they're in control also.

So.

So number one is context.

Number two is boundaries.

Number three is intention.

Mike.

So that could sound something like, you know, my goal is to help you make the best decision for your home and family.

You know, best decision for you and your family.

Now, here's what we didn't say.

You know, goal is not here to sell you something.

It's about service.

It's about leadership.

It's about, you know, serving at the highest level.

So my goal is to help you make the best decision for your home and your family today.

In fact, I would actually switch that.

My goal is to help you make the best decision for you and your family.

Focus on the people you know or your family and your home.

But people are always first.

Who cares what the house thinks?

The house doesn't write the check.

It's about the people and the people that live in the house and how we're going to change their.

The actual way they live there, their human experience in their home.

We have the ability to change that.

So we're there to change it for the better.

So number three was intention.

So number one is context.

Number two is boundaries.

Number three is intention.

And number four is permission.

Is it okay if we walk through a process together so you can get all of the answers you need?

This one is crucial.

Is it okay if we walk through a process together so you can get all of the answers you need?

One, you got permission.

So it gives control while establishing authority.

It's leadership without ego is basically what this is.

So when you do this right, what's going to happen is the energy is going to shift, the buyer's going to relax into the process, and you're no longer selling.

You're guiding.

You become that tour.

As Scott Bell says, you become the tour guide along this journey.

And when they're when, you know, we've hopefully.

Raise your hand if you've been to, say, on a vacation or to a, you know, to any kind of area where there's a tour guide, you know, you've been to a state capitol or something where there's a tour guide, you go along for the ride, you're learning along the way, you're asking questions.

It's a conversation.

But we all know who's in control.

And so you're the tour guide along the way.

But it's not pressure.

People want to be there, they signed up for the tour, which is exactly what's happening in this process.

When you frame this as you're the tour guide, they called you, so they signed up for the tour.

And so that it sets the frame for this conversation.

So sets the container.

So what happens when you don't set a container?

Because this is just as important to know.

So here's the cost of skipping this step number one, the buyer resists your process.

Objections come up earlier, they come up more often.

The whole thing just feels chaotic, right?

You end up chasing instead of leading.

Raise your hand if you don't feel like you have a clear process.

If you, if it feels like, you know, if you're the person that, oh, just go out and I let the.

That homeowner lead the appointment, I just go with the flow and, man, I just do great.

Well, I'm here to tell you, you could do twice as good if you actually had a process, because it's just chaotic when there's no container.

What you're doing is you're swimming in emotional noise.

And so noise, of course, kills clarity, noise kills influence.

So when there's no container, you're swimming in emotional noise.

What we don't want to do is kill the clarity because it just gets muddy.

What is it the confused mind says?

No.

Noise kills influence.

And sales truly is influence.

So here's the biggest takeaway.

1.

Before you pitch, before you present, before you problem solve, you've got to set the container.

Because when you lead the space, you lead the outcome.

This is so important.

I'm going to say this again.

Before you pitch, before you present, before you problem solve, you have to set the container for the whole appointment.

Because when you lead the space, you lead the outcome.

So you're not there just to talk H vac or plumbing or electric or garage or solar or whatever it is.

You're there to shape a conversation that builds trust and inspires decisions.

You're not there to talk about the Thing you're there to shape a conversation that builds trust and inspires decisions.

And the cool part is this is only the beginning.

But what I want you to do is go implement this.

Remember, success happens at the speed of implementation.

Go back.

You're probably going to need to listen to this a couple times.

The transcript is in the show notes now check it out, write down the steps and implement them.

Work to use this process and in whatever cell system you have.

Do we have the close it now cell system that, you know, has results?

Absolutely.

But whatever system you're using, it doesn't matter.

Setting the container is crucial every single time you enter that conversation.

So again, this is only the beginning.

This is the first of a nine part series that I'm starting on this topic.

So we're gonna.

So the container is not the only thing we're covering.

We're gonna cover a lot of different things that leading up to actually where I started, we worked backwards from.

So you're gonna love this next.

These next episodes in the series and we're gonna go.

So next episode we're gonna explore how energy flows within the container.

We're going to talk about how to create tension and release to move your buyer toward a confident, basically empowered.

Yes.

But here's the thing.

If you want to master this at the deepest level, I'm going to be doing this live at Relentless, the ultimate sales transformation.

It is my event in Boston, May 6th through 8th, 2025.

This isn't theory.

This is training, practice and immersion.

So get in the room.

I am telling you now, you do not want to miss this event.

All of the buy one, get one tickets are gone.

Now.

There's no more buy one, get one free tickets.

So tickets are starting to move fast.

We're a little over a month out or five weeks out right now and it is going to be fire.

All of the venues booked, the hotels booked, all of the data is there.

We're waiting on you to make that decision.

Actually, I'm not waiting.

It's happening either way.

You have to make the decision for yourself to decide to stay the same or to exponentially grow and maximize this summer because it is going this summer and then this winter, maximize this year because it is going to be next level if you take it there.

So go get your ticket@closeitnowbootcamp.com if you are a manager, owner and you want to bring multiple people.

We do have a group rate of buy four, get one free for tickets or if you don't, if you lack resources but you want to be resourceful, you reach out.

You can actually do this in the Facebook group if you want, or whoever.

Find other people that want to go and find you.

For other people, go in together, split the cost of the tickets five ways and now you've built yourself in a discount.

So figure it out.

I know that you are resourceful.

If you listen to this podcast, there's lots of ways.

So get there because it will be worth it.

Quick little story.

There was an event that I went to one time, you know, I didn't have the funds to go.

Ended up what we did is, you know, I couldn't.

It was an event in Las Vegas.

No, it was.

This is, this one was in Phoenix.

It was an event in Phoenix.

I'm here in Austin, Texas.

So it's a good drive.

It's like 16 hours and we didn't have the resources to fly everybody there.

So what we did, we rented a big 15 passenger van, we left at midnight, left at midnight and drove all through the night, all through the next day, and we got there at 4pm the next day just in time for everybody to get showered, cleaned up and head to the first night of the event.

Stayed through that event all day long, the next day, the full event.

So welcome event the night before, the full event, the next day, stayed that night and drove back the day after.

And I tell you, it was worth every second of it because it massively moved the needle forward in the team, in the company, in the business.

So do what you got to do.

What if you get the one golden nugget that literally doubled your income this year?

Now I know that that's going to happen and it'll be more than one nugget.

There's so many people who will absolutely multiply their income or multiply their business strictly from what they get from this event.

So don't miss it.

Closeitnowbootcamp.com go get your ticket.

So and if you're enjoying the series so far or if you've ever gotten value from close it now.

Drop me a review on Apple podcast.

Share it with your team.

Pop me a review on for closing out on Google.

I love 5 star reviews.

If I read you a review on an episode and you hear it, message me.

I will hook you up with a free one hour coaching session with yours truly.

So until next time, everybody remember, you don't close a cell.

You open a space for trust, clarity and commitment.

So until next time, everybody go be somebody worth buying from.

You've been listening to the close it now podcast.

Our passion is to dive headfirst into the transformative movement that's reshaping the very foundation of H Vac and home improvement, and at the same time covering fitness, nutrition, relationships and personal growth, proving that we can indeed have it all.

We hope you've enjoyed the show.

If you did, make sure to, like, rate and review.

We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find the website@closeitnow.net find us on Instagram @thereal closeitnow and on Facebook closeitnow.

See you next time.