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.

Greetings and salutations.

Welcome to another episode of Close It Now.

Today we are talking about.

This is episode number two in the sales 101 series.

So beginner sales foundational series.

So today's episode is curiosity before conclusions.

So one of the fastest ways to lose trust in a sales conversation, whatever your role, is to jump to conclusions too early.

Most beginners think that confidence means having answers.

Reality is confidence in sales starts with curiosity.

So that is the episode today.

Stick around.

It is going to be a powerful one.

I know that you are getting a lot out of this.

I've already started to get some comments about it, about the first episode.

And so this is really exciting.

Before we go any further, let's have a what's in your cup moment.

What is in your cup today?

Today, what is in my cup is just basic black coffee.

Not fancy, nothing special.

I'm out of recommendations.

Y' all shoot me your recommendations for new coffee beans to try or coffee shops to visit, those types of things and anything else.

What is in your cup?

You got lattes, you got.

Make sure you're drinking your water, people.

Make sure to stay hydrated.

But you're drinking that energy drink today.

You got a.

You got a coke.

You got a soda.

What is in your cup?

So here's what's in mine.

So let's all take a minute and toast this episode together.

I'm grateful for all of you in drive time university.

3, 2, 1.

All right, so let's get into this couple super quick announcements before we hit the content.

One is, yes.

Date of recording is, let's see, Thursday, December 18th.

So we are knocking on the door of Christmas and New Year's.

What are you doing for your 2026?

This is 2025 wrapping up.

What are you doing for 2026?

Are you being proactive in planning and strategy and investing in yourself and in your business for 2026?

Are you being reactive, sitting around going oh man, what are we going to do to increase business next year?

And don't have a plan.

So I'd love to have a brainstorm.

If you would like to have a brainstorm with me, I'm open to that.

We can put some things in place, help you get some clarity around this next year.

And with that, two main things I want to talk about.

One, three, let's talk about three things.

First is February 26th.

I am going to be speaking at the ACA New England so air conditioner contractor Association New England Chapter just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in February 26th for that event.

So get your ticket, there will be a link in the show notes here.

Make sure to grab your ticket for that and come hang out.

Come see me.

It's going to be an awesome day and we're going to talk about some really cool things.

We're going talk about guerrilla marketing, we're going to talk about how door to door is crushing right now and it's how companies guerrilla marketing and things like door to door actually prospecting, going and find the business and bringing it back to you.

This is the reason that in home improvement when you step out of home services, which is H Vac, Fleming Electrical, this is the reason that home improvement, so all of the other types of home services have 15 companies that have over a billion dollar valuation because they all rely heavily on canvassing to grow their companies because it's the lowest cost appointment business, a machine that you get to control when you eat, you get to control when business comes in and it's immediate.

So that's the cool part about it.

In home services there's not a single company that has anywhere close to that.

So plumbing, electrical, H Vac, they don't get near as big because we've always relied on reactive marketing.

We put digital up and billboards and all radio and TV and all of these things and expect business to come to us when something's wrong.

But if you truly want to grow your business, you have to go find it.

So first thing is we are getting really into full swing with Door to Door Institute.

So if you would like 80, 100, 120 appointments on your calendar in a five day time span, this is what we're doing for companies.

So reach out and we can have a conversation, see if you might be a good fit for that.

And we will send a team to your area to Put appointments on your calendar.

And the best part about it is that appointment cost is way less than half the price of anything that you can get online for digital.

So that is number one.

Number two is in planning for 2026, not only planning for that piece to grow your business and explode it, the other is once you get those appointments, you have to be able to convert them, you got to be able to close them.

So what that means is I have some openings right now in my 2026 calendar to come to your location and train your people.

Because if you're not able to have the right conversations to close business when you're in the home, then it doesn't matter how many leads and appointments you get if you're not selling them.

So remember, people, you can only serve and help people if they buy from you.

We can't do it for free.

So in fact, we've got some cool bundle packages together.

Say you want to take advantage of the door to door and set a large number of appointments.

Sounds awesome.

But also your people need help.

We've put some bundles together where I'm on site training your people and then we go out into those appointments and we close them together and so we can show your team how to do that.

So it creates a lifetime machine of value to bring to your company.

So reach out if you want to talk about on site training for your company for 2026.

Companies are starting to book into my calendar, so I want to make sure that you have the opportunity to get one of those slots before they all fill up.

So those are the two announcements for today.

Let's get into this content because I know you're going to love it.

So again, I'm going to recap one of the fastest ways to lose trust in any sales conversation.

I don't care who you are, if you're a technician, if you are on the install crew, if you are a csr, it doesn't matter what you're doing.

If you're selling cars, it's whatever is to jump to conclusions too early.

So many people, they think having all the answers and just dumping information on people is what generates trust and it's absolutely not it.

In fact, here's a quick story.

I recently had a coaching engagement with a company and we did a two day, it was a full two day discovery session.

So it was really cool feedback.

So I'll tell you what I did and then I'll give you the feedback from the owner.

You know, day one, I just sat in the office, we had a Lot of conversations, I asked a ton of questions.

And then I sat with several other people in the office.

I sat with their csr, I sat with the operations manager, I sat with some of the people in the shop, sat with and just asked a ton of questions.

Didn't offer solutions.

Day one, day two, I started putting things together and it wasn't until probably mid morning day two that I actually started to make recommendations.

We were looking at the different systems and processes and it was a really, really effective session.

In fact that led to another four month, you know, four month engagement to out of that because we had it at that point, we had a very clear path of how to put the things in place, to move the needle for that company to get them where they were wanting to go.

Now the feedback from the owner, which was really cool, it was a great lesson for me and it's a good lesson for all of you.

And it directly applies to what we do in the home when we do our appointments is he said, you know what?

I've hired a lot of, had a lot of consultants come in over the years.

And he said, what normally happens is they come in, they have their agenda, they have their box or their frame of this is how I do it and they try to instantly start to force it onto the company.

He said this was very different because he was like, you just asked so many questions one by asking enough and asking the right questions, it gave him clarity and exposed a lot of gaps in his business that he didn't even know were there strictly by me asking the right questions.

So the step one is he started to understand the problems better and get got a clarity around exactly what was going on in the business.

And then when I made recommendations, they were in alignment with the problems that he recognized through that question process.

And because there was so much clarity around the problems now, the solutions made sense and there was no, you know, there was no negotiation.

It was just like, yes, I could totally see how this is the problem and how this is going to solve it.

So when we apply that to our appointments, it's the exact same thing if we jump to conclusions because, you know, doing what we do in home services, whatever your industry is, if you've done it for very long, for the most part, you get to the place where you can almost diagnose from the street before you even go in the house, you know the type of house, you know the consistent problems that those exact same type of builds have, you know what you're going to run into.

So what that does that shortcuts the process.

It's like being in math class and only writing the answer that the teacher wants you to show your work.

So we have this same idea and concept when we enter into our appointments.

So the thing to remember.

So this is going to recap into episode one.

If you haven't listened to episode one, go back and listen to it.

But here's your mantra.

Remember, my job is to understand the human first, the problem second, and the solution last.

And you cannot understand the problem until you become genuinely curious about what's really going on.

So today we're going to break down the second step in sales 101, curiosity before conclusions.

So recapping episode one, we talked about starting every appointment with clarity and a shared plan.

Once that plan is set, the next mistake that beginners a lot of times make.

And if you still are making this mistake, I don't care if you whatever, you would consider yourself intermediate or advanced, whatever.

If you're doing this, it puts you in the beginner category.

So it's something you have to solve very quickly.

So what happens is once the plan is set, so we handled the very beginning, but once that plan is in place, the.

The next mistake that beginners make is rushing.

You diagnose too fast, they assume too much.

And you start solving problems that haven't been fully understood yet.

Both understood by you and by the by your homeowner.

So curiosity is what is going to slow the conversation down in the right way.

So let's talk about a little bit about why beginners jump to conclusions.

Most new people in a role that involves sales come from usually one of two places.

If you're in home improvement or home service, either you are a technician or installer, or you did the work yourself.

And so you have a technical background where fixing fast is rewarded, or you come from a sales background where talking fast and solving the.

And making the sell is rewarded.

Both create the same problem, though you start thinking you already know the answer.

When that happens, we stop listening, we miss context, we solve the wrong problem.

And so no wonder you're getting.

Think about it.

And they're going with other companies because you're trying to solve the wrong problem.

You're solving the problem that you found with something broken in the house or something not up to code or whatever.

And.

And it's not the homeowner's problem.

It might be the same thing, but they cannot clearly see how what you found is causing what they're experiencing in the house.

So curiosity will keep you neutral in that so you, it, it slows you down.

You stop thinking you already know the answer and you have to be more curious.

So a fun fact, Rilla, I'm sure a lot of you know Rilla, it's the AI company that records sales appointments.

And so they at this in time, the last number I heard is they have over 2 million recorded sales conversations.

So they sort them from top to bottom.

You know, what the top performers do, what everybody else does, et cetera.

And one of the most interesting, there's two main statistics that I heard.

In fact, when I had the founder on my podcast, we talked about this and the two facts are top performers, the top 1% compared to the bottom 1% ask five times as many open ended questions as the bottom performers.

The other piece of this is also the top performers speak 42% of the time.

Bottom performers speak 60 as 60% or higher percent of the time.

So which really goes back to emphasize the old adage that facts tell, stories sell.

So we have to be able to ask better questions, ask more questions and listen better so we can offer the solutions that make sense to them and that align with what their concerns and their friction points are and what they're experiencing.

So curiosity, the cool thing, and this takes the pressure off.

Curiosity is not a script.

Curiosity isn't a list of questions.

It's a mindset.

So you're not trying to get through discovery, you're trying to understand what the homeowner is experiencing.

So you have to adopt this mindset.

I listen to understand, not to respond.

So when you start to listen to understand, what happens is you stop.

So when we're listening to respond, a couple things happen.

A lot of times we find ourselves cutting people off or trying to finish their sentences for them.

Also, it leads us to this place of what I have to and the impression it gives a homeowner is what I have to say is more important than what you're telling me.

And then of course, how does that make them feel?

Because people will always remember how you make them feel.

So good curiosity sounds natural.

It sounds like a conversation.

Bad curiosity sounds like an interrogation.

So if it feels so, just check in with yourself.

If it feels like a checklist, the homeowner feels it too.

If it feels like an interrogation, that's what they're feeling.

So you have to just have a normal conversation.

You know, I've said this over the years, stop using that creepy sales voice.

So I used to fall into this a lot.

All of a sudden I would start talking like, so today what we're going to do is.

And I didn't realize it till I started recording myself.

And then it's like, okay, stop it.

Just have a natural conversation.

So that's why for several years, one of the taglines here at Close it now was stop being weird and start selling.

And this is what it revolves around.

So natural curiosity.

Just have a conversation.

So there's a big shift here.

So I want to give you a question that you can ask your homeowners that will shift a mindset shift that will start to make a difference for you.

Because this is a big needle mover.

I want to give you something you can action right away.

So a beginner will ask, what's wrong with the system?

What's wrong with the garage door?

What's wrong with what's wrong?

What's wrong?

What's wrong?

And professionals will ask, what's been going on that made you call.

It's a slight shift in the question, but it's going to open the conversation.

It invites a story instead of a symptom.

And then when you start to get the story, the story that they're going to tell is what's going to give you context.

Context will give you clarity.

And it's not as.

And remember this too, when you're in your especially in your curiosity phase, asking more and better questions.

If you already fully understand the problem and what's causing the problem, that's only half the work.

The other half is the homeowner has to fully clearly understand what's causing the problem they're experiencing.

And until they fully understand it, there's still a question mark left in their brain.

So of course they're not going to buy into your solutions if they don't know for sure that what you found is actually causing the problem to start with.

So that's where the questions come in.

Because through that process, your homeowners will get clarity around the problem itself.

And as they do that now, they can see how the solutions you're going to offer will solve that.

But until they have clarity there, there's no point in moving on to anything else because you're just going to create confusion.

You're going to create, think about it moments.

And so that's why staying curious even when you think you know is where most people slip.

Because, you know, you'll see, you know, an old heating and air system or uneven temperatures, high utility bills, you see leaks around the water heater, you see whatever it is you see, and your brain says, hey, I've seen this before.

And so take a self audit here.

This is not judgment, but you have to know where your baseline is, where your foundation is, so you know where to grow from there.

So curiosity says, help me understand how that's showing up for you.

When do you notice it the most?

Who does that affect most in the house?

You already know what might be wrong.

But curiosity helps you learn why it matters.

Because until you know why it matters, then there's no reason.

Then without that, you're putting yourself into a commodity box.

No wonder they come back with, well, for the same model and serial number from this other company and it's $5,000 cheaper, etc.

Etc.

Well, because it's just an appliance, it's just the thing.

It's not about why it matters and how we're different than the rest.

And so that's what curiosity will do, is will unlock the reasons why they want to solve their problem.

And then we can go to work on that, we can speak to that.

Curiosity also creates trust without trying, without forcing it.

Right?

We don't have to come up with these fabricated moments of trying to force the trust, because as you're more curious and ask more and better questions, trust will start to develop naturally.

Because people, we don't have to spend 20 minutes in form.

Let's talk about family, occupation.

Man, I love the rims on your truck.

No, that, that's, that's fake.

People, people hear fake news, their BS meter goes off a mile high.

So people don't feel understood when you explain things.

They feel understood when you ask questions and actually listen, not just to pretend like you listen.

When you actually listen.

Curiosity communicates respect, patience and professionalism.

It tells the homeowner, this isn't about selling me something.

This is about understanding.

And that changes everything.

That comes later into your appointment.

And so remember again, this is the mantra.

I'm going to say it over and over.

My job is to understand the human first, the problem second, and the solution last.

And curiosity is how you honor that order.

So when you skip curiosity, what happens is you start to guess.

You assume, you rush.

When you stay curious, the problem becomes clearer, the solution starts to become obvious, and the sell will become a whole lot easier.

So to wrap this up, you don't need to sound smart to be effective.

You don't need perfect questions.

You don't need to control troll the conversation.

You just need to be genuine, genuinely curious.

Curiosity will slow you down, builds trust, and it keeps you human.

And humans buy from people who listen because now they feel heard and understood and that it builds the trust to such a degree that now you can offer a solution that solves that.

And now you're in alignment with the homeowner and they're in alignment with you and your solutions.

So let's recap.

Today we covered why beginners jump to conclusions too fast, what real curiosity actually is, how curiosity changes the tone of discovery, the difference between symptoms and stories, right?

It gives us context.

And then why curiosity builds trust automatically and how this fits the human problem solution order.

So remember, curiosity before conclusions and always human first, problem second, solutions last.

So if this episode helped you share it with someone who rushes to solutions too fast.

And make sure you subscribe.

If you're on YouTube, like and subscribe all of you.

Follow this podcast because episode three we're going to talk about how do we show you understand the skill that separates pros from amateurs.

And so also if you've gotten some value from this podcast, I would love a five star review.

I go to Apple podcast.

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Leave me a five star review on my Google page.

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It helps me to get to grow this podcast and to reach more people, to help more people.

Because my job and my role and responsibility is calling is to help our industries level up.

We can do better, we can serve at a higher level.

And all of this is part of becoming someone worth buying from.

When you work to become someone worth buying from because words don't close the job, you do.

You can hand the same script to five different people.

They might nail it perfectly in role play in the, you know, in the training room, but then they go out in the field and get five very different results.

Why?

What's the difference?

It's not the person, it's not the script, it's not the process, it's the person that's plugged into that.

And who you are determines everything.

So that's why we have to work to become someone 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 at the the Real Close it Now.

And on Facebook at Close it now.

See you next time.