The principal focus of this podcast episode revolves around the imperative of adhering to a systematic inquiry process prior to proposing any solutions to homeowners in the HVAC sales context. I elucidate the significance of diligently gathering information and understanding the specific needs and concerns of clients before prematurely discussing potential remedies. A systematic approach not only enhances efficiency but also fosters trust and credibility with prospective customers. Throughout our discourse, I share personal anecdotes that underscore the potential pitfalls of deviating from this methodical framework, thereby illustrating the detrimental impact that hasty conclusions can have on both the sales process and client relations. Ultimately, the episode underscores that a comprehensive evaluation and active listening are paramount in crafting tailored solutions that resonate with the unique circumstances of each homeowner.

This episode discusses what happens when you Can’t. Stop. Talking. Are you offering solutions before you know all of the details?

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The podcast elaborates on the intricate dynamics of residential HVAC sales, emphasizing the paramount importance of understanding customer needs before proposing solutions. The host, Sam Wakefield, articulates a common pitfall in the sales process: the premature introduction of solutions prior to a comprehensive exploration of the customer's concerns. This misstep not only leads to wasted time but also jeopardizes the salesman's credibility. Wakefield advocates for a systematic approach to questioning, encouraging sales professionals to engage in proactive listening that captures not only the verbal responses of clients but also their emotional cues. This episode serves as a vital reminder that thorough investigation and attentive listening are foundational to constructing effective solutions that resonate with customer needs, ultimately leading to enhanced sales performance and customer satisfaction.

Welcome to Close it now, an H Vac sales training podcast with Sam Wakefield.

Here we'll build your reputation in residential H Vac sales to be the expert influencer in your market.

You'll get insight into the top minds in the industry as they share their skills and hacks to help you on your journey.

This podcast isn't just about selling more, it's about understanding your customers needs and building efficiencies behind the scenes so you can sell more but work less while being top of mind when people think H Vac.

Now let's get started with your host of the Close it now podcast.

This is Sam Wakefield.

All right, welcome back.

Sam Wakefield here with Close It Now.

So first of all I know that I have some of the recordings so far have had a little bit of road noise.

So a couple things I'm doing, doing I'm changing podcast hosting sites so it can eliminate some of the noise.

And also actually what happens when you become a top performer at your company, you get a new truck.

So I'm actually driving my brand spanking new truck which has, right now I'm looking at 256 miles on it, which is cool because the sound, the sound blocking from the outside is a lot better.

So I think it's going to be overall quieter truck anyway.

So let me know in the shoot me a message and let me know if this is a better recording quality because I'm working hard to up my game, so to speak and be as professional as possible at the same time.

If you're doing what I'm doing, you've got some road time.

So it's a great time to utilize it for productive activity.

So on to the show today I've got a really interesting, a cool topic that's pretty interesting.

It's about being, putting things in the right order when you're talking to homeowners.

Let me ask you this, have you ever been in a situation where, and I'll actually use an example of what used to happen to me and it has happened not in the not too distant past.

You sit down at the kitchen table or you're just walking around, you're doing your questionnaire, you're doing the initial interview, your information gathering phase of the appointment and going through the questions.

You start asking questions about the problems and then instead of going on and letting them tell you about everything and going into the other questions, you stop in the middle of that and start talking about solutions to what they just mentioned before you've clarified.

You just get excited because oh man, I've seen this before.

We fixed it here, here and here.

We can fix it here.

Fix it at your home, Mr. Ms.

Homeowner.

It's going to be, this is the solution.

And here's what we did it, fixed it so many times.

Boom, there you go.

And then what happens?

You finish your investigation phase and one of a couple, several things could happen.

One that could be the solution and that would be awesome.

But how many of you have experienced this?

You get to several more questions and you realize that the problem they brought up, they don't even care about.

It's a non issue.

You just asked the question and they answered it.

So you spent forever in this explanation about something that they don't, they don't care if it changes or not.

So you've wasted all this time and energy and completely derailed the course of the appointment.

You derailed the conversation into no man's land, basically that you didn't even need to go there.

Have you ever had that happen to you?

Or here's an example.

Thankfully it hasn't happened this year because I've learned.

And as you learn, you get better.

You don't lose.

You either win or you learn.

So I learned in this situation.

So I sat down at the kitchen table, we did the intro, we did the agenda.

I'm going through my questionnaire and then I asked the homeowners about some different situations.

Well, turns out it's a big two story house.

They've got two separate systems now, one upstairs, one downstairs.

And they're contemplating changing both of them at the same time because they're the same age.

They've both been given them problems, so they just want to knock them out and get rid of the headaches.

So I launch into this massive conversation about the all the technology available now.

And with our variable speed modulating equipment, we can do what's called zoning, where we can take out the two smaller systems, install one big system and do it as a zone system and overall it's going to be more efficient and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Went down that rabbit trail for like 20 minutes.

What happened though?

And they're like, oh man, this sounds great.

This is awesome.

Well, as soon as I started evaluating the house, I realized, well, gee, the upstairs system is in the attic and the downstairs indoor system, the furnace and air handler is above the garage in two wildly separate locations with no way to connect any of the ductwork.

So then I had to spend 10 minutes talking, telling them, well, you know, remember everything we talked about.

Well, forget it all let's start over.

You're going to have to have two systems anyway.

And so it was just one, a bad waste of time.

Two, it made me look like I didn't know what the heck I was talking about.

And three, and so obviously at that point, they definitely lost some confidence in me that I had to regain.

And at the big end of it, they were like, well, okay, well, that sounded great.

Now what?

And so to kind of circle back to the now what?

But, well, let's go through the same conversation, but we're looking at this times two now.

And so the whole, all of it could have been avoided had I just asked some, gone through my system, gone through the questionnaire, asked the rest of the questions before I got excited and launched into solutions.

So the point of today's episode is just that it's like, do not, do not, do not.

Do not talk about the solutions until you've asked all the questions.

Don't talk about how you're going to change things and what you're going to do until you've asked the questions and you've evaluated the house.

So listen, just listen to, as you're going through the questionnaire, listen to what they're telling you.

Listen with deeper listening, you know, very interactive, proactive listening is paying attention.

Don't write down any of their answers until they're done speaking.

And then write it down.

Really think about what they're telling you.

Think about not only the words they're saying, but think about the emotion surrounding the words they're saying.

You can start to really pay attention to their energy level as they're telling you about the different things.

Because when they come across something that's an actual concern, you're going to see their inflection change.

You're going to hear it, you're going to see their posture change, their facial features will change.

Because now it's something that's a concern, it's not just a response to your question.

So, and here's a great example of if you, if you're still unsure about something when you're going through your questionnaire.

And I use this a lot with rooms that have different temperatures.

So the question on the questionnaire is when some rooms are cool in the summer, when some rooms are cool, are there other rooms that are warmer than the rest?

And so when you ask that, most of the time you're going to get a yes.

Well, it's, you know, maybe the office, maybe it's the kids bedroom, you know, it's a couple degrees warmer.

Here or there.

And if you're really unsure if it's something that is, you know, a concern and you've asked, well, how so tell me more about that.

Follow it up with this question, say okay, and I'll tell them.

So I'll say, okay, here's a follow up clarifying question to that.

Is that a concern that you are interested in doing something about or is that just an observation that you've made?

But if we didn't do anything about it, it really doesn't matter, that's of no consequence.

And so ask them that.

So is that a real concern?

Is that a concern or is it just an observation?

And let them answer you.

Because you know, about half the time I'm finding that people will, they've noticed difference in temperature throughout their house, but then they'll follow it up with but you know what, nobody's in that room anyway and it's never bothered us.

You know, the kids used to mention it when they were here, but they're gone now.

Or you get all kind of different answers.

Or one time the lady, the guy was like, man, her office is always warmer than the rest of the house.

And then she chimed in and said, but I like it because I'm always freezing in the rest of the house.

Don't you dare change it.

That's why the follow up questions are important.

Once you've asked your initial question, ask those clarifying, clarifying deeper questions.

Is it important or are you just making an observation?

But that's it.

But go through the whole process, ask all the questions, fully evaluate the home before you offer solutions because that keeps everything in order.

That means you're in data and just flip a switch with yourself.

Play this mind game, flip the switch and just tell yourself, okay, right now I'm in data collection mode and if you're like me, you like to talk a lot and you find yourself, raise your hand if you found yourself slipping into those modes of.

As soon as they bring up something you know how to fix, man, you just start talking about it.

I find that a lot of people who were technicians or like service techs or installers that came into this industry from straight out of being a tech or something like that, really have a big problem with this because you're so trained and you're so ingrained and that's how you're wired, is to fix things.

You instantly want to fix things when you come across them.

But in the sales process you've got to use a little bit of self discipline.

You've Got to space it out.

That doesn't mean that you're not going to talk about it.

What it does mean is the timing has to be right.

You've got to find out if it's important.

Got to find out if the solutions that, say, nine times out of 10 that fix the problem, make sure this isn't the house where that won't work.

I mean, because how many times have you done something literally a hundred times, and then you go to that very next house that you think is built the same and it turns out maybe the framing is different, maybe the way the house is put together is totally different and your average everyday solution just flat won't work there.

I know what we've all experienced that if you haven't, you just haven't been to enough houses yet because that is totally what's going on.

And so that, yeah, you just got to see more places because you will always come across that unusual building construction, the unusual architecture that's going to change things.

So that's the point of today's message, is to go through the process, ask all of the questions, evaluate the house first before you offer solutions.

Because while you.

And the benefit of that too is you've asked the questions and you found out what their concerns are, you found out what they're wanting to accomplish and what their ideal project would look like.

And then as you are going through the house, as you're going through and you're, you know, you're in the attic, you're in the basement, you're in the crawl space, you're in all the rooms, you're around the outside, you're doing your due diligence.

That's also the time that you're referring back to what their concerns are and you're formulating your plan of not only how to fix the problem, but how to structure it into the right solution to offer them as a package.

Because with this type of sales, you don't just offer a single 20 single items and ask them if they want to include it, if they all have to go together to fix the problem.

So you're putting together in your mind and you're making notes, the combination of things, they're going to be the solution to their problem.

And when you do that and you've put together this grouping of items, now you've got a bundle.

People love bundles.

You can do bundle pricing.

And then that completely eliminates the apples to apples comparison shoppers, because nobody else is going to be putting together these types of bundles in these packages.

Packages to solve their problems.

I guarantee you no one is going as deep as you are if you use the right questionnaire, if you use the right questions, you use the right forms or just ask the right questions.

No one's going as deep as you are when you're doing this.

So when you put together all of the solutions, the conversation looks like they'll come back, you know, may come back with, well, you know, I want to do an apples to apples comparison.

You're like, now, Mr. And Ms.

Homeowner, there is no apples to apples comparison because the other company is just going to replace a box in your house that blows air.

What we're doing is we're solving the problems you said you had and fixing these comfort issues in this part of the house and this part of the house and the humidity issues and, you know, whatever, indoor air quality, whatever comes up.

But you've put together packages to fix that.

And so you can see how there's no real comparison there.

What you're comparing is kind of more like apples to.

To sheep.

You know, we're comparing French toast to steak.

There's not a comparison.

It's not the same thing.

And so they.

It completely eliminates that.

But two, you've got a bigger project.

And I'll tell you this, it's never about the money.

In very, very, very few cases is it actually about the money.

It's about them being confident that you have the right solution for they'll be confident that you are the right person putting together that solution and you're the right representative for that problem and being confident that your company, your organization is the right organization.

Very seldom does it even have to do about your brand you represent.

Yes, there are known brands and there are unknown brands, but it's much more important to represent the company, as that's what the brand really is.

It's your company putting it together.

And use this analogy.

I actually communicated this to a handful of people recently.

It's like, listen, when you're doing this due diligence, when you're doing this comparison, sure, you've gotten other quotes.

What you're really comparing is this is not an appliance.

So if you go to Lowe's and you go to Home Depot and you go to Sears and you buy a refrigerator and you bring that refrigerator home and you plug it in and it does work.

You can blame the manufacturer, you can blame the brand, because there was not.

All you had to do was plug it in and it was going to work or it's not going to work.

This is different.

This is like buying a brand spanking new decked out Ford F150 truck, but instead of getting it, driving it off the lot, this is like having it delivered to your front yard in 500 boxes.

And then it's up to you to find the company and the person who's going to put it together properly.

That's why factory training is important, because you want to go with the guy that's, you know, missing some teeth and he gives you the cheapest price, but maybe he's gonna leave a few parts out.

Or you want to go with the guy that's factory trained that knows where every single piece and part goes and why it goes there.

So you get the longest life out of your system because at the end of the day, if they've offered you what they're tell you is the same project for two or three or $4,000 less, but the system only lasts half as long and you have to do it again and do it again in the amount of time that my one system will last.

Have they really saved you anything?

Have they saved you money?

Have they saved you time and effort?

No, because we do it once, we do it right and we take care of it along the way.

And so that's the conversation that you can.

When you're putting together these bundles like this and these packages and you represent the company and you represent your training and your pr, proud of the way that you do things and you do things with excellence, then you can have the confidence to talk to the homeowner about that on that level.

And when you have that conversation with the homeowner regularly, you'll close the deal at thousands higher than the next competitor because they know that they're going to get taken care of.

You'll have people tell you like I get all the time, even though you were thousands higher.

We chose your organization because we knew we were going to get the white love treatment.

We knew we were going to get taken care of and it was going to be done right.

And we weren't going to have the headache of dealing with somebody who only partially did it, or they were going to have to be coming back over and over to fix the things that should have been done right the first time.

And so that's how you have that conversation.

That's how you have that there's no such thing as apples to apples conversation, because you're literally getting everything delivered to your house in a million pieces and you're choosing the person to put it together for you.

You want to pick somebody who knows what they're doing.

So that's the rest of that conversation.

And that's just it, though.

It all comes down to asking the questions and evaluating the whole project before you offer the solutions.

Because in that investigation phase is when you put together all of the solutions needed.

Don't be scared to literally offer every single thing in the same house.

I mean, I have clients that most of the time people may pick an accessory, maybe two accessories, system enhancements, whatever you want to call them.

You know, if it's an air purifier, if it's, you know, improved air filters or, you know, whatever accessory it is, smoke alarm and smoke detector.

But every now and then, you'll have the house that literally will buy every single thing you offer.

They will go with the best system.

They'll go with every indoor air quality item available.

They'll go with the, depending on where you live, the humidifier or the dehumidifier.

They'll go with the erv, they'll go with the hrv, they'll go with whatever it is.

They'll just say yes.

And you love those clients because that's when, if you stop offering things, they'll stop saying yes.

But those clients are going to say yes as long as you keep offering things.

So have a lot of things you can offer.

Because the thing with accessories is, it's like the great Wayne Gretzky quote.

You miss all the shots you don't take.

If you give people something to say no to and give them an option for three or four accessories, there's a good chance they're going to at least choose one, which is awesome, because then that builds your margin.

It builds your bottom line, because you've paid for your overhead with the system.

Now your margin on your system enhancement, that goes straight to the bottom line.

So that's a very powerful way to increase your average sale is just by more system enhancements, offer more accessories.

So that is.

That's my message for today.

Ask all your questions, do your due diligence before you offer the solutions.

That way you don't get it out of order.

That way you keep your credibility up.

That way you're not wasting time also.

And by doing that, you build the biggest bundles, build the bigger packages, then you can have the.

There's no such thing as apples to apples in our industry conversation, because we all know that what, 1% of companies maybe are doing this kind of thing because it takes more time and more effort, but it's worth it because that's when you can see, you know, a 40, 50, 60, 65, 70% close rate.

You can see your average dollar per sale going up and up and up and up and up and the bottom line right in your pocket going up and up and up.

Because then higher sales means higher percentages, higher you keeping mama happy, that keeps the babies happy.

And I'll tell you like the great Zig Ziglar used to say, you show me somebody with skinny kids, I'll show you somebody who's a bad salesman.

So that's it.

We got to take care of the bottom line because there's no that's the reason that we do this.

There's no reason, nothing that says you can't simultaneously serve others with a heart of service and compassion and really serve people, but also make a fabulous, fabulous income at the same time.

I mean, where else can you walk in a house and walk out an hour later and have a, you know, 1, 2, 3, $4,000 commission in an hour?

There's not many other places that you can do that.

And that's what I love about this industry.

So thanks for listening.

We are now in 11 countries all around the world.

We are at what's the latest number?

1700 Listens plays on podcast at this point and things are only growing from here.

So check out closeitnow.net that is the place for all of all the resources.

I am actively working on launching my I've got a group coaching and a private coaching program that I am I'm launching here in probably about two weeks.

So if you want to know more about that, reach out to me.

We'll have we'll do a discovery call, see if it'd be a good fit if one of those programs might be a good fit for you to double, triple, quadruple your sales this year.

Let's see if we can double triple your income this year.

Who doesn't want to double your close rate, double your income and really make some mind blowing shifts because that's what my clients do anyway.

Reach out to me@samoseitnow.net and I will talk to you again soon.

Thanks for listening.

To Close It Now it now with Sam Wakefield.

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