The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around effectively managing client interactions, particularly when faced with clients who exhibit a propensity for dominating conversations. We delve into the nuances of navigating these challenging discussions, emphasizing the imperative of asking incisive questions that guide clients toward a more constructive dialogue. By fostering an environment where clients feel heard and understood, we can alleviate frustrations on both sides and facilitate a more productive exchange. The episode further elucidates the significance of preparation and knowledge regarding a client's history, which serves as a foundation for recommending optimal solutions. Ultimately, our discourse underscores the importance of communication as a pivotal tool in enhancing customer experience and driving successful sales outcomes in the HVAC industry. A salient discourse unfolds within the realm of HVAC sales, emphasizing the pivotal role of effective communication between sales professionals and their clients. The episode delves into the often frustrating encounters with clients who exhibit a proclivity for dominating conversations, thereby impeding the flow of dialogue. The host elucidates upon strategies to navigate such scenarios, advocating for a methodical approach that emphasizes inquiry over exposition. By advocating for the art of asking pertinent questions, the host seeks to foster a more productive dialogue that not only enhances the client experience but also mitigates the frustrations commonly faced by sales professionals. This emphasis on dialogue underscores the importance of understanding customer needs, which transcends mere transactional interactions and fosters a more profound connection between salesperson and client. The underlying premise of the discourse pivots on the necessity for sales professionals to equip themselves with comprehensive knowledge about their clients' histories and past interactions. The host urges listeners to eschew complacency, advocating for thorough preparation before engaging with clients. This preparatory diligence enables sales professionals to present well-informed recommendations that resonate with clients, ultimately steering them away from habitual, ineffective repair solutions towards more sustainable replacements. The episode masterfully intertwines practical sales techniques with psychological insights, positing that successful sales hinge not merely on the act of selling, but on cultivating relationships and understanding the underlying motivations of clients. Furthermore, the episode presents an engaging analysis of the psychological dynamics at play during sales interactions. It posits that effective salesmanship is rooted in the ability to guide clients towards self-realization of their needs, thereby empowering them to make informed decisions. The host emphasizes that the essence of sales transcends the mere transfer of goods; it encompasses the art of persuasion and the nurturing of trust. By employing leading questions and allowing clients to articulate their own needs, sales professionals can facilitate a smoother transition from inquiry to resolution. This episode ultimately serves as a clarion call for HVAC sales professionals to refine their communicative practices, thus enhancing their efficacy in navigating the complexities of client interactions.

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, buy, 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, who is out there?

Drive Time University.

It is Sam Wakefield here.

Close It Now.

Today's topic.

Shut up, Mr.

Homeowner.

Just let me tell you what's going on.

Raise your hand if you've ever had that client that every single time they ask a question, you can barely get four or five words in and then they either start talking on top of you or they're on to the next question, the next subject.

And it's like they didn't even ask the question to start with.

Raise your hand.

I know, we've all had those clients.

It's no fun.

It's ridiculous.

It's like you just asked me this question.

Come on.

Especially if it's in a situation where they're just not listening to reason.

It's like, does this make any sense to you at all?

It's like, do you not understand numbers?

Do you not understand anything about anything?

We all have those clients that we have to deal with, right?

And so that is the topic for today.

How do we get into that conversation?

How do we move, navigate that conversation so they one, get a better experience from us.

Two, cut down on the frustration on our part because it's just freaking frustrating when we are having that, trying to have a conversation and they're just not listening.

Right.

I hate those situations.

How do we handle them?

How do we manage them?

How do we take them from the.

Whoa.

How do we take them from the non listener to the listener?

Yeah, great question.

So that's what we're going to talk about today.

All right, so who is a big question for you in your drive time.

What are you drinking?

I mean, I hope it's not like alcohol or something, but today I am drinking Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew.

They're not paying me for this.

It's just what I grabbed at the store on the way.

Yeah, Nitro Cold Brew.

That's what I've Got today, everybody.

Drink up with me here.

What are you drinking?

Hopefully you're staying hydrated.

Lots and lots of water.

Hydration is important.

What else is going on in your world?

Are you crushing it this year?

Are you living the life of your dreams?

Making all the cells you want to want to make at the prices that you want to sell?

Are you selling all of the top end modulating equipment that you want to sell?

Are you selling all the indoor air quality that you want to sell?

What's going on?

That's what I'm recording this.

Is it what we predicted or are you having issues?

Are you still living money on the table?

Is it time to take it to the next level?

If you would like to double your numbers, if you just want to get some better.

I mean, we all.

If you've chosen to be a lifelong learner, which you, you probably have.

If you're listening to this podcast.

This podcast is not for the rah rah, let's just get really forceful with the clients and, you know, beat them down until they buy from us type of podcast.

We are about, you know, more meat than that.

I'm all about giving you actionable items.

Psychology to next level.

Your entire life, not just your sales.

Because we know that sales is not the performance of an hour, it's the overflow of a life.

You know, everything that we do affects the way that our sales happen.

It's because people resonate with you.

They like you or they don't.

Your energy matches your excitement.

Sales is the transfer of enthusiasm.

How do we operate in that peak state?

The majority of the time when we're in a home, you know, that's why the best time to make a sale is right after you've made a sale.

You're already excited, you're in that space.

You're like, everything I touch right now will turn to gold.

There's nothing I can't do, nothing I can't accomplish right in this moment.

That's that feeling.

And how do we capture that and move forward and have it when every time we need and want it, how do we keep that on tap?

That is what this podcast is about.

If this is truly a career, let's actually like it.

Let's treat it like one.

There is no silver bullet.

There is up leveling yourself 1% better every day and choose to make your you are your own competition, doesn't matter what anybody else does.

So when you make yourself Your own competition 1% better every day will turn into A massive amount of growth over time through the competition.

Compound effect.

So let's get back to the topic.

Today I just, it felt like I needed to.

Needed to share that.

That was a. Yeah, call it a Voosh something.

I just thought I need to share it then of speaking to you, whoever that was, you needed to hear that.

So let's get back to the topic.

The client that just didn't want to listen.

Right.

This came from the Facebook group.

There was a person that submitted a question.

He had a scenario where the system historically had leaks every year.

They refilled it every year with several pounds of refrigerant.

And when they, you know, when they go back, the person just wants to repair, just wants to band aid, doesn't want to, you know, actually look at, consider any real solutions, which is, you know, of course, highly frustrating.

But when they're in the conversation, they were just being pretty belligerent, it sounded like.

And not wanting to listen to each other.

Anything else.

So there's several ways to handle this.

First of all, when you've got a client with a little bit of history before you show up, do your due diligence.

Don't be lazy.

Stop being the lazy consultant, the lazy project manager, the lazy salesperson, we'll call it in this case.

Look up their history, know if they're an existing client or look up the numbers.

How much have they spent in repair since they've been your client?

In this case, they've been the client for several years, it sounded like.

And the dude had literally spent, you know, upwards of a thousand bucks plus in repair, in repair costs across the last two or three years.

Well, to do that again and again and not have this conversation with the client, that's doing a disservice to the client.

So don't be lazy.

Look up that information.

Have it in your back pocket before you show up so you can truly have a foundation for why you're going to recommend what you're going to Recommend.

Start there, Mr. Jones, or Mr. You know, Wilson, whatever your name is.

Did you realize.

And this all has to do with questions.

I guarantee that every single one of you out there, if you're struggling with communication, if you're struggling with overcoming objections, if you're struggling with closing the deal, it all revolves around.

You're not asking enough questions in the process.

You've got to get more questions.

So start with the question of, you know, man, Mr. Jones, did you realize that?

Do you know how much you spent in repair in the last several years?

And ask Them and then shut up and listen.

Make them come up with a number.

Make them come up with a number.

And they may or may not be accurate with their number, but it doesn't matter.

Say, you know what?

I've got that right here.

You've spent over $1,000 on this system in the last few years in a real short amount of time.

Did you realize that could have, you could really had a lot better use for that money.

And so obviously, that's the start of the conversation.

Ask them, do you know how much you've spent this repair unnecessarily?

You didn't have to spend that on a repair just to throw money away.

You're throwing good money after bad, basically.

Use an analogy.

So in this case, the system had a leak in it, a small leak every well, not real small because they're putting, you know, three or four pounds of refrigerant in the system every year.

So use an analogy of something that people use every single day.

The best analogy or the favorite analogy that I have, there may be better ones.

But my favorite analogy for a leak in the system and having the conversation with that client to shift them from repair to replace is, Mr.

Homeowner, let me ask you, you might have asked you a couple questions.

Have you ever had a leak in your tire on your car?

Well, of course they have.

And you have to get them to answer each time.

Well, of course they have.

Yes.

Okay.

What did you do with that leak?

Did you.

Was it.

Did you just refill it over and over?

Refill your tire over and over?

Now, with that leak, did you think it was going to get better still the same, or get worse if you didn't get it fixed or replaced?

And of course they'll answer, oh, it'll get worse.

Well, of course it will.

Leaks don't get better on their own, do they?

No, of course they don't.

Okay, well, in this case, you know, your tire has, on the inside of the tire, you know, 40, maybe 50 pounds of pressure on the inside of this tire.

Did you realize the inside of your air conditioning system, where the Freon is, where the refrigerant is, has hundreds of pounds of pressure.

Let them answer.

And after that, ask them.

So in this case, do you think that it's going to get better on its own, stay the same, or probably get worse over time?

Notice I threw in, probably won't get worse over the time.

And of course they're going to answer, well, it'll probably get worse over time.

Absolutely.

So you wouldn't Just keep refilling your tire on your car.

What did you do?

You go down and you fix it or replace it immediately.

Right, right, of course.

Well, so it's the same thing here, except you're using this way more hours of the day and night than even your car.

So if you continue to just band aid this every year, that's literally like taking this, you know, $400 or however much it is, and.

And walking into the backyard, building a campfire in the backyard every year and throwing those $400 right into the fire.

Would you do that with 400 bucks each year?

You just walk out and throw it into a campfire?

No, of course you wouldn't.

So why would you do that same thing here and let them answer?

Because in this conversation, they're going to tell you why they have been resistant to the replacement conversation, but we've got to lead them to the answers with these questions.

We're not manipulating.

We're leading to the answer that we want and helping them see what a silly waste of time and money that constant repair is.

Every year, when we lead them to the conclusion, it's their conclusion.

And this is a really, really great skill to master for any part of the conversation.

When they arrive to the conclusion on their own of where you're trying to take them now, it's their conclusions in their mind.

They came up with it.

Even though we asked the correct leading questions, they still came to it in their mind.

It's almost like it was their idea.

When this happens, it's much, much easier to have the rest of the conversation because now they're turning their mind a little bit to being open to the idea of a different solution.

So once they've landed there, that's where we start the questions of would you.

Would you like to see some different options?

Would you like to see how we can actually save you a lot of money over time versus just throwing this cash into the.

Into the campfire every year?

Would you like.

Would you be open and.

And don't ever, ever, ever ask if anybody's interested.

Nobody's interested.

You can never be interested if you haven't looked at something if you don't know what it is.

Ask if they're open to looking at.

To hearing about some options to save them money.

Are you open to hearing about some options to save you money?

Well, of course they are.

Of course they're going to be open.

Great.

All right.

So then you start into your typical process.

You know how whatever your sales system is, and if you don't have one, of course, reach out to me, I've got one.

The close and now system is a proven system.

But go into your sales system.

And so when they so notice all of this started with questions.

It started with permission questions.

And that's the three step process that everything is built on permission.

First give the data and then check in.

So so far we've done that a few times with them.

So then when that client is, they'll ask you a question about something.

Anytime they ask that question, it could be about indoor, well, we'll say indoor air quality.

Hey, is there a better way to filter the air?

Or man, the allergies have been bad lately.

Or you just hear them say something like that, allergies have been bad lately.

Is there anything you can do for it?

And instead of just starting to tell them the information, that's where so many people kind of fail in the communication is they'll just start telling information.

At that point, what happens?

Wall goes up, their eyes glaze over.

You get five words in and they are already off to the next topic.

They're already asking another question or talking about something else.

We're left frustrated.

We're like, you literally just asked me about this.

Why when you ask me, I start to tell you about it, you've checked out.

Why is that?

Well, part of it is just the goldfish mentality that North Americans have.

Attention span is literally less than a goldfish now on average.

So the way to overcome that, the way to handle that and unlock that door of their mind to be able to communicate and get the information to them that they're wanting to know is when they say we'll use that same question.

Hey, Azerny, allergies have been bad lately.

Is there anything we can do for that?

That's where our answer is.

Absolutely.

Would you like to hear about the different options available?

So we come right back with a question about the same thing.

But once we, when we ask the question and they say yes, of course, that's why I asked.

So what did that do?

They just gave, gave us permission to present the data.

So step one is asking, restating that question.

Ask the question.

The second we do that, then we can go take, walk them through the different, you know, say in this case say types of filtration.

You know, we've got the basic, we've got our, you know, 4 inch filter, we've got our electronic air cleaner.

Whatever, you know, whatever it is you offer, you walk them through the details and then check in.

Does that make sense?

Do you have more questions about specifics of any of these.

Specifically, which one makes sense for you, which one makes sense for your family?

Obviously asking more questions.

Well, why do you ask?

What concerns do you have?

Who suffers from allergy, asthma, respiratory issues?

How bad?

Tell me more about that.

That way you can recognize and you tell them, listen, I'm asking these questions.

That way I can recommend the right solution.

Right.

And so it's all about asking questions, though, the second you are encountered and.

And when you encounter that client that, you know, maybe they're starting to give you some resistance.

Maybe you're in a conversation and they're frustrated and you're frustrated and they just keep talking on top of you.

There could potentially be a point where you have to posture up a little bit, and that posturing up is now, sir, listen, we're here to help you, but if you're not going to listen to what we're communicating, there's no way I can help you.

You know Daniel Fisher, he's in our group.

Great, great sales guy, sales tech.

He's the project manager up in Dallas, the DFW area.

You know, couple of the things he does.

One, and I've done this for years as well, thanks for this recommendation, Daniel, is when they have lots of questions, just write them down on your notepad.

Just let them keep talking, Let them get it all out first.

Write them down on your notepad, and when they're done, then circle back and go through their questions one by one and answer them that way.

Or when you've got that, not necessarily angry, but just, you know, the client that is fired up about something, they're upset, they've got something happening.

You know, they just keep talking on top of you.

They're a little bit argumentative, especially the ones that like to argue, that try to argue with you, you can just shut up.

We talk ourselves out of so many cells if we just shut up and be silent.

And I know it's hard for a lot of us, but just be silent.

If you're completely silent, there will come a point when they realize there's nothing arguing back.

There's no pushback from you, they'll run out of steam, and there will be a point where they stop.

They stop talking.

If you're just silent, they will finish their thought and then not have anywhere else to go because we haven't given them any ammunition or fuel to their fire.

So you can just be quiet and see what happens.

Shut up and sell.

If you haven't heard that podcast, go back and Listen to that one.

It's really powerful.

Shut up and sell.

That was a good one.

But all of these things are ways to handle that client that just wants to talk on top of you.

It all comes to questions.

We've got to ask permission.

And asking the right questions will take you to the place you need to be when we lead them.

When you ask the right leading questions to arrive at the destination you want them to land at when they can get there on their own.

Man, the problem is half solved because now it's their idea.

Now they're begging you for the information and that makes all the difference.

So hopefully this was good for you today.

This was a fun topic.

I love having those clients when I feel some tension with the clients, when they're starting to push back, when they start to argue, it's a chess match.

It's fun.

We're not in order to be a top producer, it's 10% sales.

It's 90% psychology.

We've got to figure out why they want to buy.

Why did they even pick up the photo to start with?

We also have to figure out what's keeping them from buying.

Why are they not buying?

Why are they arguing?

It's not the objection, it's the purpose behind the objection.

Why does this objection even exist to start with?

When we can uncover what that is?

That's how to handle objections.

Hope this was great for you.

Go join the Facebook group.

If you're listening to this later, you'll already know the products that are available, the things that are coming.

We've got a course coming.

The book is in first draft.

Right now we're working on a group coaching program which is going to be phenomenal high performance coaching, which is one on one with me.

All of those programs are just about ready to kick off.

High performance coaching is currently running, has been for the last year and a half.

So reach out to me about that if you're ready to really take it to the next level.

Otherwise, go out there, go save the world one heat stroke at a time.

Stop being weird and start selling.

Just ask the obvious questions and when you start asking more better questions, you'll start to get more better answers.

And from there, the sky's the limit.

So I will talk to every single one of you soon.

Have a good one.

Thanks for listening.

To Close it now with Sam Wakefield.

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