This podcast episode elucidates the critical concept of dismantling the walls of resistance that often impede the sales process in the HVAC industry. We delve into the psychological underpinnings of customer interactions, emphasizing the importance of asking specific permission-based questions to foster openness and engagement. By identifying and addressing the invisible barriers that arise during appointments, we provide listeners with actionable strategies to enhance their effectiveness in sales conversations. Our discourse is anchored in the belief that understanding customer psychology is paramount, enabling sales professionals to navigate objections and promote solutions more effectively. Ultimately, we aim to equip our audience with the tools necessary to transform resistance into receptiveness, thereby facilitating a more productive sales experience.

The sales process is a tricky process. Today, host Sam Wakefield talks about breaking down the walls of resistance that will make sales less tricky. He teaches us how we can open our prospects’ mental understanding for them to listen to us and how we can obliterate those resistance walls when they come up in our appointments. Know more from Sam as he teaches us how to take control of any appointment and steer it to any direction that we want it to go.

The discourse presented in this episode elucidates the multifaceted dynamics of overcoming resistance in the residential HVAC sales process. The host, Sam Wakefield, emphasizes the ubiquitous nature of resistance that sales professionals encounter during client appointments. This resistance often manifests as an invisible barrier, hindering effective communication and engagement with potential customers. Wakefield articulates that this phenomenon is not solely a byproduct of the sales process, but rather a psychological response that has been cultivated within society, where individuals are predisposed to resist sales conversations. Throughout the episode, I was compelled to reflect on the importance of recognizing these moments of resistance and employing strategies to dismantle them. Wakefield suggests that the key to penetrating these barriers lies in the art of inquiry—specifically, asking permission-based questions that invite clients to engage more fully in the dialogue. By systematically lowering the resistance wall through carefully crafted questions, we enable a more fluid exchange of information and increase the likelihood of a successful transaction. Moreover, the episode delves into the psychological underpinnings of sales interactions, advocating for a conversational approach that prioritizes client engagement. Wakefield posits that effective salesmanship is not about manipulation but rather about fostering a collaborative environment where the client feels empowered to participate. He illustrates this point through practical examples, demonstrating how simple questions can pave the way for deeper discussions regarding the client's needs and concerns. The discussion culminates in a profound understanding that the essence of successful sales is not merely closing deals but building enduring relationships founded on trust and transparency. By the conclusion of the episode, I was left with a renewed appreciation for the intricate dance of communication that defines the sales process and the critical role that psychological awareness plays in facilitating these interactions.

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

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

This is Sam Wakefield.

Hey, hey, hey.

Welcome back.

Sam Wakefield here, Drivetime University.

Today we are talking about breaking down the walls of resistance.

How do you obliterate those resistance walls when they come up in your appointments?

Ra your hand?

Have you ever experienced when you're in an appointment and each, every time you enter like a new section of the visit, it seems like there's this invisible force that just pushes against you.

There's this wall of resistance that goes up.

You see it, it's like all of a sudden somebody dumps cold water down your back and there's this like visible stillness that comes over your client and they just stove up and they get like, yeah.

And there's this resistance.

And it's not any fault of theirs, it's not any fault of ours particularly.

We can prevent it.

And that's what we're going to talk about in this episode.

As a society, we're so trained in and ingrained to resist any type of sales conversation.

Even in this process that we talk about how it making it much more conversational, making it a back and forth, keeping it from being weird.

Right?

But every single time you turn a corner in the sales process, there is a new phase, there's something new to overcome, there's a new obstacle to overcome.

There's a new objection.

Door to close to go head towards the sale.

So if you felt that, give me a huge shout out because I know that it happens.

But did you know there is a simple way to take that wall down, to keep it down and every single time it starts to rise up again, to pull it back down and open them back up to hearing the next phase of the next step of what you're going to communicate to them or the next step in questioning the next layer of information and the next data point that you're going to give them.

So how do we do that?

How do we do that?

That is the big question in Fact.

That's exactly it.

That is through questions.

But it's not just any question to do this.

It's very specific questions.

It's very specific questions that have to do with the power of asking permission.

Ah, well, that was a little unexpected.

Was it?

So would you like to hear how to ask permission?

Did you hear how smooth that was at the same time?

Because I just did that.

In this process of going through our appointment with the homeowners, in the process of our investigation, the process of, you know, exposing them to our products, that we're offering our services, et cetera, there's a ton of psychology that we are constantly dealing with.

We may not realize that there's psychology involved, however, there is.

There's all of the Psychology of Sales.

In fact, that's a classic book if you've never read it.

Brian Tracy, that's probably the very first sales books that I ever read.

Completely changed my career and my life.

So I highly recommend.

Brian Tracy, the Psychology of Sales.

Pick it up, give it a read, or listen to it on audio in your drive time, university in your windshield time, like you're doing right now.

But the psychology of it is, when you ask permission, what happens?

People open up.

And so that's why in the next episode, we're going to talk about the formula for anytime you give a new data point.

But when you ask permission, it does a couple things.

One, it keeps your client interactive.

It keeps them responding to what you're saying.

You're involving them in the process.

Anytime you ask questions.

That's why I'm such a believer and such a fan of asking questions.

You have to ask them questions constantly, constantly be asking your client questions.

If you can say it in the form of a question instead of telling them, always ask it as a question.

It doesn't matter what part of the visit it is.

It doesn't matter what you're talking about.

If you can ask it in the form of a question, ask it as a question.

But when that resistance comes up, and that's why at the beginning, we start off the very first of the appointment with questions, you know, it's our clients tell us it's important to know about the company and the person they're working with.

And we think that's important too.

So I'd like to tell you a little bit about me and my company.

Would that be all right?

So you're asking them up very up front.

Would that be all right if I tell you a little bit about me and my company?

Because our customers tell us it's important.

Yes.

Okay, great.

Because up until that point, that's the first question in the visit.

Up until that point, you shake hands.

Hi, how's it going?

But there's an instant resistance.

There's that instant wall that is up before you do anything, before you even smile.

And so that's the first question that starts to open them up.

And you'll notice when you ask that question, would you mind if I tell you a little bit about me and my company?

Because our customers tell us that's important, they'll say, sure, okay, no problem.

And then what?

That every single time you do that, you're lowering their resistance wall a little bit more.

So they've just given you permission to introduce yourself.

They've also given you permission to introduce about the company.

So at that point, without bragging or anything else, because they just gave you permission, you can talk about the credentials of the company, the awards the company's won, anything like that.

When you go into your homeowner questionnaire, which I have that on my.

If you sign up on my email list, that is my free gift to you is the homeowner questionnaire.

If you don't have one, or even if you'd just like to see what mine includes, sign up for my email list and I'll send you a free copy.

And so, yes, that's something I'm offering as well.

But on the homeowner, questionnaire, when you enter that phase, you're like, okay, you've introduced yourself, you've introduced the company and say, okay, great, I've got an agenda for our meetings today to help you best and to be most efficient.

I'd like to go over that with you now.

All right, so again, you're asking a question.

You're asking for permission to go over the agenda for the meeting.

It's like, sure, okay.

And it's just normal conversation.

But they've literally given you permission to take control of the appointment at that point and to steer it any direction that you want it to go.

So then, of course, you're like, okay, well, great, first of all, we're going to go over some questions about your house, and you get to tell me what you're experiencing, what are your concerns, what are your thoughts as you live in the house?

What do you want me to know?

Then once I've asked you those questions, then of course we're going to go through and measure.

We're going to look at all of the areas of the home, especially the areas that may be of concern, and Then what we'll do is, of course, sit back down.

Does that sound all right?

So, yeah, great.

Sounds great.

So again, you've asked permission before, and at the end of that, and it's so important because they're like, okay, yes, I'm literally asking for permission for each step of the way.

But by doing that, every single time you do that, you're lowering that wall of resistance.

They're saying, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

But not in a weird way.

We're not asking for.

These are not like trial closes.

I mean, how many times have you heard that old terminology of the ABC to always be closings?

So asking trial closes to get condition them to say yes along the way just for that purpose.

No, it's not about that, but it is about breaking down that wall of resistance brick by brick and just obliterate it.

So by the time you do get to the end, there's no more resistance left.

That way, if any comes up, you know how to handle it.

So asking permission every step of the way is super important.

And then so the way.

The way that you can open them up to hear about literally anything you want to offer them is once you've gone through the questionnaire, then just ask.

As I'm checking your house out or as I'm looking around, if I see anything else that relates to energy savings, that relates to health and safety, that relates to building durability, would you mind if I brought it to your attention?

Or would you like me to bring it to your attention?

If I see anything else besides what we talked about that relates to any of those items, would you like me to bring it to your attention?

And of course they're always going to say, yes, please do.

Now, what just happened?

They literally said, if you see anything else that you can offer me, please present it to me.

I give you permission.

So not only have.

So this is accomplishing something else too.

Not only have we broken down the barrier of resistance with them resisting the sales process, resisting the questions that we're breaking that down along the way, and every single time you ask this question, you'll feel that resistance walk, go back down, but they literally just gave you permission to offer basically every single thing that you could possibly sell.

You don't have to sell it all.

It's not like you're twisting their arm, but they gave you permission to offer it if it fits their situation, obviously.

Use some wisdom here, use some common sense, use some integrity.

We're not out to sell things that clients don't need.

We sell what People need and want.

People write checks for what they want.

Right?

Not what they need.

But if something doesn't fit, you're not going to sell an insulation upsell to a client who has all the insulation they need.

That's ridiculous.

So stay in integrity here.

This is what I'm talking about.

But what they did is just literally opened up by saying, yes, I'd love to hear about.

If you see anything else, they just opened up your entire book of all of the additional options, accessories, and said, yes, if you come across anything, I would like to see it.

Which is amazing because then you can circle back towards the end and say, okay, remember when I asked you if I saw anything else related to health and safety, for example, to bring it to your attention?

Yeah, I do.

Well, okay, so while I was in the crawl space, while I was in the basement, while I was in the attic, while I was outside, wherever you were, whatever you saw and you took a picture.

So you're showing it to them, I saw this.

And here's what's going on and here's what it needs.

Here's how we can fix that.

So I'm going to recommend to include it in your package because this will take care of that problem.

Can you see how this will solve that problem?

Yes.

Okay, great.

Let's put it in there.

So see how simple that is?

You just, you're looping back, you ask, you show them.

Okay, remember when I asked you that question?

Then say, okay, great.

Can you see.

And show them what it is.

Can you see how this is a problem?

And you've got to get them to see how it's a problem and worth fixing, of course, but especially things that are serious, those are really pretty easy things to add into the project.

Can you see how this is a problem?

Yes.

Okay, here's how we fix that.

Can you see how this is going to solve that problem?

Yes.

All right, I'm going to recommend that we add this into the project because you just agree this is a big problem.

And so that's that simple.

It's all it takes to loop back in.

And it all starts with asking the questions to start with.

And they're not manipulating questions or anything like that.

You're just checking to see if they're open to hearing more.

You're only checking to see if they're open to hearing about what you have to offer.

And once they open their mind, they open their mental understanding to just be available to listen.

That's all we're asking for up front.

Because then once we show them through being a master at your game, through being great at what you do, through being good at finding, doing your due diligence and finding the issues and showing them what their concerns are.

You've got to do a great job of going through the homeowner questionnaire and exposing their concerns.

What are they concerned about?

What are their hot buttons?

What do they want to fix?

What do they want to change?

And once you've done that, the rest is simple.

Because then you just circle back and say, okay, remember when I asked you about this?

Here's what I found that's causing that.

Can you see how this is the problem?

And then can, here's what we do to fix that.

Can you see how this is the solution for that?

And when they have a clear understanding, the rest is just, okay, great, we'll put that in the package, right?

And so it's so simple.

And once that happens, of course, when you're having this kind of conversation with your client, can you see how this is going to change what happens at the close?

Because no longer is IT A.

Well, XYZ Company and ABC Company and Element Opio Company offered me this exact same thing, but they, they're $1,000 cheaper.

Why are you this much more?

That's not the conversation anymore.

The conversation is, okay, you found these concerns of mine and we're talking about a totally different type of project than any of these other companies have even mentioned that any of those guys.

And you're like, yes, of course.

Because I'm concerned about solving your problems.

It's about that.

That's the reason we're here.

It's not about, you know, how many runs of duct work or, you know, what these, all these other things.

It's about solving the problems that you have that you are concerned about.

And when you tie it together like that and you've asked permission, you've lowered that resistance through the whole process.

The rest is gravy, man.

The rest is about just getting the signature on the dotted line.

You know, it's about going home with knowing that you served that client to the best of your ability, that you solved the problems that they had, you solved the problems they were concerned about.

And most importantly, they're going to be so thrilled with the project, they're going to recommend you to somebody else.

And you just created a lifelong client.

Because again, it's not about making the sell and run, it's about creating and doing things in such integrity that when you see them in the grocery store, you see them two Three, five years later, they still remember your name and tell you thank you.

They've never had a better experience in their home.

They've never had cheaper bills and it's never been more comfortable because that happens to me all the time and it happens to my team all the time.

And I want it to happen to you as well, if it's not already.

But you have to, when you make these promises, you've got to show up and deliver.

It's not about all about the sales process, it's all about the complete package is you got to be there for them down the road too.

And so that's, that's part of this whole thing.

But it starts with asking the right questions.

It starts with that psychology of when you feel that resistance go up, ask a permission question.

The permission question will ask.

Always bring that resistance wall down.

Even if you're not at one of your, like my process, I've got these permission questions seated all the way through the process.

But even if you're not at that stage of the visit, like every now and then something will happen, the phone will ring, things will change and I feel that resistance wall start to go up or I might be mid presentation on maybe the types of equipment, equipment or something and that resistance wall goes up.

Recognize that you've got to get really, really, really good and ninja, almost ninja trick style at recognizing when that wall starts to rise.

And then so what I'll do a great example is say the resistance wall goes up when you're going through the types of equipment.

Now the types of equipment, as we all know, they get more complicated as you go.

So usually it happens as soon as we're crossing into or just past the two stage equipment.

So that's when the wall starts to go up.

Because if somebody is price resistant, they're going to make a comment like, wow, I bet these just really got really expensive, didn't they?

Raise your hand if you've ever heard that as you're going through the different types of equipment, through everything.

Wow, I bet that just got really, really expensive, didn't it?

And you know what my answer usually is?

What do you mean?

Or I'll ask that question Or I'll ask compared to what?

And they don't know how to answer that.

They don't know how to answer that.

So then of course, then we all get a laugh when I'm like, compared to what?

Expensive?

Compared to what are you thinking?

Because I want to find out, do they have other quotes?

Do they have some weird preconceived idea of what things should cost based on what the Google search said.

Where's their mindset?

So the great question that probably the one I use the most is, compared to what?

And then once we've laughed and they're like, if they tell me an answer or even if they don't, then I'll say, listen, I'm here to serve you.

Would you.

Is it okay if I go ahead and go through all of the rest of these so you can see.

See everything that's available?

Then, of course, it's up to you to choose what's the best fit.

So would you mind if we go through that process?

That way you can have a good, clear understanding of everything we're looking at.

And so then you just ask permission again, Would it be okay if we go through the rest of this, the rest of these systems, or the rest of this process?

That way you're clear on what we're talking about.

And sometimes I'll even add, if they're still a little bit resistant, I'll add, like, listen, I don't want any of my clients to ever come back to me and say, I didn't know about this or you didn't offer it to me.

So I always try to show everything to everybody because it's up to you to decide what's best for you.

I'm not here to choose for you.

I'm here to help you pick what your best solution is.

And there's a lot of psychology with that, too, because, you know, people don't want to be forced into buying anything.

People don't want to buy.

They don't want to be sold.

They want to buy, and they have a problem, or they wouldn't have called you to start with.

So you're there to solve their issue.

That moment of resistance is, would you mind if we go ahead and finish this section or go through the rest of this, or would you mind if I show you the rest of the options?

That way you have a good understanding of everything that's available to you.

And so it's a great way to do that because, you know, at the end of the day, there's no right or wrong answer.

The right answer is, well, there is a wrong answer.

The wrong answer is no.

The right answer.

And no is not even a no.

It's just a not right now, usually.

But the right answer is anything.

Making the cell their answer is getting them cool.

Because we all know at the end of the day, the basic, you know, 13 or 14 seer system is still Going to cool when they want it to cool, and it's going to heat when they want it to heat, and it's better than what they have or they wouldn't be calling you to start with.

Right.

So that is a powerful principle, though, to take them through it all.

You have to show them all of their options.

And then using that verbiage of I want you to be able to make a good, educated decision on all of your options so you can choose what's best for you.

And I've never had anyone say, oh, no, I don't want to see the rest of these, or, you know, I'm really not interested.

Just about every, not just about every single person says, okay, go ahead.

Yeah, let's go ahead and see what's out there.

Even if they still end up choosing one of their very basic systems, it's fine, because they now know what they're saying no to, which is really important.

If you never offer it, you don't even give the chance for people to say yes.

But it all goes back to asking the permission for each stage of the appointment.

When you feel that resistance wall go up, come up with a permission question and that will instantly pull that wall right back down so you can go on with the process and plant those seeds, you know, time your permission questions out, every section.

Would you like to see all of the options that are available?

Yes.

Okay, great.

Would you like to see how we can solve that temperature issue in the corner of the house?

Would you like to see how we can solve that humidity issue?

It's just asking permission questions along the way to keep the resistance down and to open up their mind to hearing the solution.

And in hearing the solution, it opens up their mind to your pricing.

It opens up your mind to all the different things.

So that is the episode today.

I love, love, love this topic.

Because the psychology of sales is what intrigues me some of the most.

Because we all know the steps along the way.

Anyone?

A monkey can learn.

Okay, step one, say hi.

Step two, put on shoe covers.

Step three, you know, a monkey can learn that.

That does not have anything to do with cells.

That is just steps on a checklist.

The psychology that we're talking about here is truly what makes a great next level salesperson.

You talk to any top performer in any industry, they will all tell you some of these exact same things.

And they may or may not realize they're doing that, but it's what they've intuitively learned over time.

And anytime I've ever had this conversation with A top performer.

When I bring one of these psychological principles up, most of the time they're like, oh, you know what, I never thought about that.

But I do that every time.

That's something I always do.

Yeah, they'll probably.

Yeah, that's exactly what I do.

And I always have that response from them because it truly is.

This is next level sales right here.

And this is the piece that is missing in most sales trainings that I've ever come across, that I've ever taken.

It's these principles and these philosophies fees.

So that is why I want to let you know on my website, closeitnow.net it's finally live, which is awesome.

There are two sections.

So go to close it now.net, sign up for my email and I will send you your free copy of my homeowner questionnaire for the Close it Now homeowner questionnaire.

But also check out the coaching tab.

I've got two different types of coaching programs that I offer and so read about those and then set up a free call.

We'll spend 30, 45 minutes an hour on the phone or on a video call and we will dive in, see what your friction points are, see if coaching with me may be a good fit for you and we can see if we can double your income, triple your income.

Let's go ahead and double that close rate, why don't we?

Or double your average sale.

I see my clients those kind of numbers all the time.

One of my coaching clients right now, been working with me, he's had his company for about three years, never sold anything above a single stage piece of equipment and within a week of coaching with me sold his first communicating variable speed system.

So that is a huge testimony for Mark.

But also he did the work too.

You can't just hear, but you have to implement.

And that's really where, you know, it's up to you as well.

We're a co team here.

I can coach, but you've got to do the work.

And that's what I love about you guys because you are out there in the field every single day and you are crushing it.

So go to CloseItNow.net, check out the site.

I will see you guys again soon on the next episode.

Thanks for listening to Close it now with Sam Wakefield.

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