"Isolate the Real It: The Diagnostic Approach to Closing More Sales"

You didn't lose that sale because of price, product, or timing. You lost it because you never isolated the Real It—the actual thing standing in the way. Most salespeople try to solve everything at once, overwhelming the homeowner and killing the sale before it ever had a chance.

In this episode, Sam Wakefield breaks down the diagnostic approach to sales that separates top performers from everyone else. You'll learn how to use qualification questions—not to qualify the homeowner, but to isolate the components of their decision. When you stop guessing and start diagnosing, you close more sales with less resistance.

If you've ever walked away from an appointment confused about what went wrong, this episode will show you exactly how to find the Real It and guide your homeowner to clarity. This is the mental shift that changes everything.

In This Episode:

1. Why most salespeople lose sales by trying to solve the wrong problem
2. The combination lock metaphor: how one misaligned piece blocks the entire sale
3. How to use qualification questions to separate product, payment, timeline, and scope
4. Real-world language examples of isolating the Real It in appointments
5. Why confidence looks like clarity, not information overload
6. The difference between diagnosing and convincing
7. How to get commitment before you negotiate
8. Why you can't negotiate with confusion—only clarity

Resources & Mentions:

1. Win-Win Selling by Doug C. Brown (origin of "the Real It" language)
2. Close It Now Coaching: closeitnow.net/coaching
3. Close It Now Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/closeitnow
4. Email Sam: sam@closeitnow.net

New Group Coaching Program:

Sam is opening his first group coaching program starting March 2026. Pods of 5 salespeople focused on multiplying close rates and average tickets with integrity. Half the cost of one-on-one coaching. Limited to 5 spots per group. Visit closeitnow.net or email sam@closeitnow.net to learn more.

Final Thought:

A problem that is well-defined is half-solved. The next time a homeowner hesitates, don't panic. Don't pile on more information. Don't assume what's wrong. Just isolate the Real It. Ask the question that separates the pieces. Find the number that's off on the combination lock. And help them see it clearly. That's when the sale happens.

Next Week:

How to Right-Size a Project Without Discounting Your Price—the skill that protects your margin while keeping the sale alive.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google to help more salespeople find this show.

Google Review Link: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

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.

All right.

If you've ever walked out of an appointment thinking, man, I don't know what just happened.

You're not alone.

That homeowner, the homeowner, they seem interested.

They asked good questions.

They said they liked the solution.

But when it came time to move forward, something stopped them and you couldn't figure out what it was.

So we.

I've been in the same place as you.

We left leave confused, maybe a little frustrated, definitely uncertain about what to do next.

But here's the truth.

You didn't lose the sale because of price, product or timing.

You lost it because you never isolated the real it, the actual thing that was in the way.

So I'm Sam Wakefield.

This is Close it Now.

Thanks for joining me today.

And that is exactly what we're going to be talking about is how do we get down to the real it.

This is the biggest problem that most people have is we have these canned responses to objections that.

But it never digs deep enough to find out what the real objection is.

And so, for example, like three bids.

Three bids isn't even a real objection.

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

So stick around.

It is going to be a powerful one.

Before we get there, there's a couple things I would like to do, a little bit of housekeeping.

First is I want to highlight a review.

So really excited about this one.

I'm excited about all the reviews.

This one is 5 stars, informative sales with integrity.

And this is from Mark.

Let's see.

88686.

So he says, as a veteran in sales but new to the H. VAC industry.

I stumbled upon this podcast to increase my proficiency in the home.

After listen just two episodes.

It helps so much.

Sam delivers an easy to follow no BS on selling with integrity and guiding your customers in a way that works.

I appreciate your show, exclamation point Mark B.

So thanks Mark B. I appreciate that.

And for all of the rest of you, if you've gotten value or you get value from this episode, if you've ever gotten value from the Close it now podcast, I would love for you to leave me a another five star review.

You can go to Apple Podcasts and leave the review there or go find me.

Go just search Close it now and go leave me a Google review.

That would be fan freaking tastic.

And the link for to leave Google reviews is actually in the show notes as well.

The the more reviews that I get and the better ranked that this podcast is, the better guests I'm able to get.

Because I don't know if you knew how this works, but a lot of times when I'm work talking to the higher profile guests, especially a lot of times they're gatekeepers.

One of the things they review is you know, what's the podcast, what's the listenership, how's it rated and if it rates above a certain number, then they're open to having the conversation.

If not, they're like, okay, we'll check back when your podcast is bigger or is rated better.

The better the ratings, the more reviews, the better people I can get on the show and it helps me to do what I do to bring you more valuable content.

So let's get into this a little bit.

What's in your cup today?

I'm drinking water.

Definitely been a long day for me so far, but I've got a good episode here.

This is really exciting.

I love really diving into specific pieces of the sales conversation because first of all, I address if you haven't picked up on it by now, if you've listened to very many episodes, and if you haven't, if this is your first episode, welcome to Close It Now.

I'm glad you're here.

I appreciate every single one of you.

And if you've listened to some episodes, then you know that we talk about a lot of the things that nobody else is talking about.

There's a lot of trainers out there, but nobody really covers some of the stuff that we cover.

And that is the pieces that actually move the needle a whole lot more are the pieces that actually most people are scared to address.

And so that's what we're getting into today.

So let's start with this.

You know, when we're.

When we're getting into.

Oh, you know, I'm sorry.

A couple other announcements real quick.

One, that one, one quick announcement that I'm super excited about and then we'll get into.

This is my coaching.

I'm.

I'm opening up a new program for my.

My sales training and sales coaching.

I'm opening up a.

Instead of just a one on one solution, I'm shifting to groups of five.

I'm going to do pods of five people at a time.

So we're the next one.

If you hear the date of recording Today is February 12th.

The first round of the group coaching session is going to start the first week of March.

There's only five spots.

It will fill up and once you're in there, you're in there.

I'm creating a.

It's going to be a band of just top performers.

You don't have to be a top performer, but people who are focused on being a top performer.

You want to increase your ability.

You want to increase your ability to close your average ticket, your close rates, all those types of things with integrity serving at the highest level and becoming somebody worth buying from.

I'm gonna be doing this in a group of five because there's some really cool things that happen when you get a handful of people together that are focused on the same thing.

The learning increases so exponentially faster and we're able to do some cool things that I can't necessarily do when it's just one on one.

So reach out to me.

This is a call to action right now.

The other part of it is it's about half of the price of what the cost of working with me on a one on one basis is.

So if any of you have ever thought about doing coaching or training with me but you were concerned about the price point being too high with the one on one, this is your opportunity.

It's half the price of what working with me one on one is.

I did this.

The other reason I did this, not only is it going to be just a little different format to increase the learning is it gives a lot more people opportunities to be able to work with me because it is a bit more affordable.

So reach out to me.

Samoseitnow.net or go find me on Facebook.

Go search the Close it now.

Just search close it now on Facebook.

You'll be able to find the Facebook group.

Look For Sam Wakefield, you'll find me.

Message me.

Let's have a conversation.

Or you can go to closeitnow.net that is the website.

Fill out the form there and we'll get back to you ASAP to have a conversation and see if this group coaching is right for you.

There's only five spots in this group and it will fill up.

So don't miss out on your opportunity to multiply your numbers this year because that's what always happens when people get into the training programs and the coaching that I do.

No one's ever done it and not grown their numbers by minimum, 20 to 30%.

So let's hop into this episode.

So setting some context here, let's start with this.

You know, what happens is most salespeople are, when we get into the appointment, when we get into the conversation, we're trying to solve the wrong problem.

You know, they think that the issue is the homeowner doesn't understand the value or the price is too high.

We're getting these objections.

They think it's.

They don't understand the value, the price is too high, or they need more time to think about it.

But that's not truly not what's not having a hard time.

Words are hard today, but that's not what's happening.

What's actually happening is this.

There's five or six things floating around in this conversation and one of them doesn't make sense to the homeowner.

But because we've never isolated the real it, they can't move forward and neither can you.

So think about it like a. I like to think about it like a combination lock.

If you've got a four digit combination lock and three of the numbers are right, you're still not getting in.

It doesn't matter how close you are, it doesn't matter that 75% is correct.

The lock doesn't open until all four numbers line up.

Sales works the same way.

Their brain is the combination lock.

You can have the right product, the right price, the right financing, the right timeline, the right company, you're the right person.

But if one piece doesn't make sense to them, the whole thing is, it just, it gets stuck, it's jams.

And so what happens is for most salespeople, they keep, you know, keep spinning the dials all at once, hoping something clicks.

But that's just not, it's not how you get unstuck.

So today we're going to talk about that.

How do we get unstuck?

How do we find out that Last piece of the combination to unlock that lock so they move forward.

So here's the mental model that I want you to lock onto.

Your job is not to convince.

Your job is to diagnose.

Because remember the mantra from the Beginner series is, and this has to be your mantra.

I don't care what level you are.

It has to be.

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

Most people jump straight to the solution without understanding the first two pieces.

And that will always.

Cause I want to think about it.

It's in three bids and your price is too high.

And so your job is not to convince.

Your job is to diagnose.

And when that homeowner says, let me think about it, or I need to talk to my partner or my spouse or send me the, they email it to me, they're not stalling, they're stuck.

Because if everything aligned, they would move forward right now.

And so your job is to figure out what the real is.

They're stuck on something in the decision that it just doesn't line up for them yet.

So we've got to figure out what is the real it.

And I'm using this term very specifically because I'd recently just finished the book by actually my coach, Mr. Doug C. Brown.

His book is called Win Win Selling and highly recommend.

You can grab it on Amazon.

Fantastic book.

But the real it, what is the real it?

That's what we've got to figure out.

It's never.

I'm not going to say never.

It's usually not what you think it is.

So our job is to figure it out, not to guess at it, not assume at it.

There's no such thing as an assumption in sales.

And so it's not to pivot to a new pitch.

We've got to isolate it.

We've got to isolate what that is.

And so this is where most people go wrong.

They hear hesitation and then they start adding things.

They start adding more features, they start adding more benefits, trying to create more urgency, they start trying to show more proof.

But what happens is the homeowner doesn't need more information.

They need clarity on the information they already have.

So instead of trying to layer on, you need to strip it down.

So I'm going to give you some really tactical ways to do that in this episode.

So here's how.

Here's what I call qualification questions, but not the way that you've been taught.

Most people think qualification is about finding out if the homeowner can afford it or if they're the decision maker.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about using questions to separate the pieces of the decision so you can see which one doesn't fit.

So let me give you an example.

It's like if you're like, sam, hey, this is cool, it sounds great.

What do you mean?

Because it's hard to just conceptually get this.

So when say a homeowner says, hey, I need to send this to my spouse, of course, we hear that all the time.

Gotta talk to the partner.

Of course, most salespeople hear that and they think, okay, I'll send the proposal and I'll follow up in a few days.

That's not diagnosing, diagnosing.

That's just surrendering.

So instead you can say something like this, hey, I appreciate that.

Let me ask you, if your spouse looks at or your partner looks at this and agrees, it makes sense, are you ready to move forward or is there something else we need to figure out first?

That's a clarification question and I would be willing to bet that most of you have never even thought to ask that question in that moment.

So I'm going to go through it again and I'll give it to you slowly so you can write it down and commit it to memory.

Because this will start to unlock the code in that box.

So I appreciate that.

Let me ask you, if your spouse or your partner looks at this and agrees that it makes sense, are you ready to move forward?

Or is there something else we need to figure out first?

Because in this way, in this line of questioning, you're not being aggressive, you're not pressuring them, you're isolating what the variable is.

Because if they say, yeah, if she's good with it, we're good.

Well, great.

Now we know that the spouse is the one thing.

They are the it.

They're the real it.

And then of course, just structure your follow up with them accordingly.

Okay, no problem.

When will you be talking to them?

Okay, great.

Oh, I'll talk to you right then.

Perfect.

But if they pause and they say, well, I also want to make sure the payment works.

Now, you know, the partner, the spouse wasn't the real it, the payment was.

So see how this works?

You just saved yourself three days following up on the wrong thing, or a day and a half, or however long it is, you've got to figure out that you've got to isolate what the real it is.

So that's an example of how to use that question in a way that makes total sense.

So here's a practical, real world application here.

Let's go through what this would look like in a real appointment.

Say your homeowner says something like, hey, I like the system.

I just need to think about the monthly payment.

Most of us, most salespeople, when they hear payment, instantly jump to, well, we have financing options, or let me see if I can get you a better rate.

That's not solving before diagnosing, right?

That is solving before diagnosing.

And so it's skipping the whole human part, skipping the problem and going straight to the solution like we were just talking about.

Your mantra is, I have to understand the human first, problem second, solution third.

So let's diagnose.

Here's what you do instead.

You isolate the payment from the product.

So something like, I hear you.

Let me ask if we can figure out a payment that works for your budget.

Is there anything else about the system itself that doesn't feel like, feel right?

Or is it really just about structuring the investment?

So we're pulling the decision apart into two pieces.

And this is.

So if you've listened to enough of the Close it now podcast, you've heard me say really often, you have to break objections down into their smallest parts.

This is what we're doing.

This is how to isolate the real thing that's keeping them from moving forward.

This is why you don't need all of these canned scripts.

When it comes to handling objections, you just have to think.

You got to use your freaking brain sometimes.

Imagine that and think.

Think beyond the script into what's really going on.

So we do that through these isolation questions.

But if so, if they say, no, the system's perfect, it's just the payment.

You know exactly where to focus.

You don't need to re.

Explain the system.

You don't need to add more value.

You don't need to right size the scope of work or adjust the structure or anything.

But if they say, well, I'm also not sure we need that whole thing.

Need the whole thing right now.

So that could be like, you know, that could, depending on what you have in the project, could be, you know, the, all of the different accessories that you have.

It could be the IAQ or it could be, you know, whatever industry you're in.

It could be maybe that.

Maybe they don't need the whole bundle right now we know, now we know the payment wasn't the real it.

The scope of work was the real it.

And here's the thing.

You can't negotiate with confusion.

So if the homeowner doesn't know what's actually bothering them, they can't say yes.

And if you don't know what's actually bothering them, you can't help them.

And it's our job to help them make a buying decision.

It's our job to help them make the best decision.

And so we've got to create clarity, not by explaining more, but by isolating.

We have to isolate.

We've got to, like, help them get clarity here.

So let's take it one step further.

Let's say the homeowner has three concerns.

The monthly payment, whether they should do the whole house or just part of it, whether now is the right time.

Those are three very different but also very important conversation topics and potentially blockers in this.

In this appointment in the cell.

So what happens is most comfort advisors or salespeople, project managers, whatever you are, will try to answer all three at once.

This is also a mistake because now what's happening is your homeowner is trying to process all three of those variables simultaneously, and their brain can't do it.

So they shut down and guess what we're going to hear.

I need to think about it.

So instead, what we want to do is isolate each component and confirm it one at a time.

So we can say something like this.

Let's take this piece by piece.

First, if we didn't have to worry about payment or timing for a second, does the system itself make sense for what we're trying to solve?

And then, of course, your homeowner says, yes, it does.

Okay, great.

So the solution is right now, if we can figure out a payment that works, is there anything else about moving forward that doesn't feel right?

Or is it really just about making sure the numbers line up?

And if they say it's really just the numbers, perfect.

So if I can show you a way to structure this at a monthly investment that fits your budget, we're good to move forward.

Right now, you've isolated the real it, and you've got their commitment before you negotiate.

So that's the difference between spinning your wheels and closing the sell.

And so if you just constantly try to.

Well, here's this testimony.

And you know, well, you're clearly.

You said it's price.

So would you like to see some quotes from other companies?

Those are great tools, but if it's not appropriate and you're trying to go after the wrong it, the wrong reason, the wrong black swan, as Chris Voss would say, then you're literally Just wasting time, because it's not the real concern.

So we've got to isolate this.

So here's what I need you to understand.

The reason you lose cells is not because you don't know enough.

It's because you're trying to solve everything all at once.

And I totally get it.

You want to be helpful.

You want to give them all the information.

You want to cover every single angle so they feel confident.

But that's not what confidence looks like to a homeowner.

That's what we think confidence looks like, but it's not what it looks like to your homeowner.

So confidence looks like someone who can help them think clearly, not someone who has all the answers, someone who can help them find the right question, which is a very different way to think about this.

Because here's the truth.

Most homeowners don't know why they're stuck.

They just know something doesn't feel right.

And when you try to guess what it is, when you throw solutions at problems you haven't diagnosed, you just add to the confusion, right?

But when you slow down, when you slow down, when you isolate the pieces, when you help them see which part of the.

Of the decision isn't sitting right, that's where you become the guide, as we become the guide.

People buy from guides, not somebody who's just there pitching the whole time.

So the next time your homeowner hesitates, don't panic.

Take a breath, don't panic.

Don't start piling on.

How can I add value?

How can I give a discount?

Don't assume anything.

All you have to do is just start to isolate the real it, what is the real reason?

And ask the question that starts to separate the pieces.

Find the number that's off on the combination lock and help them see it clearly.

So let's recap.

Let's bring it home.

When a homeowner can't move forward, it's not because they don't want to.

It's because something in the decision doesn't make sense to them yet.

Your job is not to convince them.

It's to diagnose.

Diagnose which piece is stuck.

So using qualification questions, not to qualify them, but to separate the components of the decision.

So isolate the product from the payment, the payment from the timeline, the timeline from the scope of work.

Confirm each piece one at a time.

And once you know, and this is truly it, once you know what the real it that's actually in the way, that's when you solve it, not before.

You can't solve it if it's unknown or if it's cloudy or if it's mystery.

Because you can't negotiate with confusion.

You can only negotiate with clarity.

And I'm not even talking about negotiation as far as pricing and stuff goes.

If that's the way your company does it, yeah, absolutely.

Go for it.

But clarity comes from that isolation piece.

The clarity around.

There's an expression I heard years ago that has stuck with me.

It's a problem that is well defined, is half solved.

So if this hit home for you, if you've been losing sales because you're trying to solve everything all at once instead of diagnosing what the real it is, you're not alone.

The good news is it's fixable.

It's not about working harder.

It's not about learning more scripts and like practice and role play and practice and roleplay.

It's about thinking differently.

And that's exactly what we do inside Closeit now coaching.

So head over to closeitnow.com and you can actually read about coaching.

The website is fixing to get an upgrade, so you'll see that soon.

But let's talk about how to stop spinning your wheels and start closing with clarity.

And next week.

I am super excited about next week.

We're going to go deeper into something that came up in this episode, which is how to right size a project instead of discounting your price.

Because that's a skill all of its own.

And I've never covered that on this podcast.

So something's crazy about this podcast is seven years I've never repeated.

There's only one topic I've ever repeated and that was by request.

Actually, somebody requested me to recover something again, but I've never repeated a topic incoming up on 300 episodes in seven years.

And so there is a lot of great value in the podcast because if you ever felt stuck between losing margin and losing the sale, you're going to want to hear how to right size the project without discounting.

So again, I'm Sam Wakefield.

This is Close It Now.

You know how we do this.

Your goal is to work harder on yourself than you do on your business.

Meaning work to become someone worth buying from.

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

Our passion is to dive head first into the trend 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 real Close it Now and on Facebook at Close it Now.

See you next time.