The 3 Bid Objection: What to Say When They Push Back at the Door

"We're getting three bids" is not rejection. It is a smoke screen, and most reps fall for it in the first ten seconds.

In this episode, Sam breaks down what is actually happening the moment a homeowner tries to take control of the appointment before it starts, and the exact word tracks for handling it. This is the psychology of prizing, why you are the prize and not the homeowner, and how to hold your posture without begging for the business.

What you'll learn:

• Why "what can we do to earn your business" destroys your posture before you even start
• The concept of prizing, and why remembering who called who changes everything
• The exact word track for handling "we're getting three bids" at the door
• How to ask questions that get the homeowner reselling themselves on why they called you
• The power question that reopens a closed door without sounding pushy
• A logic-path word track for sales resistance, usable anywhere in the appointment
• Why "I hear you" works better than "I understand"
• How to hold your frame and still serve at the highest level without begging

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google, and if yours gets read on air, you earn a no-charge one-on-one coaching session with Sam directly.

Review link: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

Work with Sam:

Website: closeitnow.net

Coaching & Training: closeitnow.net/coaching

Email: [email protected]

Go be somebody worth buying from.

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.

Welcome back.

Sam Wakefield here, Close It Now.

I am stoked to come to you again with We've got a training today.

It's going to be fire.

I'm really excited about it.

A couple quick announcements and let's read a.

Let's start off with a review today.

A testimony.

Testimony review.

They're basically the same thing, right?

So this one's from a little while back.

This is from Nathan and it says a five star review.

I've never really been able to stick with podcasts, but closeit now has been the exception.

Every episode keeps me engaged and gives me something I can apply right away.

After transitioning from a management sales role into a full time sales position in a new market, this podcast has been incredibly valuable.

It's provided reassurance, practical tips and strategies that have already made a difference.

Highly recommend it to anyone looking to grow in sales.

Well, thank you Nathan.

I appreciate that review.

And that is on Google if anybody wants to go read it.

And I love it.

And so if you hear me read this online or read this online on an episode, reach out to me Nathan, because you have earned yourself a one hour coaching session with me.

And for everyone who leaves me a five star review, you can leave a review on Google, you can leave a review on Apple.

Podcasts appreciate every one of you and I strive to bring you great content that you can immediately apply and increase your sales, have higher average tickets, higher close rates, follow up with conviction and actually close those deals too.

There's so many things work smarter, not harder.

You can have a life.

And I love this.

So.

So there's so much going on in the world of Close it now and I'm really excited to talk to y'.

All.

It's been a little bit.

I've had several interviews back to back and it's been a minute since I've been able to talk to you directly.

Just me.

And so this is going to be a great episode today.

Today we are talking about how to overcome sales resistance when we get it.

Most people don't know what to do when people start to push back during their appointment.

So we're going to cover some language around that today.

Some word tracks, some psychology there.

And then also what happens at the beginning your appointment when somebody just tells you right off the bat, off the rip.

They're like, hey, I just want to.

I've said this multiple times.

It's so funny.

And if you're driving in your drive time university or not driving or not, raise your hand if you've ever heard this or thought the same thing.

It's like when people buy a house, it's almost like it closing.

The realtor hands them the same five cue cards that these homeowners read off of.

It's like these human beings would literally never say these words together anywhere else in their entire life and never said them before.

But you get into appointment and it's like they all read off the same cue card.

Hey, I just want to be transparent with you.

Hey, we're going to do our due diligence here.

We're going to be getting three bids in this thing.

And I want to let you know, just so we're clear here, it's like, are you kidding me?

Or at the end of the appointment, everyone says the same thing and I think it's just because they don't know what else to say.

As like, okay, this looks great.

Can you email this to me?

We're going to think about it.

It's like everyone reads off the same four or five cue cards.

So the thing is knowing that we can plan for it and when we plan for it, we can be prepared.

We can have.

You should know exactly what to say in every single one of those situations because they're not new.

It comes up all the time.

So.

And that is where the psychology piece comes in.

And that is what close it now, what we do here.

So today we're talking about that.

Before we do, I've got a super couple quick announcements that I want to make sure you are hyper aware of.

Closeit now is launching our revenue growth accelerator.

In short, what this is, it is for companies who are between $500,000 a year in revenue to $5 million a year in revenue.

You're stuck.

You've been working your face off.

It doesn't matter how much harder you work.

It seems like you can't qu it the money doesn't make it into the bank account or you're, you're at this one level and it, you keep hitting bumping up against this wall.

Well, we're here to help you pass that.

So this, it's a group program and it's launching, really excited about it.

So if you hear this between now and then, we have a webinar.

So email me sam closeitnow.net Go on Facebook, find the Close it Now group on Facebook.

Or heck, you can text me 536-485-59 pop me a text and I will make sure that you have that information.

If you hear this after this, after September 30th, no problem.

This is an ongoing group.

It's going to, we're going to build it big and it's going to help so many people because here's the deal.

In this last several weeks, I have really, honestly, everybody, I had forgotten one of the main core reasons that I started Close it now to start with.

So I'm going to tell these quick stories again because this is the foundation of everything.

I've really come back to the center of why I do what I do and what kind of impact that my mission is to make in the industries, in home services, in home improvement.

So two reasons.

One is I want to help you live a better life.

And what I mean by that is two stories that emphasize this.

One is I remember coming up in the trades, going to conventions, going to trade shows, going to the ACA conventions and Ahris and all these different ahrs and all these different conventions and the speakers are great, the events are great.

And then you go to hang out at the bar at the end of the day and, and you get to meet the speakers and you get to meet these business owners, the legends and the titans in the industry face to face, and you get to ask them questions.

Now that was great.

And I learned a ton there.

But what I also learned was something that I did not that I, that I it's unhealthy and a toxic thing that I did not want to see continue.

Because what I heard over and over, this was the two things that I heard the most.

You would have these people who've grown, these enormous companies and enormous organizations, and you would listen to them talk to each other.

Because I'm a student, I'm constantly learning.

So it'd be a fly on the wall.

And the two things, it was almost Like a badge of honor scorecard that these people would compare notes.

And the two questions that came up the most were how many heart attacks have you had?

And how many marriages have you had?

And when I started to recognize the pattern that this happened over and over, it completely changed my perspective of what we're doing here.

Because I am here to tell you that you can have both.

You can have both an incredibly awesome, thriving, profitable company that grows to the size that you want it to grow to.

And you can have an incredible family life and you can have keep your health as priority.

You don't have to choose one or the other.

You don't have to drop the other two just to focus on the one.

So that is mission number one to raise the standard in our industry.

Mission number two is I don't want you to have to go through what I did.

So, personal story from my life here a few years ago.

We're coming up on.

Oh, geez.

Probably eight or ten years now.

Ago when I was still in the field, I thought that there was no way that I could possibly ever take off in the summer because selling air conditioning in the south, it's what we do.

And I keep these two pictures on my wall because my wife and my father in law and my two kids at the time, I think they were around 4 and 6, 5 and 7, somewhere in that range.

If you're watching on YouTube, you'll see me actually look off in the distance.

I'm looking at these pictures because what happened is that summer they went on vacation to Colorado without me and my kids went fishing.

They all went fishing.

I've never seen my children fish.

It's not something we've typically done as a family.

They were sending me back pictures.

All I have from that trip are the pictures they sent me.

I missed an entire vacation's worth of memories.

And when you really start to break things down, you think about it.

All you've got is 18 summers with your kids.

So generally speaking.

So when you really think about it, every moment is precious.

There are no ordinary moments.

And choosing to stay home and cell heating and air systems instead of that was absolutely the wrong choice.

I wish I would have gone because looking back, no one remembers the.

The.

Ooh.

Dad sold more air conditioners this week.

He sold more systems.

Wow.

Yes.

I had to pay the bills, of course, but I had vacation time.

I just didn't use it.

I wish I would have had those memories instead.

So I want to help you avoid all of that because I'm here to show you another way.

So that is the reason that the culmination of close it now up until this point has been sales training to help you sell better, help you sell more efficiently, help you serve at the highest level without having to just run more appointments.

You can have that balance now.

Here's where it gets really cool and really serious is the accelerator.

The revenue growth accelerator is for you as the owner to finally be able to get that life that you've the reason you started your business to begin with.

You started that business to have more freedom, to make more money, to have more time with your family, to be able to choose your life.

And then you ended up with a job that consumed all of that and you didn't get any of the rest.

And so we are here to show you a way to turn that around.

Got some cool stories.

There's a plumbing company in California, they've been in business for three, three and a half, four years.

Never had a six figure month.

Two months after we started working together they had three six figure months in a row.

So this is life changing for this company.

So that's only one of the stories.

We have plenty more stor I'm gonna, I'm gonna spread em out so it's not just cluttering up this moment right here.

Cause I know we wanna get to the content but I want you to know that the revenue growth accelerator program is for you.

So September 30th we're doing a free webinar.

We're gonna go through an hour.

We're gonna show you how to stay profitable this fall, how to stay profitable in the shoulder season.

You don't have to lose money when everything slows down.

I know you're hearing the rumblings in the industry.

Well, everybody's going slow it' Watch out for the impending doom.

Yes, there is some hard times coming but you don't have to subscribe to it.

You don't have to participate.

When everyone else slows down and everyone else is going out of business, you can take market share and grow.

I've done it multiple times in my career.

When everyone else slows down, you can do the steps, take the action and you can actually grow in the middle of the when everyone else is suffering.

So I'm here to I'm going to give you the roadmap for that.

So again, Sam, closeitnow.net email me, go find me on Facebook or Instagram at the real Close it now search Close it now on Facebook you'll find it.

Or pop me a text 5 1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 8, 5, 5, 9.

This is for you.

Okay, let's get into today's show.

All right, so we are talking about.

Is that good?

Is it good?

That's the mission.

We're back to the mission.

The mission is everything.

So remember that when you're in the home.

What is the mission?

The mission is to help people.

So with that being said, let's get into this episode.

Sales resistance at the door, three bids at the front.

This is this piece because we've all had that experience.

You show up and you pull into the driveway.

A lot of times the homeowner will come out and they'll meet you in the yard.

They'll meet you in the driveway.

Hey, listen, I'm not replacing anything today.

I just want to repair.

And I don't care what industry you're in, it's some version of this.

Same conversation.

Or they'll say, hey, I want you to know we're not buying anything today.

We're going to be getting three bids on this.

Hey, I want to be transparent with you.

Hey, I'm doing my due diligence.

Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.

The language means the same thing.

There's several things going on that, you know, that reaction, it's not rejection, but most of the time, you'll fall for it in the first 10 seconds.

It's strictly a smokescreen.

And I'm going to show you how to overcome it.

Because what happens is so many times, I mean, how do we deal with it?

In the past, we would ignore it and say, okay, well, my presentation is just going to knock their socks off.

I'm going to be so good that, well, you know, we'll get to the end and they're going to buy anyway.

Sometimes that's the case, but what's really happening is there is a.

They're trying to give you a takeaway.

So it has to do with something called prizing.

What is the prize?

Remember who called who?

They called you.

That means you are the prize.

They called you and they're seeking you out.

But when they tell you up front, they're not buying, they're trying to take the reins and turn that upside down.

So they want to make it where you chase them, because I've been guilty of this in the past.

How many of you have turned around and said, okay, Mr. And Ms. Jones, Mr. And Ms. Martinez, you know, whatever the name is.

Mr. Ms.

Homeowner, what can we do to earn your business today?

What do we need to do to earn your Business.

Well, what happened there is you've completely destroyed your own posture because now they've made themselves the prize and you're chasing them.

That puts you in a place of begging and desperation, which is not where you need to be.

Do we earn their business?

Yes, but we do it through being a professional, being an expert at what we do, with expert explanations and compelling reasons why they should use you, not someone else.

But we don't do it through desperation and through begging.

And that's what that type of language does.

It makes you look like a beggar.

When you're like, what do we need to do to earn your business today?

Well, then they get to name the terms and nobody.

That's no good.

And you wonder why all of a sudden it turns into, well, the other guy can do it cheaper or it becomes a price negotiation.

When you literally just gave them the reins to control everything and said, hey, I want to earn your business.

So you tell you want to work with me.

Do you see the problem here?

And so we have to fix this from the beginning.

If you don't address it in the beginning, it's the elephant in the room.

We have to call out the elephant in the room.

If you leave the elephant in the room and you don't fix it, basically what that elephant is going to do, it's going to grab your proposal with its trunk and it's going to throw it right out the door behind you.

And you might as well not have spent any of the other amount of time you could have left after 15 minutes if you don't correct this situation.

And what does an elephant do?

It leaves up big old pile of crap right in the middle of the living room.

And it's messy and you never addressed it.

So we've got to address the elephant head on.

So what we need to do here is, you know, we've all, we've all had this appointment, you know, we walk away thinking, now I have to earn it, and so we've got to flip it.

So how do we do that?

That is where we're going right now.

And the main thing it's, you have to remember it's not ego either.

This is not ego we're talking about.

It's your posture.

We can still serve fully serve at the highest level, but also hold the posture and the frame of a professional at the same time.

Those are not mutually exclusive.

So when you start to get this, there's the word tracks for how we get the three.

How we get handle three bids at the beginning.

It's really simple first of all is acknowledge it.

Say, oh, okay, no, I hear you.

Don't say, I understand.

Say, I hear you at first.

And this is very, very first.

It's almost always within the first couple minutes.

Very seldom is it after you've even gotten to address anything.

So we have to establish permission.

Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?

They're going to say, sure, of course.

Because you're fresh in there.

So we establish permission.

Say, okay, I'm curious.

So we're going to be curious.

You know, there's a name, a thousand.

There's a thousand companies in our area you could have called.

There's hundreds of companies you could have called.

I'm curious.

Why did you call us and let them answer.

They're going to tell you the number one thing.

Oh, we got to refer.

You know, our so and so used you and they referred you.

Or we found you on Google and your reviews were great.

Our AI told us you were one of the top companies in the area.

Whatever it.

We saw your truck in our neighborhood.

Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.

Ask a couple more questions about that.

Oh, well, so that.

What did you hear about us that you liked?

Or what did you read that inspired you to call us?

Or, you know, ask a couple layers, go a couple layers deep.

Don't stop there.

Get something else.

What else?

What else?

You're gonna get one or two really solid answers.

And depending on who it is, more than likely they'll try.

If you keep asking, they'll give you.

Maybe give you a third thing.

The minute that you.

It starts to feel like they're reaching for something to come up with, or they're just like, oh, that's about it.

Stop this train of thought.

It's only weird if you make it weird.

So don't make it weird.

You're not trying to force this.

And that's where so many people have a pitfall in their discovery, in a sales process.

They try to force things, and that only turns people off.

So be curious in your questions.

Don't try to force an answer.

So you're going to get one or two things.

And then here is your word track.

Once you hear that, give a pause and then say this.

Oh, so it sounds like we've already checked the boxes of what a great company should look and sound like, right?

I mean, we made the cut.

We're here, and they're going to say, yes.

And then here is your power question.

Then you're going to say, so do you think that Quite possibly, we might be the exact company you're looking for.

And you're going to get a variation of one of two answers.

So we'll go back through this again to give you all the word tracks again, but one of two answers are going to come up.

Either they're going to say, oh, well, yeah, you might possibly be.

Let's pause there.

I'll tell you the other answer here in a second.

When this happens, what we've done is we've turned your appointment back right side up.

Because when they tried to give you the takeaway and say, hey, listen, yes, I know we called you.

Yes, I know we blocked two hours out of our calendar, yes, I know you came to my house, I'm asking for your help.

But then they give you the takeaway and they're trying to say, hey, I need you to.

I want you to make me to chase me.

I'm the prize.

I need you to come, you know, earn my business meaning, I hope you give me a great price.

How many of you have heard the words you hope you sharpen your pencil?

All of this is a smokescreen to try to turn them into the prize and make you chase them.

Well, we all know everybody go back to when you were single and dating.

The person that chases never catches the prize.

So it's the same thing here.

So by them, and what we're not looking for right here is for them to say, yeah, you're the company.

I don't care if they agree that we're the company, that we're the company for them.

Yet all we're looking for is that door to crack back open that says we're looking for a.

Quite possibly we're looking for a maybe.

We're looking for a. Yeah, okay, I can see how you might make the cut.

Yeah, you made the cut.

You're one of three, you're one of five, you're one of seven.

Isn't it weird how nobody ever gets even numbers of bids?

It's always odd numbers when they're getting bids anyway.

Side note, I follow trends, so but we're looking for is them to say, yeah, quite possibly you might be the right company.

And so that's all we're looking for, is that acknowledgement.

And the second that happens, we've reset the appointment back in the right frame.

So this is called frame control.

So do you think that quite possibly we might be the exact company you're looking for?

So most people are going to say, well, yeah, you might be.

Now there's another group of People that are going to say, well, it'll depend on the price.

Well, we'll see.

It'll depend.

This is.

Especially if they go to.

We'll see.

It'll depend on the price.

This is not an acceptable answer yet.

We're closer, but this is not an acceptable answer.

So I'm going to give you a word track for how to handle sales resistance.

That is still sales resistance.

So what we want to do is we want to go through.

And this is basically a logic path.

So we're going to go through and we're going to say, okay, I totally get it.

So I mean, if you.

It's got to make sense for you to do anything, right?

And they're going to say yes, and if it doesn't make sense, you're not going to do anything at all, right?

Yeah, of course.

So while I'm here, let's just work together to come up with exactly what would make the most sense for you, for the project and the price.

That way, if and when the time comes, you know exactly what it'll take to be able to make a great educated decision on this project.

Fair enough.

And that is your word track.

And they're going to agree to that.

I've never, in thousands and thousands of appointments, I've never had anyone not agree to that because.

And you can even add this if there still seems just slightly resistant.

Be a little more direct, say, because at the end of the day, I mean, you don't want me to waste your time, do you?

And they'll say, no, and I don't want my time wasted.

So let's use this.

Let's agree to use this time productively.

That if you.

And the words if and when are really important here because we're keeping it at slightly hypothetical.

So you don't want your time wasted, I don't want mine wasted.

So let's just use this time productively.

Let's agree to do it together.

That way we can come up with exactly the right solution for you.

If and when you're ready to move forward, you'll be able to make a great decision.

Sound good?

Sounds good.

And so that is your word trick for handling cells resistance.

And it's insanely powerful because all we're doing is they have to.

We're bringing them basically back to reality.

They're trying to give you a smokescreen.

They're trying to say, hey, you know, we're not doing this right now.

We're just looking for down the road, we're kicking the tires, whatever it Is it doesn't matter at this point.

But this goes back to the concept that no one can say they're interested in something if they know nothing about.

Well, at this point, they know nothing about you, they know nothing about the company, they know nothing about what you're going to recommend as a project.

They know nothing.

So there's no way they can even say, yes, no, we're buying, we're not buying, because they know have zero information yet.

So all of this exercise is strictly their smokescreen to protect themself.

Because really, what's going on here, anytime I've had that client, I promise you, they know that they are likely buyers.

They know they really need what they called you for.

And all so many times I leave the house with.

And they have signed up for the highest level option that I offered with all the accessories, all the bells and whistles, because they know they need it and they know that they are likely buyers in a great sales process.

So they're trying to protect themselves.

So remember this, this is about them.

It's never about you.

So this is how to handle that navigation, how to handle those word tracks as you go through there.

So again, let's go back, let's recap the scripting here real quick because I want to make sure you get these word tracks down.

So initially when they give you the three bids, hey, we're just doing our due diligence here.

Whatever they say.

Okay.

Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?

Sure.

Okay, great.

So, I mean, there's hundreds of companies you could have called.

There's thousands of companies you could have called in our area.

Why did you call us and let them tell you?

Because they're going to resell you and in the process resell themselves on why they called you to start with.

Oh, you guys have great reviews.

Okay, great.

Would you, you know what?

Did you have a chance to read any.

You did?

What?

What did you read that you liked the best?

What inspired you to call us out of while you were reading those?

Great.

What else?

Was there anything else that you saw that you heard?

What is it?

Great.

So it sounds like we've already checked the boxes for what a great company should look and sound like in your mind.

Right.

I mean, we made the cut, we're here, and they'll say yes.

So do you think that quite possibly we might be the exact company you're looking for and they're either going to say, well, yeah, possibly.

Okay, great.

So then we move on.

If they say, well, it'll depend on price.

That's where we go to sales resistance.

Well, of course.

I mean, it's got to make sense for you to do anything, right?

Yeah, of course.

And if it doesn't make sense, you're not doing anything.

Of course not.

Great.

So let's work together to come up with exactly the project and the price that does make sense for you.

That way, if and when you're ready to move forward with this project, you'll know exactly what it'll take.

And that way you can make a great, educated decision.

Fair enough.

I'll say fair enough.

Sound good?

Sounds good.

And then you can move into your process.

So that is the path at the beginning, when you start to.

And that sales resistance script, you can use that word track throughout any time of the appointment that you get Sales resistance because it's super powerful.

It just resets the appointment right back to center for them to remind them exactly why you're there.

Because you're not there to.

To.

You're there to serve.

You're not there to take advantage of them.

You're not there to pull the wool over their eyes.

You're not there to be one of these deadbeat companies across the country that's actually stealing from people.

You're not that, or you wouldn't be listening to this podcast.

And if your company does that, go somewhere else.

You have to be able to have this conversation with 100% integrity, ethics, Borals, legally sound.

If.

If you don't feel comfortable laying your head on the pillow at night because of a process or a procedure or a system that your company wants you to run, I highly recommend getting out of that situation.

Find somewhere that you do feel comfortable laying your head on the pillow at night.

And knowing two years down the road, three years down the road, when you run into those homeowners in the grocery store at the gas station, you don't have to hide.

You can shake their hand.

It can high five you and say, man, that's still the best decision we ever made.

It's been awesome.

That's what we're after.

And that is the way to close it now.

That's the way to serve at the highest level.

That's the way to bring trust back to the trades, bring integrity back into what we do.

And so that is my message to you today.

I want you to take this, I want you to use it immediately and let me know.

Leave me a Google review.

Close it now on Google.

Leave me a review on Apple podcasts.

Shoot me a message directly.

Let me know how this is working for you.

Go into the Close It Now Facebook group.

Go join the group.

There's some great conversations in there and drop a message on the board, say, hey, I used this, here's what happened.

If you have struggles, drop those in there.

There's some incredible people in there that.

And I'm in there very active as well.

So we'll make sure that you get your questions answered because I'm on a mission to up level this industry.

All of home services, all of home improvement, we can do things better.

And I'm here to show you the way and here to help walk alongside you and let's create this band of brothers and sisters in arms that say we are tired of the trash that's out there and we're not going to take it anymore and we're going to do things with integrity and we're going to do things with morals and with ethics and all of you platforms and all of you people out there that are doing things the wrong way, get that out of here.

We're not going to suffer private equity coming in and destroying companies anymore.

We're not going to suffer these organizations coming in and taking 51% of your company and then gutting your company and you're losing all of the equity and losing your people and losing all of the money that you've built up in this reputation that you've built.

We're not going to take it anymore and we're going to fight back and say this is the time for the rest of us to take back our industries and do things the right way, do things with integrity.

So that's my mission and I am glad you're here for the ride.

That is how you go be someone worth buying from.

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Our passion is to dive headfirst into the transformative movement that's reshaping the very foundation of innovation, 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.

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