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Episode transcript from the Close It Now podcast with Sam Wakefield.
Welcome back to Close It Now. Sam Wakefield here. So stoked to have you with me today. Question how many times have you been in an appointment where everything was going great and then they hit you with one of these, hey, sounds good, but I need to talk to my spouse. I need to talk to my partner or boy, this is a big decision.
I need to think about it. Or of course, the three headed monster. I'm getting three quotes. Just let you know. I'll let you know.
Email it to me. And then we freeze. We just freeze. We don't want to be pushy, we don't want to pressure them, but usually we say something like, yep, totally understand, take your time, let me know. And then we leave and we never hear from them again.
Here's what's happening. You hit a moment of hesitation and instead of getting past it, you just accepted it. And not only accepted it, you accepted it as the end of the conversation. But I'm going to give you a tool today, a really simple tool that most people don't talk about. And when you use it correctly, it lets you step into a parallel universe to get past the hesitation and come right back to reality without being pushy or weird.
It's called Da Da Da Da the hypothetical. And today I'm going to show you exactly how to use it. Before we do, let's have a quick moment. I got a couple of announcements and a little bit. I've got got a fun story for you and we've got a quick what's in your cup?
So let's start with the what's in your cup? Because I want to toast this episode with you. What is in your cup? Today I am drinking some black coffee. We're back to black coffee.
Keeping it basic, keeping it simple. I am on a massive again and still big health journey. And so my mission this week is six days in the gym, Monday through Saturday in the mornings. And so next week on the episode, you will hear me confirm or deny that I made all days. So I'm using this podcast as my accountability tool to make sure that I do what I say I'm going to do.
Because as hopefully, you know, public declarations dictate future actions. And so I'm drinking black coffee because there's about 10 to 15 calories in a cup of black coffee. It's not zero because there's a little bit of oil in there from the beans. Hope you knew that. And so what is in your cup?
You got a latte today. You got a monster. You got a Celsius. Are you an Alani girl? You drink an Alani?
What are you drinking? Hopefully it's water. Stay hydrated. It's starting to get warm out there. So everybody grab whatever your chosen beverage of the day.
Let's count off and toast this episode together. 3, 2, 1. All right, so quick announcement. I've got a fun story. So week after last, I was in Maryland training a company up there.
Shout out to Wheat and James A. Wheat and Sons. You guys rock. We just had our first session this morning virtually. So we do hybrid roles too.
So if you don't know this, yes I do. On site training for your company massively get your people to the next level. In fact, I have a couple fun stories from that. And then with this company, we also combine that with 12 months worth of weekly virtual training. We're gonna.
And then I'm gonna be back in the fall. Cause we're gonna get hyped up and ready for heating season, but definitely taking it to the next level. So here's a fun story from the training. We, we, you know, I get there. We, we're training for a week.
We go through the process, we start learning a lot of the concepts that, that we talk about here on the closing out podcast a lot. And then this is so fun because Monday morning I'm going to talk about this again. I can't remember if I talked about this several times, but Monday morning one of our guys, Lyndon, he calls me. And this was such a fun story because there's some major. He got hit with something pretty major expectedly, but he's really new to the field.
He was an installer for a long time foreman on the crew. He spent a little bit of time in what they called phone cells, but it was basically their technicians would just call in and say hey, I've got these details. He would put together a number and just give a number. So it was really just order taking, not actually phone cells or what anybody would classify as like a call by call type of process. Now, so he was two weeks in the field actually doing appointments with homeowners for, you know, as a comfort consultant role.
Now here's the important part. One, he's super green, but he basically just went out and did what I trained during the week. And so here's the context. The setup is he drives up to this house and the first thing I want you to know is there was a for sale sign in the yard. How many of you would see that and instantly think, oh, we're just going with the cheap stuff today.
Oh, why are we in here? They're selling the house. And you would leave either without a sell or with the very basic possible. I'm here to tell you, number one, don't prejudge, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever prejudge your appointment. This is why I'm such a big fan of don't read the freaking notes.
They're probably wrong anyway. If your office, unless and most aren't, they're probably wrong. And if they're correct, they're still not going to be what the homeowner says, because it doesn't matter what we say. It matters what they say. So he shows up, it's got a for sale sign in the yard.
He goes in, he does the works, does the process. And this is like, let's see, 11:00am My time. So 10:00am 11:00am my time. So it's noonish on the east Coast. And he's so stoked.
He's like, oh, my God, man. Left my first appointment. One sit. So listen, everybody, here's the details. One sit close.
$27,000 For the project. And there was the for sale sign in the front yard. And I was like, oh, my gosh, that's awesome. Tell me where your head is. And he said, man, you know, I just did what you said.
I offer everything to everyone every time. And I didn't prejudge. He said he went through this process and they said, I want that one. He said, okay, no problem. And it just closed itself.
So once it closed, $27,000 and with a for sale sign in the front yard. So that is the power of the system. If you want results like this, this is my announcement. I am hosting the summer sales surge series this summer. So it starts June 1st.
It's good around June, July, August and September. One night a week. We're Monday nights at 7 Central and it is what we're going to do every single month we're going to deep dive into a different component of the process. If you miss one, don't worry. Everything's going to be recorded.
But I want you to know about it. 97 for the entire bundle or $97 for the entire bundle can guarantee you month one, you're going to make a sale that you wouldn't have gotten or bigger cells that will pay for the entire summer. And it is how you are going to next level this year. So if you want those same kind of results that I just talked about with Linden, you can be a part of this training. So find us on Facebook.
You can of course the Close It Now Facebook group. You can find me on Facebook. Search Close It Now Search Sam wakefield. net or you can actually, if you just want to go ahead and get it, you can go to. Let's see, I want to make sure to give you the exact perfect correct web address here.
So that is going to be solo. Let's see. com that'll take you straight to the. Straight to the pay link. I've got a form for you, but fill that out and we will get you connected and get you locked in because these seats are going to go fast.
Last year when I did this, it was. It's super powerful. But because it's happening right in the real time of summer while you are in appointments, it's not like you do it in the off season. And then you have to hopefully remember by the time it gets busy because we're doing it in the evening, out of the way during the week and we're doing one a week. I'm going to give you what to work on that week exactly your homework, how to implement it that week in your process.
And we're going to deep dive into each of the components of the appointment. That way you will get immediate results. Last year when we did this one gentleman Johnny, he actually tripled his revenue. During the one we only did it for one month. Last year he tripled his revenue.
Another guy doubled his close rate. Another guy literally, literally doubled his income. So if those are the kind of results you want, let's get you Connected to this class. It's gonna rock. It's gonna be awesome.
I can't wait for it because it's gonna get some people to the next level. net and let's get you signed up. All right, let's hop into this hypothetical. This is powerful. So let's talk about what's actually happening.
When someone says, I need to think about it or I need to talk to my partner, most of the time it's not a real objection. It's a speed bump. They're not saying no. They're saying, man, this feels like a big decision. I don't know how to make it right now.
And the thing is, if you let them sit in that moment too long, they're going to overthink it. They're going to call another company, they're going to go to goo, they go Google the problem. They're going to hit up Gemini or ChatGPT or Claude or they're going to AI the problem. Perplexity, whatever. They're going to talk to their brother in law who thinks he's a plumber because he fixed the toilet once in 1997.
And by the time they circle back to you, if they circle back to you, they've talked themselves out of it. So the problem is this. You need a way to get past the hesitation without pushing, without pressuring, without sounding like that sleazy car salesman. And that's where this hypothetical tool will come in. So the concept is, at any moment in your appointment, we have a parallel universe running right next to us.
If you're, if you're a nerd like I am, you've got a metaverse. There's multi, this is the multiverse. But there's always, always, always, always. If you're traveling down a street, right next to you is the parallel universe that's always, always running next to you. That's the hypothetical universe.
And when you sense hesitation, when they say, man, I need to think about it or I need to talk to my partner, boy, this is a big decision. You can step right into that parallel universe, get past the hesitation and then step right back and get right back on track. So imagine you're driving down the road. There's construction you can't get through. So what do we do?
We take a detour. You go around the construction, then you get right back on the same road. That's the hypothetical. It's not a trick, it's not manipulation. It's a tool that helps you get past their own Mental roadblock.
And the key is you use it as a backup tool, not the thing you lead with. I know there's actually good friends of mine, one of the trainers, he teaches, his clothes is the hypothetical, but I'm here to share with you. It's even more powerful when you use it as a backup tool, not what you lead with. So here's how it works. Let's explain this.
Let's unpack it for you. Let's say you just presented your options. Whatever your options are, if it's repair, if it's replace, if it's a heating and air system, if it's a water heater, if it's garage door, I don't care what your options are. You've presented your options. You showed them the complete solution.
You asked for the sale, and they said, boy, this is a big decision. I need to talk to my partner. Here's what most people do. They'll say, yep, totally understand, Take your time, and then we leave instead. Here's what we're going to do instead.
Totally get it. Hypothetically, though, if your partner were sitting right here next to you right now, and they say, and use their name. If, you know, ask their name, get the name. You know, if Louise or, you know, whoever was sitting next to you right now and they said, hey, what do you think we should do? What would you tell them?
And just watch what happens. They're not going to push back. They're not going to. They don't challenge them. You didn't say, well, you're the decision maker, so just decide.
You stepped into a hypothetical universe. You asked them to imagine a scenario where the roadblock doesn't exist. And in that universe, they can tell you what they actually think. And here's what happens next. Surprise.
They're going to tell you. They say, honestly, I think we should just get it done, or, I don't want to deal with it anymore. Or they'll say, I think option two makes the most sense. We don't need all the bells and whistles. Or they say, I don't know, I'm worried about the investment.
And now you're back into a real conversation. You didn't let them sit in hesitation. You got them to tell you what they're actually thinking. And then, this is important. This is the super important.
You step right back out of the hypothetical and back into reality. Say, okay, great, so it sounds like you're leaning towards option two. Let's talk about that. You don't stay in the hypothetical. You use it to get Past the hump and then you come right back.
So here's a few examples because I really want to make this tangible for you and get some boots on the ground. Practice. Because I've used this thousands of times over two decades now in homes. And I'll tell you, it works. It's insanely powerful.
So example one. Hey, I'm getting three quotes, I'm getting three bids. I'll let you know. Want to be transparent with you. We're getting three bids on this thing.
So we'll say, yeah, totally get it. Let me ask you this hypothetically. Why did you call us? What made you pick up the phone to call our company specifically to start with? We're getting them to tell you why they chose you.
It resets the intention. Once they say it out loud, it's a lot harder for them to walk away because they're reselling themselves on all of the good things that about your company and about you. So. And don't let them stop at once. Okay, what else, what else, what else?
Let them get a few things out. It resets the positive positivity of exactly why they called you to start with. Here's another example. Hey, this is too expensive. They say, I don't know, boy, this just feels like a lot of money.
So we say, I hear you. Hypothetically though, if the investment weren't an issue, if we had say, zero down financing and you didn't have to worry about it, didn't cost you anything today, would you want to move forward with option one? What's happening here? And this is really specific, we've separated the what from the how. You're figuring out if they actually want the solution before you deal with the money.
Objection. So super important to start to separate things. Here's another example. Boy, I need to think about it. This is what we hear the most.
I need to think about it. They say, boy, this is a big decision. I just need to think about it. In fact, usually they follow that up with, can you email this to us and we'll get back to you? We say, totally understand.
Hypothetically though, if you woke up tomorrow and this was already taken care of, what would that feel like? Now what's happening is they're starting to future cast. In their mind, they're imagining the result. They're picturing life after the problem is solved. That's much more powerful place to be than sitting in hesitation.
So you're helping them to future cast and already own the thing. They already own the experience, already own the solution, and you're getting them to describe to you what that moment feels like. And that is the reason people take action in appointments. So now that we've covered those, here's where people screw up, because I want to make sure you avoid these pitfalls. Mistake 1 is using it too early.
So don't lead with the hypothetical. Don't walk in and say, hypothetically, if I could solve your problem, would you buy from me today? That's weird. That is where it becomes salesy and sleazy. I know there's some training like this out there, and it's gross.
It's not what we want to do. This is not what this is. The hypothetical is a backup tool. You use it when you hit resistance. Don't use it as your opening line.
Mistake number two, if we stay in the hypothetical too long, A hypothetical is a detour. You step into it, will get past the hesitation, and then step right back out of it. If you stay in the hypothetical, it becomes a daydream. It's not real anymore. So get the information you need and then bring them back to reality.
Mistake number three is using it to manipulate. This is not a trick. This is not a way to pressure people into buying something they don't need or want. It's a tool to help them get past their own mental roadblock so they can make a decision based on what they actually think, not based on fear or hesitation. If you use it to manipulate, it's going to backfire and you're going to feel gross.
So don't do it. Because I've seen it done at all. I've done it in all those different ways, intentionally or unintentionally. And I can tell you, used properly, this is one of the most powerful tools that you'll have in your verbal tool bag. So here's the thing about the hypothetical.
It's one of those tools that sounds ridiculous when you first hear it, but it works all the time. Because people don't actually want to sit in hesitation. They don't want to overthink things. They want clarity. What the hypothetical does, it gives them a way to get clarity without feeling like they're being pushed.
So the next time someone says, I need to think about it or I need to talk to my partner or this is a big decision, don't just accept it. Step into the parallel universe. Ask the hypothetical question, get past the hesitation, and then come right back. You'll be shocked at how often it works. And if you want help with this, if you want to break down every part of your sales process and learn how to handle objections like this.
net, and send me a message. Fill out the form, send me a message or email me directly. net and we will get you signed up for the summer sales surge because that is exactly what I'm going to be do, going to be doing. So we work with salespeople in companies all over North America, in fact, around the world. Message me.
I will go anywhere that you want to take me. To optimize every step of the process, from the introduction to the close to handling objections, we tighten it all up. And next week we're going to dive into something that's going to change the way you think about value. So we're going to talk about stop giving them everything. We're going to talk about why less is more in your presentation.
Most people think the more options they give, the better. But what actually happens is it makes it harder to buy. There is a point of diminishing returns. So next week, I'm going to show you exactly why. Until next time, everybody, I'm Sam Wakefield.
Go out there and work to become someone worth buying from. You've been listening to the Close it now podcast. Our passion is to dive headfirst into the transformative movement that's reshaping the very foundation of HVAC 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.
net find us on Instagram at thereal. Close it now. And on Facebook, closeit Now. See you next time.