Sales Training. Close It Now!

At 412 pounds, Ruben Sanchez was waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air. Pre-diabetic. Sleep apnea so severe his wife begged him to do something. And running a second generation HVAC company at the southern tip of Texas that his father started in a garage in 1985.He decided not to wait for the CPAP machine. He decided to start moving.Four years later Ruben is nine and a half percent body fat, two weeks out from stepping on a bodybuilding stage in Houston, and leading Colair Inc. to a projected $21 million year across two locations. And everything he learned about discipline, tracking, plateaus, and stacking small wins maps directly onto what it took to build a business that dominates its market.In this episode:How waking up gasping for air became the tipping point that changed everythingWhy Ruben started moving before the CPAP machine arrivedThe connection between tracking calories and knowing your business numbersWhy you are not hitting a plateau, your metabolism just slowed down and what to do about itThe reverse diet strategy that breaks a fat loss stall and how it mirrors a business pivotFrom 412 pounds to sub ten percent body fat, what the journey actually looked likeWhy measuring in grams instead of ounces changes everythingThe all or nothing mindset that keeps most people stuck and how to break out of itHow Colair grew from under a million to a projected $21M with two locationsTheir best month ever, $2.3 million in August, and what made it possibleThe one question their CSRs started asking that Ruben estimates has added $20 million in revenue over the yearsHow they use donut and free tune up days at RV parks to dominate the winter snowbird marketWhy green fielding a second location from scratch is harder than acquiring a book of businessStack small wins, the one piece of advice that runs through every part of this conversationWhat competing in bodybuilding at 41 has to do with being a market dominator in businessConnect with Ruben Sanchez:Instagram (fitness journey): @rusty_naylsInstagram (business): @mr.rubenFacebook: Ruben SanchezCompany: Colair HVAC, South TexasConnect with Sam Wakefield:Website: https://www.closeitnow.netEmail: [email protected]: @therealcloseitnowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuel.l.wakefieldLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/closeitnow/Join the Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/closeitnowBring This Training to Your Team:Sam travels nationwide to deliver on-site training for home services companies serious about raising their close rate and average ticket. Half day classroom, half day ride-alongs. Your team, your market, your systems.Book a call with Sam: calendar.app.google/KZH1j2Q1MAXTKbT38Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google. Every review gets read, and if yours gets read on air you earn a no-charge one-on-one coaching session with Sam directly.Google: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

They said nothing would change. Then everything did.Sam Wakefield and Josh Baca have both lived the private equity acquisition from the front lines. Not from the boardroom. Not from the highlight reel. From the trucks, the sales calls, and the moments when you realize the company you believed in has become something you no longer recognize.Josh spent three and a half years and closed $10.6 million in sales before making his exit. Sam lasted six weeks after the sale before handing in his notice the same afternoon a GM suggested offering a homeowner a box of filters instead of fixing the drywall his crew cracked.This is that conversation.In this episode:How Sam found out his company sold in an all hands meeting disguised as an insurance enrollmentWhy 80% turnover in the first year after a PE sale is more common than anyone admitsWhat private equity does well and where it consistently breaks downWhy the culture always fractures from the top down and what could be done differentlyHow lead quality and qualification standards quietly erode after an acquisitionWhy the people who were there from the beginning feel it the hardestThe comment that was the straw that broke the camel's back for JoshWhat it looks like to exit professionally when everything in you wants to walk outWhy your skill set in this industry is repeatable, scalable, and fully portableHow to channel frustration into your next move instead of burning bridges on the way outConnect with Josh Baca:TikTok: @joshbaca5Instagram: josh.baca.716Facebook: Josh BacaEmail: [email protected] with Sam Wakefield:Website: https://www.closeitnow.netEmail: [email protected]: @therealcloseitnowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuel.l.wakefieldLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/closeitnow/Join the Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/closeitnowWant Sam and Josh at your company for a full day of training and ride-alongs? Loop both in on the same [email protected] | [email protected] with Sam: calendar.app.google/KZH1j2Q1MAXTKbT38Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google. Every review gets read, and if yours gets read on air you earn a no-charge one-on-one coaching session with Sam directly.Google: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

Great branding will never fix poor operations. It will only make poor operations more visible, more expensive, and harder to recover from.Dan Antonelli has been in the branding world for over 40 years. He started hand lettering trucks at 15 years old, built Kickcharge Creative into the most recognized branding company in home services, added a full digital marketing division serving 60 to 70 home service companies, and now owns a vehicle wrap company. Branding, start to finish, under one roof.He has seen what happens when a brand is done right and rolled out correctly. And he has seen what happens when a company invests in a great brand and then does nothing with it. In this episode he and Sam pull back the curtain on both.In this episode:Why great branding accelerates good operations and destroys bad onesThe number one mistake contractors make when naming their companyWhy visibility is only one piece of what a brand is supposed to doHow Economy Plumbing rebranded as Plumbing Pals and increased average tickets by $200 per callWhy a sales rep went from a $12,000 average ticket to $18,500 after a rebrandWhat branding does to consumer psychology and why it has not changed in 100 yearsWhy your brand should be built for her, not for youThe difference between a brand that becomes culture and a brand that becomes eye candyHow bad rollout kills a good brand before it ever gets a chance to workWhy you should fix your systems before investing in branding if you only have one set of dollarsWhen a startup should invest in branding and what needs to be in place firstWhen an existing company is ready to rebrand and what has to be dialed in before they pull the triggerWhy AI is not part of their process and what 200 combined years of experience actually brings to a projectConnect with Dan Antonelli and Kickcharge Creative:Website: kickchargecreative.comBook: Branded Not Blanded, available on AmazonConnect with Sam Wakefield:Website: https://www.closeitnow.netEmail: [email protected]: @therealcloseitnowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuel.l.wakefieldLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/closeitnow/Join the Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/closeitnowBring This Training to Your Team:Sam travels nationwide to deliver on-site training for home services companies serious about raising their close rate and average ticket. Half day classroom, half day ride-alongs. Your team, your market, your systems.Book a call with Sam: calendar.app.google/KZH1j2Q1MAXTKbT38Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google. Every review gets read, and if yours gets read on air you earn a no-charge one-on-one coaching session with Sam directly.Google: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

One in five people are neurodivergent. Half of them do not know it. And in home services and the trades, the number is likely even higher.The autonomy, the problem solving, the independence, the hands-on nature of the work attracts a certain kind of brain. And that brain, whether it carries an ADHD diagnosis, an autism spectrum disorder, or just a lifelong feeling of being wired differently, is showing up every day in your trucks, on your sales calls, and in your leadership seats.Dr. Matt Vorell is a PhD in Organizational Communication from the University of Colorado and a professor at St. Cloud State University. He is autistic, academically credentialed, and deeply passionate about normalizing this conversation in the workplace. His message is simple: different, not less.In this episode:Why the trades attract a higher likelihood of neurodivergent individuals than most industriesWhat autism spectrum disorder actually is and what it is notThe difference between top-down and bottom-up thinking and what it reveals about your teamWhy 90% of autistic individuals are either under or unemployedWhy 75 to 80% of autistic individuals never disclose their status at workHow masking works and the toll it takes on the people doing it every dayThe vaccine and Tylenol claims debunked directly by someone who has studied this for decadesThe double empathy problem and why communication responsibility has to go both waysHow to give instructions, write emails, and assign tasks in ways that actually landHow one manager turned her lowest performing employee into her top performer in two monthsPractical tools including AI as a communication translator for neurodivergent individualsBooks and resources to go deeperRecommended Resources:Temple Grandin - Different, Not LessNeurodiversity at Work by Theo SmithKaylin Partlow on TikTokProfessor Saul on TikTokConnect with Dr. Matt Vorell:LinkedIn: search Dr. Matt Vorell, Connect with Sam Wakefield:Website: https://www.closeitnow.netEmail: [email protected]: @therealcloseitnowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/samuel.l.wakefieldLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/closeitnow/Join the Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/closeitnowBring This Training to Your Team:Sam travels nationwide to deliver on-site training for home services companies serious about building a culture people want to stay in. Half day classroom, half day ride-alongs. Your team, your market, your systems.Book a call with Sam: calendar.app.google/KZH1j2Q1MAXTKbT38Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google. Every review gets read, and if yours gets read on air you earn a no-charge one-on-one coaching session with Sam directly.Google: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review

Recognize the 7 Mind Types - How Top Performers Speak Their Customer's LanguageMost salespeople treat every customer the same way. They use one pitch. One approach. One way of communicating. And it doesn't work for everyone.The problem isn't you. The problem is you're not reading the person in front of you. You're not recognizing their mind type.Today Sam sits down with Ridgely Goldsborough, a serial entrepreneur who's started forty-five companies, authored twenty books, and was Jim Rohn's voice in Latin America for decades. In this episode, Ridgely teaches you how to recognize the seven different mind types so you can adapt your communication and close more deals.What You'll Learn:The seven mind types and how to spot them instantly. The Giver loves to make a difference. The Connector values trust above all else. The Problem Solver needs data to make sense of things. The Innovator always wants a better way. The Perfectionist does things right. The Rebel challenges everything. The Master wants depth. Each one is wired differently. Each one communicates differently.Why knowing someone's mind type changes everything. Once you know their mind type, you know their communication keywords. Use those words and they respond as strongly as they respond to their own name. That builds trust. That closes deals.How each mind type has a superpower and a kryptonite. The Giver's superpower is causes. Their kryptonite is overcommitment. The Connector's superpower is trust. Their kryptonite is waste. The Problem Solver's superpower is solutions. Their kryptonite is paralysis when they don't have enough data. Every mind type is exceptional at something and struggles with something else. Knowing yours means you can play to your strength and manage your weakness.Why people who think like you are easy to work with, and why everyone else is difficult. When you don't understand someone's mind type, you clash. The Giver overwhelms the Connector. The Problem Solver frustrates the Innovator. The Perfectionist stifles the Rebel. But when you understand each other's mind type, everything changes.How your personal philosophy shapes which mind type you are. What you read, listen to, watch, and who you hang around with forges who you become. That determines your mind type. That determines how you communicate. That determines your results.Potential beats talent every single time. Someone twenty percent good making one hundred calls talks to twenty people. Someone fifty percent good making ten calls talks to five. Effort beats talent. Volume beats skill. The person willing to work is the person who wins.Why This Matters:If you're struggling to close deals, you probably already know how to sell. The problem is you're not reading the person in front of you. You're using the wrong approach for the wrong mind type. This episode teaches you to recognize the seven mind types so you can adapt your communication instantly. That skill changes your close rate.About Ridgely Goldsborough:Serial entrepreneur who's started forty-five companies. Author of twenty books. Studied alongside Jim Rohn as his voice in Latin America. Two master's degrees. Studied Buddhism, personal development, and human psychology. Now runs Local Market Dominator, helping contractors and home service businesses get found online and convert prospects into customers.Ridgely's Resources:Mind Types Framework and Communication Keywords List: Search "Mind Types" online or email Sam at [email protected] and he'll send you everything Ridgely has created.Free AI and Online Visibility Audit: Go to https://www.localmarketdominator.com. Understand how people are finding you online and what happens when they do. Ridgely offers free audits on traffic and conversion for any business.Work with Sam:Website: https://www.closeitnow.netCoaching and training: https://www.closeitnow.net/coachingFacebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/closeitnowEmail: [email protected] a call: https://calendar.app.google/KZH1j2Q1MAXTKbT38Three Ways to Work with Sam:One: On-site training. Half-day classroom plus half-day ride-alongs with your team.Two: Virtual training. Same frameworks, delivered remotely for teams or individuals.Three: The Build. Company scaling partnership with Doug C. Brown. You built the revenue. We help you build the business.Leave a Review:Five-star review on Apple Podcasts gets you a free one-hour coaching session with Sam. Message Sam with your review and you're in.Google Review Link: https://g.page/r/CbfnnDqTCwQdEAE/review