Bill BrownFounder of ServiceTitan Hacks community (9k+ pros) | INC 5000 Contractor | Helping contractors win with AI & Automation

Why Building Rapport Closes More Deals

9 Sept 2025

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Ask open questions about what prompted the call instead of pitching right away. A bedroom ceiling fan analogy helps prospects see their own problems with dirt, filters, and maintenance, so they connect the solution to their actual needs.

Your approach to sales involves building rapport and having an exploratory conversation rather than immediately like stating your expertise. So can you elaborate on this method a bit and why you think it's so effective?
When I arrive, I ask what prompted the call today. If it's not a broken system, like, what problem am I trying to solve? I'm not there to sell something. I'm trying to solve a problem. You may not know what the problem is. You just know there is one. Talking about variable speed, I'll usually say something like, I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom that I never shut off, because if I don't have to shut it off, I don't have to look, look at it, and I don't know that it's dirty. That ceiling fan is like picking up the dirt and particulates. Imagine if you had a whole house ceiling fan. That's kind of the idea of variable speed. And people can relate with that. They're like, oh, so I need to change filters more often. All of those things really help customers, like, visualize what's going on in their home.