Keep this open while you dial. Red-edged lines are said word for word. Everything else is yours to say your way.
Fill these six — the close writes itself from them
1 · What a job is worthhis ticket, his words
2 · The funnelreached out ___ → booked ___ → ran ___ → sold ___
3 · The gap numberwhat he loses monthly, halved for conservatism
4 · His callback answerverbatim — "that night" / "next morning"
5 · How long it's been going onverbatim — usually "years"
6 · His target + who else decidesand does anyone else hold the pen?
0 · Open & anchor 2 min
Pick the tier before you dial. High-ticket (foundation · crawl space · waterproofing · big removals) → $100K/$15K. Low-ticket (leveling · flatwork · small tree) → $50K/$8K.
"Before we dive in, quick frame so nothing's hanging over this call. This is a six-week program. The goal is to add $100K in closed jobs in 6 weeks. All-in, the whole thing runs fifteen thousand dollars — and it's guaranteed; we'll get into exactly how the money breaks down in a bit. But before we even get into any of that, I want to make sure we're not wasting each other's time. So let me ask you a couple of quick questions, just to make sure we can even help. Does that sound fair?"
Question one
"When I called you, you told me you could handle ten more jobs in 6 weeks. What made you say yes to that — what's actually going on with new work right now?"
He mentions the ten jobs: "At a typical ticket that's the same number in dollars. Dollars are easier to do math on."
He talks in $200K weeks: re-base, don't raise — "the hundred is the floor I'm guaranteeing on a branch starting from zero."
"Just give me your speech": "We'll get into the nitty-gritty in a bit, but first I need to understand how we can help. Does that sound fair?"
C · Clarify 3 min
"Before we go anywhere — give me the shape of the business today. You're the owner? How long have you been running it? Roughly what's the business doing a month, and how many jobs is that? Where do those jobs come from today? And what are you spending on marketing right now?"
Then, on its own
"And the yes on something like this — that's yours alone, or does someone else hold the pen?"
Any "we" gets re-asked once, plainly. An absent decider killed more deals than every other cause combined.
"Rather not give revenue": "Ballpark — closer to fifty a month or closer to two hundred?"
He quotes his own CPL/ROI: overlap check now, disqualify in four minutes if he beats you.
L · Label 8 min
"What's the biggest problem with the way that works? Or — what's not working to the level you feel it really could and should be?"
Never drop the second half. He won't call his business broken; he'll admit it's not where it should be.
The funnel walk — may stack, it's arithmetic
"Last full month — how many people reached out? Of those, how many turned into a scheduled estimate? How many did you actually run? How many sold? What's a typical job worth?"
→ "So {x} raised their hand, {y} got on the calendar, {z} bought. Does that look how you'd want it to look?"
Don't know a number? Take his guess: "we'll call it that." Don't react to bad numbers — write them down.
The capacity gap
"What could you actually handle? … So you're at {A}, full capacity is {B}. How long would it take you to get from {A} to {B} doing it the way you're doing it now?"
Third question is the urgency — answer is usually "years." Use the bigger gap (dropped leads OR idle capacity), never both.
Four questions that make the label his
What have you done about it? · Why do you think you have it? · How long has this been going on? · What would it mean if it were solved?
"So right now it's {reality}, it's costing you {number}, and what you want is {target} without {the thing they hate}. Did I get that right?"
Hard stop. Do not continue until he confirms or corrects. Then name the villain in HIS words — the lead lottery · the referral treadmill · the busy-season trap · the black hole.
"Awesome — is it okay if I give you a couple of thoughts on this?"
O · Past pain + the cost 4 min
"What have you already tried to fix this — and what happened?"
Burned by an agency? Attack the model, never the company: they got paid whether the phone rang or not.
Then TELL the cost — never ask it
1 · "Can I share some thoughts with you on those numbers?"
2 · "I've managed north of $5 million in ad spend for companies doing this kind of work, ten to twenty-three times returns. I don't say that to flex — it means I've seen this same funnel a lot of times."
3 · Hand him two good numbers first. Never compare him to anyone.
4 · "Of the {inquiries} who reached out, {gap} never got on your calendar. And I'd guess I know why — when somebody calls at four in the afternoon while you're under a slab, how long before they hear back?"
5 · "Say it only works on half of them… about {n} more jobs a month. At {ticket} a job, that's roughly {monthly cost} a month, and I'm being conservative. Not new leads — ones you already have. What are your thoughts on that?"
6 · "Most shops in {market} run it exactly the way you do. It's why most of them are the same size in five years. I'm not saying that's you. But that's {monthly cost} a month, and it doesn't fix itself."
Once, anywhere here: "Given that {his number} — does that put you in a tough position with {thing}? How specifically?"
Then: "And what is that preventing you from doing in the business that you'd want to be doing but can't?"
Profit-thinker? Do the money in kept dollars, not revenue.
S · The vacation 4 min
"Say we're on a call like this a year from now, and you're telling me it went great. What does that look like?" → push for the number.
"So what do you think is stopping you from already doing that?"
"If you had a magic wand — what's the one thing you'd change about how marketing or sales works today?"
"And if it's still like this instead — what does that cost you?"
Ask one, shut up, let the silence run. This is where the call is won.
"Money, I guess": "Money to spend on what — ads, or another guy on the crew?"
"Never got around to it": best answer there is — a priority problem closes on a call.
"My guys don't follow up": ⚠️ you can't fix that. Damaging admission now — real disqualification signal.
E · Concerns 3 min
"You told me you could take ten more in 6 weeks. Is that real, or was that a good day? Where does it break — crew, trucks, scheduling? And who besides you needs to be comfortable with this?"
"And if you don't end up working with me — what's your plan to get to {his target}?"
"What would you still need to feel certain this works in your business?"
Absent decision-maker → the goal changes from close to dated three-way.
1 · "When can the two of you get on together?"
2 · Can't get them on: "What would {owner} need to see with his own eyes?" — send the recording or a 3-min recap on his numbers.
3 · Screened, not busy: "Let's not pitch him secondhand — where does the decision actually get made?"
"How do I know you're not full of it?" → "Ask your next three homeowners whether anyone else contacted them."
R · The pitch 5 min
"I can see exactly where I'd attack this. Want me to walk you through the plan?"
1 · Create demand you own — his job types, his market, leads are his.
2 · Respond, qualify, book — answered inside a minute, day or night, his standards.
3 · Learn from sold jobs — tracked to revenue, not clicks.
"Forget the ads for a second. Say every one of those falls flat. If the only thing that changes is that the {inquiries} people already reaching out get answered in sixty seconds instead of the next morning — that alone is the {monthly cost} a month we just talked about. The ads on top, the qualification, the tracking — that's upside on top of a thing that already paid for itself."
"How are you different?" — three P's, one breath
Predictability — everyone fights over the 3% searching today; I go get the other 97%. Straight with you, they're lower intent, which is exactly why follow-up is instant and automatic.
Quality — no forms. Every person gets talked to and qualified against your standards before anything reaches your phone.
Profitability — guaranteed in closed jobs. It pays for itself or the money comes back.
"To be straight with you, this doesn't work if the team lets booked appointments sit, won't tell us which jobs sold, or doesn't have capacity. I can build and run the engine — I can't make a company answer the phone. Is any of that a concern here?"
R · The money 4 min
1 · "At your ticket — {job value} a job — a hundred grand is about {n} closed jobs in 6 weeks. You told me your crew could take that. And the gap is already costing you {monthly cost} a month doing nothing."
2 · "Is there any reason you wouldn't be able to pull this off? What makes you confident it'd work in your shop?"
3 · "Do you feel this solves the problem we laid out? Why?" · "Money aside, if I added a hundred grand in closed jobs in the next 6 weeks — is that something you'd want?" · "And if most of the money were only due after that result showed up, are you all in on the plan?"
4 · "Can I be straight with you about how the money works? It's fifteen thousand all-in, like I said up front — but here's the structure. Five thousand is a one-time onboarding deposit. That covers the whole build: your ads live — ad spend's inside it, nothing on top — the automations, the booking bot, your dashboard. The other ten thousand is my fee, and my fee is ten percent of the target. You only pay it once the hundred grand in closed jobs is in your book. And if we don't deliver, you're entitled to every dollar back — the deposit too. So look at who's holding the risk."
Then stop talking. Eight full seconds. Silence belongs after the price and after the ask — never after a reframe.
The ladder — in order, stop at the first yes
| 1 Anchor | $100K / $15K — five to start, ten percent after it lands |
| 2 Guarantee | Every dollar back, deposit included. Covers the full 6 weeks; week one is build and ramp |
| 3 Right-size | $50K / $8K — three to start, five after. Same machine, smaller target |
| 4 Trial | 3 days, no money, no contract. Never volunteered — it's the answer to "$0 down" |
R · Four endings — nothing else counts
| Yes | Terms first. Then: "this works when you answer the phone and tell me which jobs sold — those two are yours." ACH off an invoice, no cards. |
| No | "Totally fair — what specifically?" Then say what would have to change. |
| Dated decision call | "What exactly are you deciding, who's involved, and when will you have the answer?" In the calendar before you hang up. |
| Disqualified | "Honestly, I don't think you should buy this right now — here's what I'd do instead." Set a check-back date anyway. |
"I'll think about it" is not an ending.
Objections — trigger → answer
| Before any isolate | Name it → "that's not a problem" → "before you go do that…" → "what exactly is making you want to?" Then: "Do you feel what we've gone over actually CAN get you to {target}? … Why do you feel it can?" |
| "$15,000 is a lot" | "It is. And look at the shape of it — five to start, the other ten only after a hundred grand is in your book. Your gap is costing {monthly cost} a month doing nothing. So which part's the problem — the five, or whether the hundred lands?" |
| "How do I know you'll deliver?" | "You don't, on my word. That's why my fee only exists after the target lands, and if we miss, you get everything back — deposit included — and the ad money I spent is my loss. Look at who's holding the risk." |
| "Let me think about it" | Isolate twice: "the money, or whether it works in your shop?" → wait → "if it were running Monday and calls answered in a minute, anything else stop you?" → wait. Then: "those weeks cost {monthly cost}… so it's not fifteen versus nothing, it's {monthly cost} a month to wait against five to start on a guaranteed number." |
| "I don't have the money" | "Money aside — does this get you there?" → "If the fifteen were in your hand right now, would you do it?" → "So it's a HOW, not a SHOULD." If he's genuinely broke: ban the delay-cost line, ask when money lands, date everything to his check. |
| "Talk to my partner" | "Money thing for them, or does-it-work thing?" + "If they said yes tomorrow, are you ready?" Real co-decider → dated three-way. He signs alone → "the last five years of results — that was you, right? Does she ask you how to bid a driveway?" |
| "Burned by an agency" | "What specifically went wrong? Nine times out of ten they took a retainer and you carried the risk. I flipped it — the ten thousand doesn't exist until the hundred grand does." |
| "We already do marketing" | "Good — what's it actually booking you? Most guys are paying for shared leads or waiting on referrals. No lead vendors, no referrals, and I don't sell your leads to anybody else." |
| "Just send me info" | "I've got all of it right here — what's the one thing you actually want to know? Faster than you digging through a PDF Thursday." |
| "No time for this" | "That's the point — you're the bottleneck. I build it and run it. Fifteen minutes to set up, then jobs show up." |
| "Busy season / slammed" | "Perfect time — you want the pipeline full for when it slows, not scrambling then. Runs in the background." |
| "Your ad said $0 down" | Don't argue — rung 4: "Then let's do exactly that. Three days, no money, no contract, and you tell me what you think." |
| "Just pay the deposit and I'll run ads" | "No — the ads are how I control whether the target lands. If two-thirds of my fee depends on it, I need hands on the thing that produces it." |
| "After the 6 weeks?" | "It's ten percent. That's the only thing I charge — no new deposit, no retainer." Nothing beyond that sentence. |
| "What if we hit $70K not $100K?" | "Then you're entitled to every dollar back, deposit included — that's your call. Most guys sitting on seventy grand of new work want to finish the job instead, and I'm open to that. But the refund is yours." |
| "Market exclusive?" | "One company per market — and don't take my word for it. Ask your next three homeowners whether anyone else contacted them." |
| He goes quiet | Silence is a tool. Ask, then shut up 8+ seconds. Don't rescue it. |
Hear the tell → know the buyer
| "I'm doing everything — advertise, payroll, bid, order concrete" | Time-starved → sell time back, not volume |
| "I didn't have them come in today" · idle equipment | Idle crew → capacity IS the story; let him pick the number |
| "We're just setting this up — brand new over here" | Expansion → urgency + territory exclusivity |
| "How do I know you're not pocketing the ad spend?" | Interrogator → structure, not promises; name the pocket first |
| "I need 8–10x or I can't hire a sales guy" | Metrics dictator → re-anchor the tier before he calls it inflated |
| "What does ROI mean?" · door knocking | ROI-naive → build the math from his ticket |
| "If it was my company I'd write the check today" | Non-decider → the #1 killer; three-rung ladder now |
| "I can't pay that right now — I'm on a hard time" | Cashflow → "not now," not "no." Trial + dated check-back |
| "I'm not giving money upfront to anybody" | Payment refuser → hardest; a guarantee won't move him |
| Fires a checklist: contract, references, seasonality | Due diligence → say the damaging admission first |
| "I don't want 50 people coming at me" | Brand-protective → volume is a threat; sell the smaller target |
| "We own a bunch of local brands" · names a CFO | Portfolio → which market has budget THIS month |
| "Family-owned, my wife works here" · no CRM | Legacy family → get the family on before you pitch |
| "We branched off" · brings a second person | Breakaway → find the absent partner; hand him the audit tool |
| Quotes his own CPL and ROI from memory | Self-sufficient → overlap check; disqualify out loud |
| Names his vendor and their fee structure | Comparison shopper → what did each source actually close? |
| "I'm more pay-for-performance" | Negotiator → refuse rev-share; the back-weighted fee IS the skin |
The rules & the banned list
Never break
• Ask one question, then stop.
• Every number comes from his mouth — quote no benchmark, ever.
• Four endings only.
• Never show the breakdown with a concern still open.
• Price never goes in writing — not text, email, page, ad or video.
• Pre-call surfaces say "10 jobs in 6 weeks." The revenue target is call-only.
• Keep verbatim: "No lead vendors. No depending on referrals."
• A closed job = a signed contract or an accepted quote.
Banned: "I get paid a percentage of jobs that close" (false — the fee is 10% of the target, paid after) · "what happens if nothing changes?" (the most burned question in B2B — tell the cost instead) · any industry average or benchmark · "no expensive advertising" · the retired three-month window · promising he'll own the system.
Still unruled — do not invent
What's inside the $5K deposit (say only: "five to start covers getting your engine built and your ads live — I'll set the exact ad number in writing before a dollar moves") · weekly deposit splits · multi-market pricing ("one market is the unit; market two gets priced off market one's real numbers") · seasonality windows.