How to Win Jobs Without Dropping Your Price

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Your best salesperson isn't magic. They just figured out a process-probably by accident-and never wrote it down.

This week in Contractor Training Room, I broke down why sales is a system, not a superpower, and walked through the Neuro Story Selling framework that's helping contractors close at 50%+ in retail and 85%+ in insurance restoration. No natural talent required. Just a process that can be taught.

If you want the full framework with the six phases mapped out, watch the replay here.

Here's what I'll unpack in this recap:

Why your "bad leads" are actually a broken sales process

How to build a sales system that scales with your business

The 6-phase Neuro Story Selling framework

Why selling premium first wins more jobs at higher prices

After coaching contractors for 13 years, here's the pattern: the national average close rate is 25-27%. The better companies hover around 35%. But the contractors who build a real sales system? They're closing 50-63% in retail, consistently.

The difference isn't talent. It's process.

Let's dig in.

Your sales process has to evolve with your stage

One of the biggest myths I see: contractors try to build an advanced sales system before they've nailed the basics. They want the fancy presentation, the polished report, the CRM automation-before they even have a documented process.

Here's what the progression actually looks like:

Startup/Solopreneur: Focus on your process first. What are the milestones from first contact to closed deal? You don't need scripts yet. You need to know what steps you're taking and in what order. Then build talk tracks-outlines of what to cover at each step.

Friends & Family: Now you're bringing people on. This is where you turn those talk tracks into actual scripts. Not because scripts are fun-everyone hates scripts-but because they create a foundation your team can learn from and eventually make their own.

Getting Serious: Build out your tools. Presentation decks, inspection reports, proposals that separate you from the competition. You earned the right to invest in tools because your process is solid.

Growth & Scale: Now you measure everything. Close rates by rep, by lead source, by stage. These metrics show you exactly where your process breaks down so you can fix it.

Expansion: Develop leaders who own the sales function completely. If you're still directing every decision, you can't expand. Your sales manager should solve problems without coming to you.

Most contractors try to skip to tools and metrics before they've documented their process. That's why they stay stuck.

The Neuro Story Selling system: 6 phases that close deals

"Neuro" means psychology. "Story" means exactly what it sounds like. When you combine understanding human behavior with telling the complete story of what working with you looks like, you create something powerful.

Here's the biggest mistake I see: contractors tell enough of the story to get something signed, but not the whole story. That's why you get cancellations, ghosting, and "I need to think about it."

When someone says "I need to think about it," they're confused. You didn't tell the full story. You told them what happens up to today, not what happens after.

Here are the six phases:

Phase 1: Warm Up

Nothing new here-but most contractors rush it or skip it entirely. Before anyone wants to hear your story, they want to tell you theirs.

Use the FORM method as you walk up: Family, Occupation, Recreation, Motivation. Look for what they're proud of. If their yard is immaculate, talk about it. If there's a fishing boat in the driveway, ask about it.

Don't fake expertise you don't have. If you're not a baseball guy, don't pretend. But find common ground and let them talk.

Phase 2: Sit Rep & Expectations

Understand their situation and set clear expectations for what happens next.

Be a detective, but a conversational one. Not a 20-question survey. Weave your questions throughout naturally.

Two of my favorite questions:

"If you could wave a magic wand, how would this experience go for you?" (They'll tell you exactly what to focus on.)

"Have you ever worked with a contractor before? How was it?" (They'll tell you everything that went wrong-and now you know what to emphasize.)

Then set expectations: "Here's what I'm going to do today. Here's what you'll get. Here's what happens after."

Phase 3: Inspection

This is where you earn the right to sell them anything.

Do it professionally. Follow a checklist. Cover everything the same way every time. If possible, do a quick walk-around with the homeowner-point things out, use terminology they don't know, then explain it.

When you demonstrate expertise during the inspection, they stop seeing you as a salesperson and start seeing you as a contractor who knows what they're doing. That's the shift you want.

Phase 4: Findings & Discussion

Go through everything in detail. Pictures, measurements, documentation, your report.

Why so much detail? Because it creates clarity-not confusion. They see the scope of what needs to happen and realize they need someone who knows what they're doing.

This is where you create need. Not through fear, but through expertise. They should walk away thinking: "I don't just want this guy. I need him."

Phase 5: Solution & Story

This is where most contractors stop too early.

Don't just present the solution. Tell the entire story of what working with you looks like-from today through project completion.

Walk them through: how you'll order materials and notify them, how you'll protect their property, how you'll set up, how you'll install according to your system (not just manufacturer specs-your standards), how you'll clean up, how you'll do a final inspection, and how you'll handle the invoice.

By the time you're done, they can see the entire experience from start to finish. No confusion. No "I need to think about it."

Phase 6: Transformational Experience (Best-Better-Good)

Here's where most contractors get it backwards.

You've been selling the best option the entire time. Not "good, better, best" working up. Best first, then work down.

Ask: "If money wasn't an object, which of these options would be best for you?"

They'll pick the premium option. Now you've got a starting point.

Show them everything they chose. Let them have a heart attack at the price. Then ask: "What are we willing to give up?"

You work down to the option that fits their budget-which is still better than what they expected to buy, and better than anything your competitors offered.

This is how we all buy. When you walk into a car dealership, you don't go to the cheapest car on the lot. You walk to the one on the pedestal. Then you work down to what fits.

Why this closes at 50%+

The national average is 25-27%. Companies with a real sales system close at 50%+ in retail, 85%+ in insurance work.

The difference isn't talent. Some of the best salespeople I've ever worked with would describe themselves as introverts. What defines a great salesperson is desire, drive, and a process that allows them to succeed.

If you're getting objections like "I need to think about it" or "I'm getting other quotes," your process is broken. You're not telling the whole story. You're leaving them confused.

When you tell the complete story-warm up, situation, inspection, findings, solution story, and premium-first options-you're not competing on price anymore. You're competing on experience. And that's a competition you can win.

Thanks for digging into the sales side of your business with me.

If you want to build out your own Neuro Story Selling system-the scripts, talk tracks, and tools that make this repeatable-watch the full replay. Next week we're covering the Promise Keeper Production System: how to hand off from sales to production so you actually deliver on the experience you just sold.

Jim

P.S. If you want to practice this system and get real feedback, ContractorSage can walk you through each phase, help you build your talk tracks, and coach you through objection handling-all based on The Contractor's Blueprint. It's like having a sales coach available 24/7 who knows exactly what works at your stage.