Author: scott@aries711.com

Picture this: It’s midnight on New Year’s Eve. Instead of ringing in the new year with friends, you’re elbow-deep in a furnace, the scent of dust and adrenaline in the air. Not your idea of a party? Welcome to the world of HVAC technician work schedules, where the weather—and your customers—are in charge. I learned…

Picture this: You ring the doorbell, heart thumping because you know everything rides on the first words you’ll speak. I still remember my earliest sales calls as an HVAC tech—sometimes I nailed it, sometimes I tripped over my own tongue. Most of us underestimate just how swiftly a customer sizes us up, but your first…

True story: Once, as new HVAC sales rep, I walked into a meeting certain it was a lost cause. Budget was ‘locked,’ rules seemed set in granite, and my proposal sat unread. What happened next? I didn’t break the rules—but I twisted them just enough to open a whole new path forward. Sometimes, the line…

Imagine being put in a situation where there’s truly no chance of winning—sounds like a nightmare, right? I remember my first ever sales call that went off the rails: the client wouldn’t answer a single question, I was sweating buckets, and I left convinced I’d never sell a thing. Years later, I heard about the…

Back when I started in sales, I thought the scariest thing was hearing ‘No.’ But let me tell you—the real moment your palms start sweating is facing a no-win scenario, where every answer feels wrong and you still have to push for yes. Enter the Kobayashi Maru sales training event: a concept straight out of…

A few years ago, while running late for a presentation, I joked to a colleague, ‘Maybe I should send my hologram instead.’ Fast forward to today, and this half-baked idea is no longer science fiction—it’s creeping into boardrooms and sales calls with avatars indistinguishable from real people. There’s a twist though: if AI can give…

Let me take you back to my rookie days as an HVAC sales tech. The first time I landed a big deal, I celebrated by splurging on a new phone… and then promptly moved on to chasing my next win. What I didn’t realize? The real win, the career-changing one, wasn’t the sale itself –…

Picture this: You’re at a backyard barbecue, snagging a burger and making small talk when someone asks you what you do. You answer, ‘I’m in sales,’ and suddenly it’s as if you sprouted fangs—they back away as if you’ve turned into a vampire. Why do some people loathe sales professionals? And how can you, as…

Years ago, I found myself sitting across from a couple who were ready to drop six figures retrofitting their home with solar and high-efficiency heating—even after I warned them they’d never break even. Why did they say yes? Turns out, belief can be a more powerful fuel than gas or electricity. In the HVAC world,…

Let me take you back to the Delta in Sacramento—a blue-sky afternoon, paperwork in hand, and a gut feeling that my latest sale might slip through my fingers. We’ve all been there: you do the work, answer every question, and then—bam—the dreaded cancellation. What if the real secret to closing isn’t another slick technique, but…