How to Handle Any Customer Objection (Using Skills You Already Have)
Release Date: 04/29/2026
You're Losing Money Before You Knock on the Door (Here's Why)
Windshield Time
You pull up to a house. You see the yard, the cars, the neighborhood. Before you knock on the door, you've already decided what this customer can afford. You don't know you're doing it. But it's costing you money. Chris Elmore walks through the five cognitive biases that affect every tech in the field — and shows how each one shows up on real service calls. The plumber who skips the shower and goes straight to the water heater. The tech who feels guilty about his own price because a customer asked for a ballpark. The moment you see someone just like you and suddenly they're getting a deal...
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How to Handle Any Customer Objection (Using Skills You Already Have)
Windshield Time
Every tech knows how to troubleshoot a system. But when a customer objects (I need to think about it, I need to talk to my spouse, that's more than I expected), most techs stop troubleshooting and start guessing. Chris Elmore shows you that troubleshooting an objection uses the exact same skill you use on every diagnostic call. The only difference is that there's a person on the other end instead of a machine. He names the five most common objections, breaks down the LEAP method, and shows you what happens when you skip the troubleshooting steps — LEAP becomes PLEA, and now you're...
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Stop Showing All 4 Options at Once (Here's Why You're Losing the Sale)
Windshield Time
You built four options. You laid them all on the table. The customer's eyes went straight to the cheapest one. This episode fixes that. Chris Elmore breaks down why presenting all four options at the same time costs you money on every call — and teaches the top-down method that uses the trust you've already built to guide the customer toward the best solution. He covers the psychology of forced buys, why four options is the right number, and exactly how to build them using the red, yellow, green diagnostic system. You'll also hear two stories you won't forget — a Hot Wheels toothbrush...
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Why Customers Push Back on Your Recommendations
Windshield Time
A lot of technicians think customer resistance starts at the price. Chris Elmore says it starts much earlier. In this episode, Chris uses a vivid analogy to explain what happens when a technician gives a customer bad news without preparing them first. The result is confusion, defensiveness, and the urge to escape... just like someone reacting to an unexpected explosion. The point is not the drama of the analogy. The point is what surprise does to trust. This conversation breaks down why great technicians still lose customers during the presentation phase, and how to prevent that by setting...
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The One Question That Reveals How Technicians See Their Job
Windshield Time
“What is your job?” Most technicians answer the same way: fix the problem. But that answer reveals something important—many technicians see their role too narrowly. In this episode of Windshield Time, Chris explains why professional technicians carry a much larger responsibility when they enter a customer’s home. A technician isn’t just there to repair equipment. They are responsible for discovering the condition of the system, clearly explaining the solutions, guiding the homeowner’s decision, and ultimately delivering work that builds long-term trust. Chris outlines the five...
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Technicians: Your Job Isn't to "Just Fix it"
Windshield Time
If you’re a technician who believes your job is to “just fix it,” this episode will challenge that mindset. In this episode of Windshield Time, Chris Elmore sits down with Joe Bates, owner of Northern Air Plumbing & Heating, to break down what separates average service technicians from true professionals. A technician’s job is to diagnose the entire system, tell the story of what’s happening, and explain what it takes to make it work the best, last the longest, and be the safest — even if that means replacement. Inside this episode: • Why “just fix it” keeps techs stuck...
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What Business Owners Really Want from Technicians (Joe Bates from Northern Air Plumbing & Heating)
Windshield Time
What does a service business owner actually expect from technicians? In this episode of Windshield Time, Joe Bates, owner of Northern Air Plumbing and Heating, shares the ownership perspective most technicians never hear. This is not theory. It’s what ownership sees every day. Payroll. Margins. Reputation. Risk. Joe explains what sets average technicians apart from trusted professionals — and how technicians' behavior directly affects company stability. In this episode: • What Joe Bates expects from his technicians • Why calm presence inside the home matters • How accountability...
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Why Service Calls Stall After Diagnostics (and What to Do Next)
Windshield Time
Most service calls don’t fail during diagnostics. They fail in the moment after. The inspection is complete. The findings are clear. And then the conversation stalls. In this episode of Windshield Time, we break down why service calls stall after diagnostics and what technicians can do to move the call forward without sounding salesy, awkward, or unsure. This isn’t about closing harder. It’s about leading the next step. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why technicians hesitate after diagnostics The difference between findings and forward motion How hesitation...
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How to Document a Service Call (And Why It Protects You)
Windshield Time
When a service call goes bad, it’s rarely because the work was wrong. It’s because the conversation wasn’t documented. In this episode of Windshield Time, Chris Elmore and Matthew Barbosa explain how to document a service call properly and why documentation protects technicians long after the job is done. This episode reframes documentation away from paperwork and toward clarity, protection, and trust, for technicians, customers, and everyone who looks at the job later. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to document a service call step by step What “CYA” really means for...
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What Technicians Miss Without a Diagnostic Checklist
Windshield Time
Experience is your greatest asset—until it creates your biggest blind spot. In the Season 2 premiere of Windshield Time, Chris Elmore and Matthew Barbosa dismantle the myth that "seasoned pros don't need checklists." If you're relying on your gut to diagnose, you're leaving money, trust, and your reputation on the table. We dive into why the diagnostic checklist isn't about finding the problem—it's about the "Juggernaut Strike": making one undeniable point that secures the sale before you even open your mouth. In this episode, you’ll learn: The Routine Trap: How your "automatic"...
info_outlineEvery tech knows how to troubleshoot a system. But when a customer objects (I need to think about it, I need to talk to my spouse, that's more than I expected), most techs stop troubleshooting and start guessing.
Chris Elmore shows you that troubleshooting an objection uses the exact same skill you use on every diagnostic call. The only difference is that there's a person on the other end instead of a machine.
He names the five most common objections, breaks down the LEAP method, and shows you what happens when you skip the troubleshooting steps — LEAP becomes PLEA, and now you're begging instead of leading.
You'll learn:
- Why an objection is not a no — it's a troubleshooting problem you haven't finished
- The five most common objections and why they're all the same thing
- LEAP: why the order matters more than the words
- Why the troubleshooting skill you use on every diagnostic is the skill that handles objections
- What happens when LEAP becomes PLEA
Full show notes and resources: servextra.com
Subscribe & listen:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DlsGABopPu9Qq9NNhK4hu?si=70c11c4b09aa4dec
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/windshield-time/id1386770507
All episodes: https://www.servextra.com/episodes/