Beyond Technical Skills: How Communication Drives $20,000 Days

What truly separates average technicians from those consistently bringing in $20,000 days? Contrary to what many believe, it's not experience or technical knowledge—it's masterful communication.

The psychology of technical sales hinges on three critical components. Body language accounts for a staggering 55% of your impact, creating immediate impressions within seven seconds of meeting a customer. Your posture, facial expressions, and positioning silently broadcast your confidence and trustworthiness before you speak a single word. Even subtle microexpressions—fleeting facial movements that happen unconsciously—can make or break customer trust.

Next comes mirroring at 37%, a psychological technique that builds rapid connection without manipulation. By subtly matching a customer's speaking pace, tone, or repeating their key phrases ("I'm just trying to figure this all out" → "trying to figure this all out"), you create neural resonance that deepens trust. This tactical approach transforms skeptical homeowners into collaborative partners.

The final 7% comes down to precise word choice. Weak language patterns ("I think," "hopefully," "this might work") subtly undermine authority, while confident phrasing ("what I recommend is," "this is the best long-term solution") establishes expertise. The "feel, felt, found" framework effectively addresses concerns without creating pressure.

When these three elements work together—proper body language during entry, mirroring during problem assessment, and powerful language during solution presentation—service calls transform from confrontational to collaborative. The result isn't just higher close rates and revenue; it's better workdays for everyone involved.

Ready to elevate your communication skills? Choose one area to focus on for your next five service calls. Track the changes in customer response and watch your results transform. Share your success stories with colleagues and help elevate our entire industry—because in technical service, how you communicate matters more than the wrench in your hand.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Communication in Tech
• 3:41 Body Language: The 55% Factor
• 5:13 Microexpressions and First Impressions
• 8:20 Mirroring: Building Trust Subconsciously
• 11:53 Words That Win: Powerful Language Patterns
• 17:00 Putting It All Together
• 19:33 Challenge and Call to Action

Transcript

Corey Berrier: 1:00

Welcome back to the Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, Corey Berrier, and today we're going to dive deep on something that separates the average tech from a high performer. It's not how many years you've been in the trade, it's not even how many tools are on the truck. It's about how you communicate, and what that means is the way you carry yourself, the way you connect with people, and the words you choose when it matters most. So I've broken this episode up into three parts. Today we're going to cover body language, what your body says before you open your mouth. Second, mirroring how to use tactical empathy to build trust fast. And, lastly, words that win. Specific phrases that close jobs and build connection. That's the stuff that makes a $20,000 day possible. So let's get started.

Corey Berrier: 2:16

Body language is 55% of communication, so we're going to break down posture, presence and positioning so you can walk into a home and instantly establish credit. So some things that we're going to cover today are standing tall without looking intimidating. Why eye contact builds trust and how much is too much eye contact. Open body language versus closed body language. Arms, hands, shoulders, how to carry yourself in the driveway, the doorway and during the walkthrough. Facial expressions the hidden sales tool you didn't know you were using. Here's a quick example Walking into a job with your arms crossed, eyebrows raised and no smile sends a message of judgment and defensiveness. You can fix that with open palms, slight nods and soft eyes.

Corey Berrier: 3:33

So the next thing I want to talk to you about and you may or may not have heard of this it's called microexpressions, and microexpressions that's what makes the first impression. So we're going to focus on the small cues that customers pick up on the first seven seconds. I would almost argue that it's less than seven seconds these days, because social media clips are if you don't grab somebody's attention in the first one to three seconds, what happens? You keep scrolling. So what are microexpressions? Well, that's what your face says when you're not talking the eyebrow flash and the subtle smile combo for building quick rapport how to physically match the mood without being a freaking weirdo, and why your handshake, your stinky breath and first step all count. Hopefully you don't have stinky breath, but if you do, this is for you.

Corey Berrier: 4:45

So you want to match their energy. If they're calm and quiet, you should be too. If they're upbeat and energetic. Reflect that energy. Customers buy from people who feel like them, and customers read you before you ever speak.

Corey Berrier: 5:08

Now let me go back for a second. If someone's irate and they're upset, they're pissed off. You don't want to match that energy, right? You want to keep a monotone, cool, calm, collective demeanor, if you will. And customers are reading your body like a book. They're scanning for safety, for trust, for authority. Because, listen, if you're nervous, nervous behavior looks like to a homeowner pacing, looking down, fidgeting. And when they feel that it makes them nervous, you know. If your shoulders are squared and you've got a soft face, that gives people a calm feeling, you look like a calm leader. And if you're another thing, position yourself and position your body during conversation the way you're positioned. Don't tower over people, because if you tower over people it makes them feel intimidated and when you lean forward a little bit, it shows that you're interested in what they have to say. So here's a quick scenario when you're standing in a hallway explaining pricing, turn your body slightly to avoid a confrontational stance. Keep your hands visible, make soft eye contact. You're not look, you're not selling, you're guiding that customer to a decision.

Corey Berrier: 6:55

And next I want to talk to you about something that's going to feel weird, it's going to feel gimmicky and it's going to feel salesy, but it's not Mirroring. You know what is mirroring and why does it work? Well, mirroring is repeating the customer's behavior or language to build subconscious trust. It's a psychological judo, if you will, and it works. And you've got to be very subtle about mirroring. Now I know you're listening to this podcast. You can't see what I'm doing. But if your customer is sitting back and they're relaxed just imagine sitting back in a chair and they're relaxed you just need to sit back in your chair and relax. If their arms are crossed across their chest, cross your arms across your chest. If their hands are in a steeple, put your hands in a steeple. But you got to do this subtly. You can't make knee-jerk decisions here and knee-jerk actions, because then it looks weird. So this is going to take practice. So do it with your family members, do it with whoever. That is not going to, you know. Catch on to this right until you get very good at it. So the psychology of mirroring is neural resonance and comfort, meaning you make people feel comfortable when you're mirroring them because they look, they make them feel like they are like you and you're like them.

Corey Berrier: 8:33

And there's a difference in verbal and nonverbal mirroring. Right, there's two different types of mirrors. Right, I can mirror your body language, which is nonverbal, but I can also mirror your tone of voice. Also mirror your tone of voice. And mirroring builds connection without manipulation. So if the customer speaks slowly and softly, so should you. If they sit down at the table, ask permission to sit too. If they say I'm just trying to figure this all out, you reply with trying to figure this all out and then pause, let them talk and let the connection deepen. Let me rephrase that. Let me say that again If the customer says to you I'm just trying to figure this all out, you reply with trying to figure this all out, pause, let them talk, let the connection deepen, let them talk, let the connection deepen.

Corey Berrier: 9:52

So tactical mirroring in sales conversations. So how can you effectively mirror without sounding like a parent? The best way to do this, and the easiest way, is use the last one to three words in their sentence. Notice what I just did a second ago I'm just trying to figure this all out, trying to figure this all out, and it opens the door for more conversation. Believe me, it also makes that customer feel heard. It makes them feel like you're listening to what they're saying, because you're repeating back the words they used. You want to match their pace, their tone and their language.

Corey Berrier: 10:40

Mirror emotional states. It seems like, mr Customer, this is overwhelming. Mr Customer, this is overwhelming. And look, when you mirror correctly, it creates breakthroughs in trust. So here's an example Technician, it sounds like you're really trying to avoid another backup Customer yeah, I just can't deal with this again. Technician, can't deal with this again. Customer exactly Last time, it cost me $2,000 in damage. That's access, that's connection, that's trust, and okay.

Corey Berrier: 11:28

So let's talk about mirroring. Difficult customers, difficult customers, are emotionally charged. I can't believe you're charging me $2,500 for this stupid little thing that took you 25 minutes to fix. Mirroring helps you disarm, not dominate. So how? So? Why? Mirroring calms reactive customers. I can tell versus you seem, versus you are tone control, how mirroring de-escalates pricing tension. Second guess is and I need to talk to my spouse, so here's a phrase you can use it seems like you're frustrated with how this has gone before. It seems like you're trying to make the smartest long-term decision here. That's a label plus a mirror, which equals a win.

Corey Berrier: 12:28

So the words that we use, the science behind the words that we use, tone, pacing and power. Language. Words are tools and the right ones build certainty. The wrong ones raise doubt. So how tone and word choice shape perception, all right. Pacing. How fast or slow you should speak, voice inflection that signals leadership. Now I'm going to use voice inflection when I say that again, voice inflection that signals leadership. You see how I went really high and then I went really low and slow. Words that calm versus words that create pressure.

Corey Berrier: 13:21

So here's what you don't want to say. Do you want to go ahead with this? Opposed to here's a good way to say it. Are you ready for us to take care of this today? Here's the what. Not to say this might be your best option. Do you see how this might? I'm uncertain when I say this might be the best option. Opposed to, the right thing to say would be this is the best long-term solution for your situation. Is the best long-term solution for your situation.

Corey Berrier: 14:05

So I'm going to give you some things that are commonly used for technicians that absolutely kill trust, and I'm going to give instead Examples of weak language. I think, probably, hopefully. Here's how you can replace the. I think, probably, hopefully, you can replace it with. What I recommend is here's what we're seeing and what we know works. I'm confident this is the right move. Also, by the way, filler words. I just wanted to. Maybe that leaks out authority. It makes it D. It basically gives you. It makes you look weak is what I'm trying to say. So I'm going to give you some word patterns that win in sales. So let's get into the psychology of framing language Now.

Corey Berrier: 15:20

You've probably heard this before and maybe you haven't, but use the feel, felt, found framework, which is permission-based language and that builds safety. As an example, would it be helpful if I did X, y, z, stacking value statements, using silence for power? Here's an example. What a lot of customers have told us is they felt unsure at first, but what they found is this option solved the issue permanently. I'm going to say that again Now. Notice I use felt and found here. What a lot of customers have told us is they felt unsure at first, but what they found is this option solved the issue permanently. So here's how you can combine all three tools in a walkthrough during a service call, from arrival to close of sale.

Corey Berrier: 16:19

You pull up at a house. Customer is super skeptical. Imagine that. I can't imagine having a super skeptical customer. I'm joking. So, super skeptical customer, you're tired, it's the end of the day, it's Friday or Saturday.

Corey Berrier: 16:35

The issue is complicated. Here's what you want to do, here's what you want to remember. You want to write this down. And if you can't write it down now, go back and replay this and write these things down Entry position and greeting the first mirroring moment Problem presentation using tactical labeling, offering the solution with confident, value-driven language, navigating objections without pressure. So here's your challenge for the week. Pick one area to focus on, whether it be body language or mirroring, or word choice. If it was up to me, I'm going to go with body language, which is 55%. Next go with tonality is 37%, which is the mirroring portion, and then 7% is the word that you use. But practice it on every service call for the next five days, take notes on what changes, how customers respond, how you feel, and watch how it shifts your close rates. Bring those stories back, share them with the team, help your other team members, because in this business, it's not just the wrench in your hand that gets the job done, it's the way you show up, it's the way you connect and the words you use when it counts. Have a happy 4th of July.

Corey Berrier: 18:11

I appreciate you listening to this podcast today. I would encourage you to share it with a team member. Share it on social media. Give us a review. If you scroll, if you go to Apple Podcasts, scroll down about halfway you'll see where it says rate and review. Hit the five stars. Write a two-sentence review for me because it really helps and I really appreciate it. It really helps us to get the word out. It helps to have bigger guests on and, at the end of the day, it helps the podcast grow.

Corey Berrier: 18:47

I don't need the podcast to grow for me, but I want to improve the industry in every single way that I possibly can, because this stuff is important. This stuff is so vitally important and will change your annual income. I guarantee it. I guarantee, if you go back and listen to this and really listen to the things that I've said today, it will change the outcomes of your calls. It will make you more money and you'll be more successful. Your family will be happier. You'll be happier. It's not all about the money, but it's about easy. It's about having a better day at work, and if you have a better day at work and you're making more money, everybody's happy. I don't think anybody would argue with that. So we'll see you next Friday. I appreciate you guys very much and have a great day.