Earlier this month at LBM Strategies 2025 in Nashville, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote on the craft of selling with a panel discussion immediately following featuring three local custom home builders:
Hugh Nelson, Founder of Kingdom Builders
Paul Hammond, Founder of Hammond & Brandt
Joey Donnelly, Founder of Donnelly Timmons & Associates
Each of these leaders runs a thriving business in one of the most competitive custom home markets in the country. To move the conversation beyond surface-level trends, I asked them a question we often use in sales coaching:
Hartmann question:
As sellers, we often talk about NFPOs: what are the biggest Needs, Fears and Pains—and then are there any Opportunities for growth? What is the single biggest need or fear or pain that you have in your business as you sit here today?
Joey Donnelly, Founder of Donnelly Timmons & Associates
It’s almost impossible for the three of us—or any other builder—to stay updated or know of all the latest products that are available . . . The last thing, especially in our line of work with custom homes, is you don’t want your client to come up and say, “Well, what about this product or this product?”
And you’re like, uh, “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, I’ve never heard of that.”
So, it’s a need, but it’s also a fear. I want to be updated on the latest and greatest and understand if there’s something new that I may want to consider. Here’s the price point of said item and it’s just, “Hey, when you’re looking at your next job and you’ve got this type of veneer or this type of cornice or this type of interior finish, consider this product and here’s why.”
That separates us from a tract home builder . . . so finding out what those products are is huge.
Hugh Nelson, Founder of Kingdom Builders
There’s no worse feeling than a client asking me about a product that I have no idea what they’re talking about; I’ve never heard of it. We’ve tried to address that through lunch and learns with Walker Lumber. They come out to our office, and they tell us about new products.
It’s great to have someone that’s feeding us that information so that we’re not caught cold by our clients.
Paul Hammond, Founder of Hammond and Brandt
I was obviously going to say the same thing. Product knowledge is huge and we don’t have time to be staying in the know on all the innovation taking place. That would be, for me, far and away the most valuable service they bring to me.
Forget FOMO, it’s all about FOLD
The takeaway? Builders crave partners who can make them smarter. Their biggest fear isn’t missing a deal—it’s looking unprepared in front of a client.
We talk a lot about FOMO—the fear of missing out—but in our world, it’s often FOLD that drives behavior: the Fear Of Looking Dumb.
Every builder, every salesperson, every leader feels it at some level.
It’s human.
The difference between average and excellent is whether you hide from it or use it as motivation to keep learning.
For LBM sales professionals, FOLD represents an opportunity. Builders want to feel confident when their clients ask about the new cabinetry trend, the high-performance window system, or the waterproofing product that just hit the market.
When you bring that information proactively, you’re not just sharing product specs—you’re giving them confidence. And confidence, in this business, is priceless.
So, the next time you’re planning a sales call or a lunch and learn, remember what Hugh, Paul, and Joey just shared with us: The greatest gift you can give your builder customers is to help them never feel dumb in front of their clients.
That’s how you earn trust.
That’s how you add value.
And that’s how you master the craft of LBM sales.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll be back next Thursday.
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Bradley Hartmann & Co.
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