Two weeks ago, I joined a call with a sales manager and his owner. Within two minutes, we heard what you’d expect:
• We’re slightly behind year-over-year board footage
• Commodity pricing is down
• Rates remain up
• Tariffs are helping no one
• I’ve got 8 reps reporting to me—7 are behind pace
Nothing surprising there.
What followed caught me off guard.
Me: “For the 7 reps behind pace, what are their monthly pipelines showing? And what are they saying during their RPA meetings with you?”
Sales Manager: “My guys weren’t buying into the pipeline idea, so I stopped nagging six months ago and no one’s done one since. And we’ve been so busy with everything else, I cancelled the RPA meetings.”
Control what you can control, I thought.
Deep breath now, manage your emotions.
I failed.
“So, your team isn’t buying in?” I said, not quite shouting yet, but close. “So, you cancel the two most effective tools you have? Forecasting at the start of the month and accountability at the end? Don’t you realize your report card comes out every thirty days and you—and seven out of eight—are failing?”
Silence.
Now, was the outburst accurate?
Yes.
Useful?
No.
I apologized.
The owner chimed in, asking what the phrase “buying in” really meant. Because if “my employees can choose to buy in, it sounds like they can also opt out.”
And that’s exactly what has happened.
Most sales reps haven’t been trained to organize, prioritize, and—most importantly—quantify their pipeline. So, they don’t. They opt out.
And the last thing an underperforming rep wants is to sit across from their manager and explain:
• why their Results are behind pace,
• why their Pipeline can’t support next month’s goal, and
• which Activities they’ll commit to fixing it.
The owner then mentioned the need for a list of things they’ll all commit to.
At 2 a.m. that night, I was still awake, watching the ceiling fan spin. I got up and scribbled out sixteen commandments.
Over the next two days, the manager narrowed the list to ten and sent it to his team. Here’s what they came up with:
The 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence
- Thou Shalt Know Thy Numbers
Know your annual and monthly goals, current sales, gross margin, close rate, and pipeline value—without looking.
- Thou Shalt Maintain a Quantified Sales Pipeline
Each month, update your pipeline: deals by stage, dollar values, and probabilities. Manage your pipeline, not your email.
- Thou Shalt Declare Weekly Top Three Goals
Each week begins with clarity—three priorities that move business forward. Without focus, other people’s fire drills will become yours.
- Thou Shalt Plan Each Day and Name Thy Daily Goal
Each morning (or the night before), decide your single most important action. Begin the day on offense—attacking with intent.
- Thou Shalt Prospect Daily
Every day must include effort to deliver value to non-customers. Prospecting isn’t something you do when you have extra time—it’s a daily discipline.
- Thou Shalt Conduct Weekly FAST Meetings
Face-to-face, with an Agenda, Scheduled, and Timed. These meetings drive new sales.
- Thou Shalt Lead Your Monthly RPA Meeting
A 20-minute, hard-stop review of Results, Pipeline, and Activities—where you’ve been, where you stand, and what must happen next month to stay on course.
- Thou Shalt Follow Up Promptly on All Quotes
Follow-up isn’t pestering—it’s professionalism. If you took time to quote, follow up quickly.
- Thou Shalt Purge Old Quotes Beyond 45 Days
Eliminate clutter. Update, close, or delete every quote older than 45 days.
- Thou Shalt Always Deliver Value First
Whether by email, phone, or jobsite visit, never “just check in.” Show up with something that helps the customer make, find, or save money.
At the bottom, I added one more line, followed by space for signatures from the sales manager and each rep:
I hereby commit to follow these 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence religiously.
Now, is all this sales religiousness necessary?
Isn’t it a little extreme?
Well, you can decide.
“Sales drive the business” isn’t a punchline; it’s a fact.
If sales don’t increase, layoffs will happen.
What’s at stake for this dealer is nothing less than people’s livelihoods—mortgages, car payments, retirement contributions, and gifts under the tree in a few short weeks.
So, download your own copy of the 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence and make them your own.
Edit them.
Argue about them.
Post them in the bathroom if you have to.
Whatever you do, commit to them—and to each other.
Because sales is a lot more than showing up, taking orders, and hoping for the best.
It’s about building something enduring—something that does more than simply rise when the economy is good and sink when it’s not.
Your colleagues and your customers are counting on you to lead the way.
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Bradley Hartmann & Co.
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Contact Bradley Hartmann:
bradley@bradleyhartmannandco.com
The Craft of LBM Sales 