Tag: LBM Sales
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How Smart Sales Managers Replace Gossip With Growth Using the GOST Framework
Sales Manager Question: We sent part of our sales team to a regional LBM show in December, expecting the usual shot of energy and ideas. Instead, they came back with a bunch of pessimism, negativity, and gossip from the event floor. Add in the recent Venezuela headlines and uncertainty, and this negativity seems to be sticking.…
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The $37 Insult I Still Think About Every December
In 2002, I was a 24-year-old construction superintendent in Algonquin, Illinois. The market was hot. Our “new home consultants” were two salesmen my age. Good smiles.Spiky hair.Brooks Brothers suits.$350 Allen Edmonds shoes. They weren’t selling so much as taking orders. It was a fish-in-a-barrel situation, and they showed up at 10 a.m. every day and…
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Dark December: The Month That Separates Sales Amateurs From the Pros
We called it the “Fourth Quarter Push.” That’s the homebuilding equivalent of describing the final stages of procreation as “labor.” Oh, it’s that—and a whole lot more.And sometimes, it nearly kills you. My boss, the VP of Construction for our Chicago division, called me on the afternoon of Monday, October 6, 2006. We were on…
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Listener Mailbag! Builders Too Busy to Even Listen to My Value Prop.
From Chuck in the Great North:My sales team and I struggle to have builders even consider our proposal / value proposition. I agree we need to “deliver value first,” but to articulate that value, you at least need 15 minutes of quality time with a prospect. Our problem is that builders have no available time.…
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Ask for what you want.
Too often we’re afraid to ask for what we want. We’re afraid of being judged. We’re afraid of hearing the word no. We’re afraid of pure indifference. This is hard-wired into human nature and it’s part of why selling is so hard. But if you firmly believe in what you’re selling AND you’ve delivered value first, then there’s no reason…
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The Sales Metrics You Should Make Public Monthly
Reader Mailbag Q&A! Question: We pride ourselves on maintaining a strong, positive culture. For that reason, we haven’t historically published sales figures. Should we? Answer: I believe you should. And here is why. Years ago, my Division President at PulteGroup, Pat Beirne, drilled one truth into our heads: Sales drive the business—and salespeople are accountable. Barrel-chested with a helium-tinged voice,…
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How to Pick Up The Phone with Confidence
As a general rule consistent with our tagline—Deliver value first—we don’t kick off the week with self-promotional content UNLESS we are also sharing one of our most practical sales tools: The RRI Framework. This one-page PDF helps LBM sales professionals pick up the phone with purpose and confidence. The framework is simple: Name a ReferralLead with credibility and establish…
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The 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence
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…
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It’s Not FOMO Builders Are Afraid of—It’s This.
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 BuildersPaul Hammond, Founder of Hammond & BrandtJoey Donnelly, Founder of Donnelly Timmons & Associates Each of these leaders runs a thriving business in…
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Listener Mailbag: Use of AI in Selling Efforts
Question:Hi Bradley, there’s a big debate within our sales team about using artificial intelligence in sales. Some people have strong opinions, others have none. Are you using AI? If so, how, and what’s proven most useful? Answer:Yes, I use AI every day. But before diving into the tools, it’ll be helpful to revisit how humans…
The Craft of LBM Sales 