Ever received a “thank you” so thoughtless it made you question your entire working relationship?

In sales, success is never solo—but too many high-performers forget that when it's time to show appreciation. This episode explores the true cost of transactional gratitude and how it erodes trust, loyalty, and long-term collaboration.

In this episode you will:

• Hear the real story behind a $37 gift that became a lasting leadership lesson.

• Discover why generic appreciation gestures fail—and what meaningful gratitude really looks like.

• Get practical steps sales leaders can use to coach their teams into building stronger ops relationships.

Hit play to learn how to turn year-end appreciation into a long-term advantage your entire team feels and values.

Postscript: Here’s another ridiculous little anecdote from a podcast listener.

When I bought [Construction Supply Company in South Carolina] we only had five outside sales reps and one of them was 70 percent of our gross profit. He was a real prima donna who treated all of the inside salespeople and drivers like dogsh** on his shoes. I always got complaints from those who had to work with him so, the first Christmas after buying the company, I suggested to him that he give some token of appreciation to those people who helped him make over $200K a year. His response to me was, “Those people are getting paid to do those jobs. Why should he have to give them anything extra?” I wasted some breath explaining to him why and he finally said he would take my advice and give a Christmas present to everybody he worked with.

A week later, I had our branch manager come to me with a $25 Chili's gift card he had gotten from our top salesperson. He would have been better off giving him nothing than insulting him with the Chili's gift card. To add insult to injury he then expensed those gift cards. I, of course, denied the expense and my relationship with our top salesperson went downhill from there.

If some people aren't raised right, there's just nothing you can do about it.

If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at [email protected]—let’s talk.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Are you subconsciously sabotaging your Q1 sales by taking your foot off the gas right now?

Many LBM sales pros ease off in December, telling themselves “The year’s basically over.” 

But when your builder clients are under maximum pressure to close out projects, it’s the best time to stand out and build real loyalty—and it’s often when reps disappear.

In this brief episode you will: 

• Discover the single mindset shift that separates amateurs from professionals during the fourth-quarter push.

• Learn practical, low-glamour ways to deliver real help that clients never forget.

• Find out how to spark meaningful conversations with decision-makers before the new year even begins.

Hit play to learn how to stay visible, useful, and unforgettable during December—and dominate Q1 while others are still warming up.

If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at [email protected]—let’s talk.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Are you letting the fear of looking dumb keep you out of the rooms where the actual sale happens?

Most LBM sales reps unknowingly block themselves from accessing real buyer insights, long-term planning conversations, and true influence, simply because they’re afraid to ask deeper questions. 

Inspired by Kevin Hart’s story on the Joe Rogan Podcast about walking across a room to talk to Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), this episode is your reminder that courage and curiosity are your most powerful tools in sales.

In this episode you will:

• Learn how to unlock decision-maker conversations by embracing vulnerability, not avoiding it.

• Discover why “being too cool” is the biggest growth blocker in your sales game.

• Gain practical scripts and mindset shifts to move from performing to pursuing real expertise.

Hit play now to learn how bold curiosity can open doors to more profitable conversations, lasting trust, and your next big sales breakthrough.

If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at [email protected]—let’s talk.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Struggling to get busy builders to even listen to your value proposition, let alone schedule a face-to-face meeting with you?

In this Q&A episode, LBM sales coach Bradley Hartmann responds to a listener who’s facing the same challenge many LBM sales pros deal with: How to break through when builders are “too busy” for a sales meeting. 

If you’ve ever felt stuck at the first step of prospecting, this episode offers a direct and actionable way forward.

In this episode you will:

• Learn why asking for time before delivering value is a losing strategy in LBM sales

• Get tactical examples of how to deliver high-impact ideas that cut through the noise

• Discover how to reframe your approach so builders want to talk with you (not avoid you)

Listen now to learn how to earn builder attention, get more at-bats, and confidently win new business—without begging for meetings.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Are you crossing your fingers at the end of a deal, hoping for a yes?

You're not alone, but that silence might not mean what you think it does.

Too many LBM sales reps get passive at the most critical moment—right before the decision is made. In this episode, we dig into why most deals are lost after the proposal is sent and what you can do to flip the script, reclaim control, and close more profitably.

In this episode you will:

• Learn the exact language that signals a "no" (even when it sounds like a "maybe").

• Discover the strategic questions top sales pros use to influence decisions—not wait on them.

• Hear how to shift from “hope” to “action” in the final stages of negotiation.

Press play now to learn how to influence the outcome and win the deals you're currently losing.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Are your sales compensation plans rewarding the wrong behavior—and quietly draining your profits?

In today’s LBM landscape, outdated compensation models are not just ineffective—they’re actively misaligned with the market realities. 

Whether you're a dealer, distributor, or manufacturer, this episode offers a hard look at the hidden weaknesses in traditional sales comp plans and how to restructure them to drive real, sustainable growth.

In this episode you will:

• Learn why paying for contribution beats rewarding attribution—and how to tell the difference.

• Discover five first principles for designing comp plans that actually drive new business and market share.

• Get practical steps to restructure your compensation model, including how to identify ideal customers and model volatility.

Press play now to learn how leading LBM firms are aligning compensation with strategy to outperform the market—regardless of economic headwinds.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

In this live coaching call between Bradley Hartmann and Ken from Florida—a new LBM sales pro transitioning from a career in aluminum sales—you’ll learn how to boost your sales using your voice, curiosity, a simple process, and the right AI tools.   

Whether you're new to LBM or just trying to sharpen your edge, this episode dives deep into the real-world challenges of starting over in sales—building trust, setting up a reliable pipeline, and navigating the overwhelm of AI tools that promise too much and deliver too little. If you're spending too much time on tech and not enough on fundamentals, this one's for you.

In this episode you will:

• Discover the AI habits that can instantly improve your cold calls and research

• Learn how to combine old-school discipline with cutting-edge tools for faster pipeline growth

• Hear real coaching insights on building trust and credibility when you're still learning the products

Listen to this live coaching session now to learn how to simplify your process, integrate AI with confidence, and close more profitable LBM deals—starting today.

Learn more about Bradley Hartmann's Sales Fundamentals Workshop here.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Immediately after releasing episode 18—The 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence—a listener fired off an email to host Bradley Hartmann: 

“How many people do you know for certain do this religiously? I can get the bottom half of my reps to do it but the top half say things like, “I don’t have time for this bulls***. Fire me if you want to, but I’m not doing it.” How do you respond to that when your rep who sells $12.5MM at 35% tells you that?”

In this episode, Bradley will answer the two parts of that question, breaking down the real-world challenge of balancing performance with accountability, using a surprising insight from former NFL player and coach, Herm Edwards, and his golden rule of leadership.

In this episode you will:

• Learn which two sales habits are the hardest to build—and why they’re the most profitable

• Discover how to fairly lead top performers without creating a toxic double standard

• Walk away with a simple framework for improving pipeline clarity and prospecting discipline

Press play to find out how top leaders handle pushback from elite salespeople—without sacrificing process, profit, or team culture.

Learn more about Bradley Hartmann's Sales Fundamentals Workshop.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Is it possible your sales competitors in the market are saving time—and selling more—by leveraging the AI? It’s an idea worth being paranoid about. 

It might be costing you more than you think.

With AI now embedded in everything from prospect research to sales prep and writing, your competitors are using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to speed up workflows, personalize pitches, and save hours per week. If you're still typing every email manually and Googling clients the old way, you're leaving money—and time—on the table.

In this episode you will:

• Learn how Bradley Hartmann integrates AI into his daily sales workflow

• Discover 7+ AI tools (free & paid) that help close deals faster and with more confidence

• Understand the mindset shift needed to explore AI without falling into hype—or fear

Hit play to discover how AI can transform your LBM sales game with practical tools, clear strategies, and real-world use cases.

Learn more about Bradley Hartmann's Sales Fundamentals Workshop.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.

Are you relying on outdated sales habits—and wondering why you keep missing your sales goal for the month?

Too many LBM sales reps (and their managers) skip the fundamentals in favor of tactics that don’t move the needle. This episode reveals the 10 foundational habits that separate consistent closers from underperformers—and how you can turn them into a team-wide contract for success.

In this episode you will: 

• Discover the 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence that top performers follow religiously

• Learn how to build daily, weekly, and monthly disciplines that fuel pipeline growth and accountability

• Get access to a real-world, one-page sales contract that boosts performance and eliminates excuses

Listen now to learn the exact sales fundamentals that drive profitable, consistent results in LBM—without competing on price. And click here to download your PDF version of the 10 10 Commandments of LBM Sales Excellence. 

Learn more about Bradley Hartmann's Sales Fundamentals Workshop here.

In The Craft of LBM Sales, we tackle real-world sales challenges in the lumber and building materials industry, including handling sales objections, improving phone sales, and what to do when you can't close deals. Learn how to land new business, strengthen your negotiation skills, and build a reliable sales pipeline—even if you currently have no sales process in place. We also explore proven sales techniques, value selling strategies, overcoming sales rejection, hitting your sales goals, and navigating tough conversations around discounting.