The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast: Sell Value, Drive Builder Profit, and Win More Deals—Without Competing on Price

About The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast: Sell Value, Drive Builder Profit, and Win More Deals—Without Competing on Price

Are you working harder than ever but still watching deals slip away—stuck competing on price instead of winning by showing the real value you deliver? You’re not alone. The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast is here to help LBM sales pros like you make your differentiation obvious, prove your value in a way builders can’t ignore, and finally break free from competing on price as you close higher-margin deals with more confidence. Tune in each week to learn: - Proven strategies to immediately stand out and earn more face-to-face meetings with prospects where you deliver tangible value—so you can stop discounting and start acting like a trusted advisor. - Practical tools to manage your top priorities and your sales pipeline—so you stay focused on what drives sales instead of getting buried in busywork. - The confidence and skills to handle objections, close more sales, and build lasting builder relationships—so every deal strengthens your reputation and leads to positive word-of-mouth referrals. Raised in a lumber yard, Bradley Hartmann apprenticed as a carpenter and went on to build more than 1,000 homes before moving into regional purchasing with a national builder—experience that now fuels his work as the LBM industry’s leading sales consultant, trainer and author of 15 books. He teaches leadership at the graduate level to construction professionals at the University of Oklahoma. Every Monday and Wednesday on The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast, you’ll listen to a brief episode packed with practical, tactical sales insights and real-world lessons that help LBM sales pros stop discounting and start closing more profitable deals with confidence. If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start closing more profitable deals, begin with Episode 1. It lays the foundation for everything this show is about—and it’s the perfect place to start your journey.

Publisher

Bradley Hartmann

Category

business · education · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Sept 2025

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

112 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   111 :: What Losing My Quarterback Job to Tony Romo Taught Me About LBM Sales

   What can a fifth-string college quarterback who eventually made way for Tony Romo teach you about winning more profitable business in the lumber and building materials industry? Successful LBM sales professionals need to know which customers deserve their time, how to prepare for competitors, and how to execute when the pressure is on. In this episode, Bradley Hartmann shares four lessons from his experience as a Division I quarterback at Eastern Illinois University, where he went from fifth-string to backup before an injury and the arrival of future NFL quarterback Tony Romo brought his college football career to an end. Drawing from his October Sport of Selling (https://www.lbmjournal.com/features/experts/bradley-hartmann-the-sport-of-selling) column in LBM Journal (https://www.lbmjournal.com/), Bradley connects the discipline of playing quarterback to the daily challenges of selling lumber and building materials. From evaluating customer profitability to studying competitors, planning your calendar, and embracing the responsibility of landing new business, these lessons can help you become a more prepared and effective sales professional. In this episode, you'll discover: How ranking your customers and prospects by profitability and potential can help you invest more time in the opportunities that matter most. Why understanding your competitors, your cost to serve, and your customers' businesses can help you build a stronger sales strategy. How preparation, daily priorities, and embracing the pressure of sales can help you execute with confidence and pursue new business consistently. Play the episode to discover four quarterback-inspired sales lessons that can help you prioritize profitable opportunities, prepare for competition, and win more business in LBM. If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at info@bradleyhartmanandco.com or visit our website (https://www.bradleyhartmannandco.com/) and click on Increase Sales. 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. New podcasts are dropped every Monday and Wednesday.

2. 

   12 Oct 2026

   110 :: How a $9.50 Baseball Card Taught Me to Negotiate Better Sales Deals

   Have you ever lowered your price before a customer even asked for a discount, only to realize you negotiated against yourself? Successful sales negotiation requires preparation, emotional discipline, and a clear understanding of what a customer is willing to pay. But when you're eager to close a deal, those fundamentals can be easy to forget. In this episode, Bradley Hartmann shares a personal story about a Kevin Maas rookie baseball card, a $9.50 purchase, and the negotiation lessons his father taught him when he was just 12 years old. Through a memorable trip to a local baseball card shop, Bradley explores the difference between list price and willingness to pay, the importance of setting an opening offer and walkaway number, and why caring too much about winning a deal can lead to costly decisions. For lumber and building materials sales professionals navigating price objections, discounting conversations, and competitive sales negotiations, these lessons offer a practical reminder of how preparation and emotional control can help protect profitability. In this episode, you'll discover: How negotiating against yourself can weaken your position before a customer even responds to your opening offer. Why establishing your opening offer, target price, and walkaway number can help you negotiate with greater confidence and protect your margins. How to manage emotions during sales negotiations, understand willingness to pay, and avoid making costly decisions simply to close a deal. Play the episode to learn timeless negotiation lessons that can help you handle pricing conversations with confidence, avoid unnecessary discounts, and close more profitable deals. If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at info@bradleyhartmanandco.com or visit our website (https://www.bradleyhartmannandco.com/) and click on Increase Sales. 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. New podcasts are dropped every Monday and Wednesday.

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   109 :: 3 Sales Metrics to Track If You Want to Hit Your Sales Goals

   Do you know which sales reps are driving profitable growth, or are you relying on revenue to tell you who is performing? For LBM owners and sales leaders, measuring individual sales performance can shape decisions around compensation, coaching, hiring, and growth. Bradley Hartmann shares the three metrics he believes matter most for understanding what each salesperson contributes to the business. He breaks down gross profit dollars, return on investment per sales rep, and the Mendoza Line, which measures how much gross profit comes from new customers or new product categories sold to existing customers. Bradley also explains why he recommends a 10% Mendoza Line for LBM sales and introduces adjusted gross margin, or AGM, as a way to give additional weight to profitable new business when evaluating performance. In this episode, you’ll discover: The three sales metrics Bradley recommends tracking to evaluate individual LBM sales performance. How to calculate ROI per sales rep and use it to make better decisions about compensation, coaching, and hiring. Why Bradley recommends that at least $10 of every $100 in gross profit come from new business and how that helps combat natural customer attrition. Play the episode to calculate these three numbers for your sales team and get a clearer picture of who is generating profit, delivering a strong return, and creating the new business your company needs to grow. ROI Fan Chart (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62ded5b55e29c968d44727a9/t/6ac56477955da8089a5318ea/1791321207933/Show+Notes+1.+opt3-return-fan-at-scale.png) ROI Distribution/Bar Chart (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62ded5b55e29c968d44727a9/t/6ac565497cdb0646863204f5/1791321417314/Show+Notes+2.+opt2-all-months-distribution.png) If you’re ready to stop competing on price and start having the right sales conversations that win business, send us a note at info@bradleyhartmanandco.com or visit our website (https://www.bradleyhartmannandco.com/) and click on Increase Sales. 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. New podcasts are dropped every Monday and Wednesday.

Who has been a guest on The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast: Sell Value, Drive Builder Profit, and Win More Deals—Without Competing on Price

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ryan Dempsey
• Bradley Hartmann
• Erin Stetzer
• Jon Vaughan

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

15 ratings

Spotify

3.7 / 5

3 ratings

Contact The Craft of LBM Sales Podcast: Sell Value, Drive Builder Profit, and Win More Deals—Without Competing on Price

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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