It's been said only babies with wet diapers enjoy change. This week’s guest, Jim Sobeck of New South Construction Supply in Greenville, South Carolina, kindly disagrees. Sobeck is one of those rare people who loves change. Jim was the VP of Sales for Builder Marts of America before becoming the CEO of Enterprise Computer Systems, a software solutions provider for the building materials industry. In 2001 Sobeck bought New South Construction Supply and has grown the company into the successful and...
May 11, 2018•57 min
In the sales profession, the phrase "deliver value first" is bandied about frequently. When was the last time you truly evaluated the methods in which you deliver value first — in your prospecting efforts or when individuals in your market research you online? In this episode we'll share specific tactics sales reps can apply immediately and an important exercise sales managers can lead to ensure you differentiate yourself and your team by (truly) delivering value first. Thanks for listening....
May 02, 2018•18 min
Episode 22 is a 2-for-1 special as we feature two men, Tony Palcheck and John McLinden, who bring unique insights to the LBM industry with their two very different backgrounds. Tony Palcheck is a venture capitalist and Managing Director of Zebra Technologies. He was also an outstanding professors in my MBA program. John McLinden is a real estate developer and builder with 30 years of experience in commercial and residential construction. He is also a recognized innovator in the construction indu...
Apr 26, 2018•53 min
On this episode of the Behind Your Back Bullet Point, we give you a step-by-step guideline on how to improve your sales meeting and make sure your meetings are valuable for everyone who attends.
Apr 18, 2018•20 min
My guest on Ep. 20 of the Behind Your Back Podcast is Bill Lee, business consultant, sales training expert, and author. Bill is a giant in the industry. I do not know of any other individual to whom more people describe as a mentor—a really powerful sentiment considering how much time and attention proper mentorship requires and how much a great mentor can change a career—and life. I consider Bill’s book, Gross Margin: 26 Factors That Affect Your Bottom Line, to be mandatory reading. Every perso...
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Over the past 12 months, we've had numerous discussions with listeners who expressed an interest in shorter episodes focusing on tactical ideas and insights to ovecome common challenges. While we will continue to share insights from thought leaders with longer episodes twice each month as you've come to expect, this episode is our inaugural Behind Your Back "Bullet Point"—an abbreviated episode focusing on a single challenge. In this episode we outline a script to effectively deal with the commo...
Apr 04, 2018•15 min
My guest this week on the Behind Your Back Podcast is Bill Pulte, the founder and namesake of national homebuilder Pulte Homes. Bill passed away earlier this month at the age of 85. In reconnecting with colleagues who worked with Bill and discussing how much impact he had on our lives, I recalled an interview I did with him 10 years ago. It was March of 2008. What would become The Great Recession was rapidly materializing/deteriorating in front of us. I was working as an Area Purchasing Manager ...
Mar 29, 2018•56 min
My guest this week on the Behind Your Back Podcast is Ken Kuehn, Partner at CK Solutions. Ken’s career is a case study in executing the career crossover—the challenging move to excel in Operations and Sales, in management and leadership roles. Ken is an entrepreneur, founding his firm CK Solutions in 2013 to help dealers improve their recruiting and training efforts. In this episode, Ken discusses the critical importance of knowing how to balance the needs of the customer, the company, and yours...
Mar 14, 2018•50 min
Today we are introducing you to an updated version of a beloved sales tool, the Mackay 66. The Mackay 66—a list of 66 questions that, if answered, demonstrate a deep understanding of your customer or prospect—was created in 1983 by business legend and sales expert Harvey Mackay. The Mackay 66 demonstrates exactly how he leveraged relationships, business insights, caring, and a deep understanding of his customers’ wants and needs to build long-term relationships and grow a 100-million dollar busi...
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 10 min
My guest this week on the Behind Your Back Podcast is Isaac Oswalt, founder of digital agency 21 Handshake. Through a combination of engaging content, social outreach, and search optimization, 21 Handshake assists brands in creating a tailored online presence. In this episode, Isaac and I discuss ways technology can build your brand, increase your sales, and most importantly—build relationships with your customers. Isaac goes into great detail describing the different ways in which social media ...
Feb 15, 2018•1 hr
Imagine a job that required you to take FBI interrogation classes to learn negotiators "tells" and how to demand payment with empathy to ensure the lifeblood of your company—cash flow—is maintained while risk is minimized. Well, if you're an expert in the business of credit management, you've likely done both. My guest this week on the Behind Your Back Podcast is Thea Dudley, Vice President of Financial Services at SRS Distribution. Thea has over 30 years of credit and collection management expe...
Jan 31, 2018•1 hr 8 min
How many times have you asked yourself, “What’s going on inside that Purchasing Manager’s head? What does he really care about?” Well, in this episode of the Behind Your Back Podcast, you’ll actually have the opportunity to get inside the head of Paul Schmit, Vice President of Purchasing at Taylor Morrison. In this episode, he digs into what the best sales people do to get his attention, and how he really feels about the negotiation process. He also details what motivates him to say yes to a bid...
Jan 19, 2018•1 hr 9 min
If one of your goals for 2018 is to improve your ability to connect with prospects and customers, you'll kick off the new year right with this episode featuring Natalia Dittmer, Marketing Director for TAL Holdings in the Pacific Northwest. After meeting Natalia in our pre-work for a panel discussion on social media at the 2017 LBM Journal Conference, I knew she'd be a great guest. In addition to sharing her hard-earned wisdom about customer engagement, Natalia and I also discuss: how to overcome...
Jan 03, 2018•1 hr 4 min
The holidays are nearly here. Family members convene to rejoice, reconnect, and of course, to reopen old wounds with copious amounts of antagonization and alcohol. Now, imagine for a moment, y'all own a business together! For many, the thought alone calls for another splash of E&J brandy in their egg nog. Well, brothers and 4th generation business owners of Marcus Lumber, Grant and Clay Leavitt, have figured out a way to have a successful family business while keeping their family relationsh...
Dec 20, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Do you own a standing desk? Do you know someone that does? With each passing day, the number of people who answer “no” to those two questions diminishes. And a big reason why is our guest on Episode 10. David Patton is the Director of Design at VARIDESK, the company that is leading the sit-stand revolution at workplaces around the world. An industrial designer by education, David shares the VARIDESK story rooted in pain (literally, as in the back of his CEO) and how his original design, built in...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Wouldn’t it be great to listen to what successful home building operators really think about industry sales reps? It would, but it depends on whom. After all, small developers building luxury homes in urban markets think very differently—and have different pain points—than national home building executives focusing on McMansions in suburbia, right? Right. In today’s episode, you get the best of both worlds. Our guests Bobby Krueger and Nathan Marsh spent their formative years as emerging leaders...
Nov 15, 2017•1 hr 4 min
In Episode 8, you’ll meet the man who will change the way you think about the linchpin of your business success: your strategy. The term “strategy” is so often misunderstood, miscommunicated, and misapplied in business today, it often hinders more than it helps. In a business climate where over 81 percent of CEOs indicate that less than half of their managers are strong at strategic thinking, it is clear we need better strategy skills. Enter Rich Horwath, CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute....
Nov 01, 2017•44 min
As more and more of the buying process begins online, we set out to understand how the largest LBM firms were leveraging the digital space to connect with prospects and customers. Over the past 2 years, Bradley Hartmann and the Behind Your Back team has researched how the Top 100 LBM dealers have been creating digital content—and how they’ve been sharing that content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Houzz—to establish their expertise and build trust with prospects and cust...
Oct 18, 2017•49 min
In Episode 6, you’ll meet actor and screenwriter—and former national homebuilder superintendent—Jack Kennedy. Jack has spent the last 15 years selling himself in the most hostile sales environment in the world—Hollywood. Jack explains how, in just a few short years, he went from holding suppliers and subcontractors accountable on the job site to holding screen legend Martin Short in his arms while Short sucked Jack’s thumb.( It’s a story you have to hear to believe.) Jack acknowledges the grim r...
Oct 04, 2017•1 hr 10 min
In this episode of the Behind Your Back Podcast, you’ll get to know Jason Behunin, the Director of Sales for ProBuild BFS in the Pacific Northwest. Jason began his career through entrepreneurship—launching a framing company with his brother. Behunin discusses how balancing the personal and professional challenges of running what would become one of the largest framing companies in Metro Portland became more difficult, he sold his company. Applying his hard-earned ideas and insights to the compan...
Sep 20, 2017•1 hr 9 min
In Episode 4 of the Behind Your Back Podcast, our guest is Dave Reichert, owner of Davis-Hawn Lumber in Oak Cliff, Texas. Dave shares his insights on how he maintains “intentionality,” how his team markets to three different customer segments from one location, and how they create a unique in-store experience for customers to combat the Amazon Effect. Enjoy my conversation with Dave—thanks for listening!
Sep 06, 2017•1 hr 6 min
In Episode 3 of the Behind Your Back Podcast, guest Tim Rethlake, Vice President of Sales Enablement at Hearth & Home Technologies, shares his insights on how he prepares his team to earn the right to ask for a meeting, why “slow is fast” in the sales process, how to communicate value in an environment of full price transparency, and how a guy named Zig changed his life. Enjoy!
Aug 22, 2017•1 hr 16 min
In Episode 2 of the Behind Your Back Podcast, guest Joel Fleischman, Chief Solutions Provider at Drexel Building Supply in Wisconsin, shares his insights on hiring (and retaining) talented Millennials, why he doesn't focus on customers first, his wolfpack philosophy of selling, and why experience is over-rated. Enjoy!
Aug 08, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Inaugural episode of the Behind Your Back Podcast with Bradley Hartmann, featuring sneak previews of the interviews with guests Dave Reichert of Davis-Hawn Lumber, Jason Behunin of BFS ProBuild, Ken Kuehn of CK Solutions, sales trainer Jim Pancero, Joel Fleischman of Drexel Building Supply, and Tim Rethlake of Hearth & Home Technologies.
Jul 10, 2017•13 min
