Skills gap highlights the need for workforce development
For the first time since the federal government began tracking the data in 2000, in March and April 2018, the number of job openings...
That’s not a downward trend! Let’s normalize revenues
One of the worst red flags for an acquirer is when they see your revenues drop in the year you sell your company compared...
You have to fail in order to succeed
When I was 24, I came back from working in corporate America and, with my brother, took over my father’s lumber company while it...
How to tell if your new building products sales rep will succeed or fail
Every sales manager dreams of the pull-and-plug hire. You know, the one in which you pluck a top building products sales rep from your...
Independent lumber dealers need loyalty from distributors
The most common question distributor reps ask is how they can help me sell more of the products they carry. Here’s the deal: There...
When hiring, experience can be overrated
The highest odds of hiring a highly productive salesperson is to hire a person with the raw talent to do the job, someone who...
From product peddler to sales concierge, Part III
• Part 1 • Part 2 Part 3 Be a business development consultant to develop sales. If you think builders build for a living and remodelers remodel, think...
Five Questions With: Gus Stallings, Boise Cascade
1 Q: New construction and remodeling continue to be red-hot in most markets. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing LBM dealers? A: The...
Product Picks: August 2018
Each month, hundreds of products hit the market. Here's our pick of the ones to watch. Sherwin-Williams Extreme Block Sherwin-Williams introduces Extreme Block Primer/Sealer, a versatile...
Fresh perspectives and hat tricks
A few weeks ago, my son’s first season of traveling soccer was nearing its end, and he had yet to score a goal. That’s...