Selling in the Dwelling

What if the sales script you've spent years perfecting is actually costing you sales? Sarah Hoard , former sales leader at Renewal by Andersen and founder of SapphiHER , joins Allan Langer to challenge the way companies train their sales teams.  After leading and observing hundreds of salespeople, Sarah discovered that the most successful reps weren't necessarily better at selling. They...

What happens when your contracting business triples its revenue but still ends up failing? Derek Isaac of Rapid Result Creators knows firsthand. After scaling his general contracting company and ultimately having to close its doors, Derek discovered a costly truth: more sales don't necessarily mean more profit. He joins Allan Langer to explain why contractors get trapped working longer hours...

What does it take to grow a remodeling business from a one-man operation to more than 75 employees? Sam DeMaio , owner of Showcase Remodels , shares how he built his company over 23 years, why his military and law enforcement background shaped his approach to leadership, and the surprising mistake that kept his business from growing even though he had great employees. Sam and Allan tackle the chal...

Louie Katsis of Olympic Kitchens has spent more than 30 years selling high-end kitchen renovations, but one of his most valuable sales lessons might surprise you: sometimes the best thing you can do for a customer is sell them less .  Louie shares how he talked a homeowner out of spending an additional $42,000, why his company turns away roughly 60% of potential customers, and how being upfront ab...

Grant Winstead , a sales mindset and performance coach with over 40 years in the home improvement industry, believes the biggest obstacle to closing more sales isn't the homeowner, the product, or even your sales process. It's what's going on inside your own head.  After visiting more than 20,000 homes and generating over $100 million in lifetime sales, Grant has seen talented sales...

Nate Fischer , Chief Technical Officer at Local Optics , says your competitors may not be beating you because they’re better at what they do. They may simply be easier to find. Nate and Allan break down what actually determines whether your business shows up when a homeowner searches for a local contractor, including Google Business Profiles, reviews, your website, local SEO, and the technical pie...

Chris Masterson of Cardinal Heating & Air Conditioning went from 16 years in law enforcement to leading a rapidly growing sales team, and some of the skills that made him a good police officer turned out to be exactly what salespeople need.  Reading body language, paying attention to what isn’t being said, and actually listening to learn instead of thinking about your next question can complet...

Adriane Brooks of Renewal by Andersen of Central Virginia has coached hundreds of salespeople, and one lesson keeps showing up: the objections you hear from homeowners may be telling you more about yourself than the customer. Sales can act like a mirror, exposing what you believe about money, success, your own value, and even the profession itself. Adriane didn’t get into in-home sales because she...

Marcus Sheridan of Question First Group has a message for sales professionals: stop practicing sales on your customers! If your weekly “sales training” is really just reviewing pipelines, celebrating top producers, and talking numbers, Marcus says you’re not actually training. He and Allan dig into why real role plays, recording sales calls, and getting comfortable failing in front of your team ca...

THREE seconds of Negativity Could Cost You 21 Hours of Performance.  Let that sink in for a second. Three seconds. That's all it takes. One negative comment in a sales meeting, one toxic rep poisoning the well before appointments are run, one "this lead is garbage" attitude walking out the door, and according to studies, your entire team's performance can be compromised for the...

Dan Antonelli of KickCharge® Creative has a message contractors may not want to hear: you could be doing incredible work, but does your brand actually look like you deserve to charge what you’re charging?  Dan and Allan dig into the psychology behind branding and how the way your company looks can shape what homeowners believe about your quality, professionalism, and even your price before a sales...

Senja Spelman of Sisu Synergy has a question for contractors who say they need more leads:  Do you really?  What if the bigger problem is what happens after the lead comes in? Senja and Allan get into the disconnect between marketing and sales, why throwing more money at lead generation may be masking a much bigger issue, and what companies should examine before spending another dollar.  Senja eve...

Tony Hoty of Tony Hoty Training and Consulting has spent more than three decades mastering person-to-person marketing, lead generation, canvassing, and sales. Tony joins Allan to break down how pattern interrupts can lower a homeowner’s guard and create an opening for a real conversation.  From his philosophy of “before you can charm them, you must first disarm them” to using questions instead of...

Stefanie Couch of Grit Blueprint knows that being great at what you do isn't enough if nobody knows WHY you're different.  With roots in the building industry and a lifelong love of sales, Stefanie helps contractors uncover what truly sets them apart and communicate it in a way customers actually care about.  She and Allan dig into why so many contractor websites and marketing messages l...

Samantha McGuinness of Enabled Remodeler believes the best marketing doesn't happen behind a screen, it happens face to face.  Drawing from years of building successful field marketing programs, Samantha shares why home shows, community events, and retail partnerships continue to outperform many digital marketing channels when done with the right strategy.  She explains how qualifying homeown...

Brigham Dickinson , founder of Power Selling Pros , believes most home service companies don't have a lead problem, they have a conversion problem.  After experiencing the failure of his own business, Brigham discovered that success isn't about generating more phone calls; it's about creating trust from the very first conversation. He shares how customer service representatives, tec...

What would you do if your top-selling rep was blowing everyone else out of the water, but something felt off? Most owners look the other way. The numbers are good. Why rock the boat? My guest on this week's Selling in the Dwelling did the hard thing. He dug deeper, found out his star performer was running unethical sales, and fired him. What happened next? Six record-breaking months in a row....

Lauren Kingsley of Lauren Kingsley Strategy believes sustainable business growth doesn't start with more leads, it starts with better systems.  Drawing on her years of experience in marketing strategy, operations, and digital transformation, Lauren explains why every part of a home improvement business must work together to create predictable growth. From aligning marketing with business goal...

Torlando Hakes of Craftsman Painter believes the best sales process isn't about applying more pressure, it's about helping customers make better decisions.   Drawing from his background as a painting contractor with his own company, entrepreneur, and technology innovator, Torlando shares how collaboration, virtual selling, and proven systems are reshaping the home improvement industry. H...

Tim Musch of Paradigm Vendo has spent more than four decades helping home improvement companies adapt to changing technology, and he believes the next major shift is already here.  From the early days of CRM software to today's AI-powered buying journey, Tim shares how contractors can stay ahead by embracing innovation without losing sight of the customer experience.  He explains why today&ap...

Ryan Shutt of Allied Siding & Windows shares why customer experience should begin long before a salesperson arrives at the door.  After nearly two decades in the home improvement industry, Ryan has built his leadership philosophy around transparency, trust, and creating raving fans. From personalized video communication and proactive project updates to call center training and homeowner expect...

Corey Cousins of Destination Motivation shares why the most successful professionals in home improvement sales focus on people over products. Drawing from years of experience in sales training and contractor sales, Corey explains why customers buy with emotion and justify their decisions with logic.  From building trust and creating a better customer experience to asking the right questions during...

Megan Beattie of Tony Hoty & Associates has built her reputation helping home improvement companies solve one of the biggest challenges in the industry: generating quality leads. From call centers and home shows to retail marketing and lead management, Megan shares why many contractors are struggling today after the post-pandemic boom years and what it takes to create a consistent flow of oppo...

Greg Cummings of Power 100 has spent years studying what separates great home improvement companies from average ones. Through interviews with industry leaders and Power 100's contractor ranking platform, Greg has seen firsthand that long-term success isn't built on flashy marketing or rapid growth alone. The companies that rise to the top consistently invest in leadership, culture, cust...

Mandy McEwen of ModGirl Marketing and Luminetics believes the future of sales belongs to the people willing to build real relationships online.  After starting her career in home improvement sales with companies like Sherwin-Williams and Renewal by Andersen, Mandy discovered the power of relationship-driven marketing long before personal branding became a trend. What began as teaching herself onli...