What’s the weird hobby, obsession, or interest you’ve been keeping from your customers because you think it has nothing to do with business?

The things that make you most interesting probably aren’t on your résumé and they might be more valuable to your customer relationships than you realize.

In this episode, Bradley Hartmann explores what happened when he subscribed to famed investor Michael Burry’s newsletter expecting insights into markets…and instead got thousands of words about electric guitars. What initially seemed completely irrelevant ultimately revealed exactly what Bradley wanted to understand: how Michael Burry thinks.

Then there’s an LBM sales pro in Idaho who keeps bees with his kids and gives customers jars of “Hutch’s Honey.” Different obsession, same lesson.

When you stop hiding the strange, nerdy things you genuinely care about, you give customers an opportunity to see more of who you are and create relationships that go beyond another forgettable sales conversation.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why thoughtfulness, specificity, and generosity can make your interests (and you) more memorable to customers.
• How sharing genuine passions can reveal the way you think while encouraging customers to open up about themselves.
• Why embracing the things that make you different can create deeper relationships and unexpected connections throughout your network.

Play the episode to discover why the weird passion you’ve been editing out of customer conversations might be exactly what helps people remember, trust, and connect with you.

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] or visit our website 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.