Customer Service: The Missing Skill in Construction Sales? A Conversation With Drew Tharp

Send us Fan MailMost people think sales is about the pitch. We’ve seen the opposite: deals are won by the person who follows through, communicates clearly, and makes the buyer feel safe. Tim Lansford sits down with Drew to trace his path from small-town Indiana to the restaurant world, then into Texas construction and landscaping sales, where the pace changes but the pressure to perform doesn’t. We dig into the transferable skills hospitality teaches you fast: clarity over complexity, calm confidence, and the discipline to deliver a consistent experience. Drew explains why “features” don’t close jobs nearly as often as trust does, especially with builders, contractors, and homeowners who have been burned by vendors that disappear after a project. You’ll hear practical talk on timing (flatwork before landscaping, irrigation before finish work), customer service in construction, and why relationship-building still beats a perfectly polished brochure. The second half gets tactical on a repeatable sales process: make the call, earn the next step, ask better open-ended questions, and keep your talk time short so the real objection surfaces. We also cover tonality, handling rejection, using simple systems like reminders to stay on follow-up, and setting written goals that turn ambition into accountability. If you work in construction sales, real estate, or any business where trust decides the deal, this one will sharpen your approach. Subscribe, share this with a teammate who needs a follow-up reset, and leave a review with the biggest communication lesson you’re taking into your next call.