SHOW / EPISODE

He Fired His Two Best Reps and Sales Went Up

31m | Oct 16, 2026

John's two best sales reps brought in 40% of his revenue. He let them both go, and the next month was his biggest of the year.

In this episode of Build to Win, Jonathan and John talk through why John stepped back into his own sales department after a rough year of sporadic close rates and missed goals. He explains what he calls his "talented terrorists," the top producers whose mindset was costing him the rest of the team, and what shifted once they were gone.

From there, John gets into the move from discount selling to real value, and the close-rate numbers that climbed once his message and his pricing finally matched. He now teaches every rep an "earn the right" selling principle, and he gets honest about his own marketing and sales falling out of alignment as the company grew past the early stages.

If your close rate has been flat and you suspect the problem is your culture more than your leads, this one is worth your time.

Key Takeaways: 

00:00 Intro

01:00 Sales Struggles and Stepping Back In

02:18 Talented Terrorists: Exiting the Top Two Reps

05:06 Biggest Sales Month After the Exit

07:24 Repeat Referral vs. New Opportunity Close Rate

09:44 Premium Brand, Discount Sales: The Misalignment

13:06 Teaching Reps to Sell Value

16:58 Marketing and Sales Out of Alignment

20:44 Checklist Selling vs. Earn the Right

28:18 Build Belief. Step Back Out.

31:16 Final Thoughts

Additional Resources:

🔥 Watch our FREE on-demand webinar: HERE

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

Facebook: / builderprime  

LinkedIn: / builderprime   

Jonathan’s LinkedIn: / jonathanweinberg   

John’s LinkedIn: / john-kolbaska-a271a757   

Instagram: / builderprimecrm   

#BuildToWinPodcast #ContractorPodcast #SalesManagement #SalesCulture #ContractorBusiness #HomeImprovement

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