Sales Coaching and Training

Chris has worked extensively in selling and marketing-related roles for over twenty-five years, focusing on developing and cultivating relationships, project estimating and bidding, procuring and selling materials, and sales management. Over the last ten years, C&A has utilized this experience to expand into sales training and coaching. This wide-ranging experience enables C&A to stay current on sales issues and industry topics, providing Chris with key insights into today’s sales professionals.

Our sales training, specifically tailored to the material supply industry, is focused on defeating the “commodity mindset” through selling value, differentiation, relationships, and service. Our classes include employees tasked with selling aggregate, asphalt, cement, concrete, emulsion, erosion control, equipment, lime, liquid AC, and transportation services.

C&A does annual industry-wide and in-house classes, offering distinct advantages for the participants. The industry classes provide an opportunity to learn new techniques and exchange ideas with peers from across the country. The in-house classes allow a more in-depth review of company strategies and positioning as well as increased accountability with timely follow-up. Both classes use highly interactive learning techniques, including video role plays, table discussions, group exercises, and customer panels to facilitate learning. Class sizes are strictly limited to 25 attendees’ to facilitate active participation.

The basis of these classes was started by NSSGA (National Stone Sand and Gravel Association) and Vantage Associates, Inc. (James Sisson). The NSSGA still co-brands these classes today.

In November of 2025, Carwie & Associates will be offering our annual Level 1 – Class. The ideal candidate for this class is any material supply salesperson with 3 months to 5 years of inside/outside experience who is tasked with dealing with buyers. The Level 1 class topics include professional salesmanship, time and technology management, recognizing buyer types, market segmentation, preparing for a critical sales call, and customer service and satisfaction.

In the Spring of 2026, C&A will offer our Level 2 Class. The Level 2 class builds on the first-class concepts and further explores the total product, substitute products, delivering value, negotiation techniques, and utilizing DISC profiling to recognize buyer types. We challenge the participants to adapt their role plays based on different circumstances, buyer motives, and personalities. The ideal participant has either attended the Level 1 class or has five-plus years of sales experience.

C&A provides individual sales coaching to sales personnel in various industries, including insurance, commercial real estate, counseling, financial management, and, of course, material supply. The sales training focuses on direct selling techniques, goal setting, time management, and accountability.

Don’t miss the upcoming interactive Sales Training for the material supply industries.

November 10-12th, 2025 Tampa, FL

March 10-12th, 2026 Frisco, TX

CLASS PARTICIPANTS BY COMPANY

Major Program Sponsors (companies with 10+ participants)

*Vulcan Materials Company, *Martin Marietta, *Summit Materials, *Thomas Concrete,
Irving Materials, *Rogers Group, *Heidelberg Materials, *Elrus, *Peckham Industries,
*Premier Aggregates, *The Erosion Company

* These companies have also participated with in-house offerings.

Additional Sponsors (less than 10 participants)

Aggregates USA, Associated Asphalt, Barrett Paving Materials, Bayou Concrete, Bedrock Resources, Blue Water Industries, Boxley Materials Company, Braen Stone Industries, Caldwell Stone, Cemex, Central Sand & Gravel, Concrete Supply Company, *CRH Americas, Dolese, Erlen Group, Fred Weber, Fullen Dock & Warehouse, Gerken Materials, Granite Construction Co, IA Construction, John Deere Construction, Knife River, L.G. Everist, Luck Stone, Lafarge-Holcim, Material Sales Company, Mulzer Crushed Stone, Inc., Nugent Sand Co, Ondrick Materials, Ozinga, Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel, Silver King Trucking, Titan America, Trinity (Arcosa), VCNA United Materials, Wake Stone, Wendling, Whitney Logistics, Winter Brothers Material Company

Sales Training Testimonials

Having taken and actively participating in other sales training, I preferred this experience….With our industry in focus, I feel like the program flow went smoothly and it is more realistic and more applicable when dealing with our type of customers. The role play was an extremely helpful experience because the instructors really knew how to portray the customer in different scenarios. This added review of those role plays in a group setting opened up other avenues the conversation could have taken.

Martin Marietta

I think that the course was great! Being new in outside sales role, I was anxious to learn some of the “tricks of the trade”. This course did not disappoint! Every segment had information that I can use in my job going forward. My favorite section was the Time and Technology Management. I anxious to get back to my job and put what I have learned to good use.

Rogers Group

Forming ways to differentiate products in relation to customer needs/cost by building relationships to enable healthy exchanges with the customer to discover win-win solutions is something I will be better prepared for after this class.

Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel

This has been a great learning experience that overlaps and adds to Luck's internal sales training. The unique advantages of the class are being able to share experiences of similar companies and gain a more national perspective of our respective industries. I believe that I have new ideas and tools to take my customer relationships and sales strategies to a different and more comprehensive level. My team is very excited to hear a fresh perspective.

Luck Stone

Very informative. The course has given me insight into pricing strategy and helped me to learn that I need to continually rate my customers as "A" "B" or "C". Maybe the largest volume customer is not my best customer.

Thomas Concrete Designation