The Fire Time Podcast

372 Episodes

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Deb Hannig - Selling in the Arena

2026-11-1054:57

"Every time you're talking to someone on the sales floor, you're in the arena—there's a stadium full of people, and that one person is representing you to all of them." In this episode, Tim sits down with Deb Hannig (Independent Sales Rep, Valor and Z Flex)—one of the mentors who shaped Tim's own sales career fifteen years ago in Portland. With the busy season here and customers walking through the door, Deb breaks down what separates the salespeople who build lasting reputations from the ones who just move boxes. In this episode, Tim and Deb cover: - Why saying "I don't know" builds more trust than talking your way out of a question—Deb once landed a job offer by calling out a company president's non-answer - How knowing the story behind each product line—from Valor's 1890 London origins to the wood stove designed in a garage—turns a row of identical 30,000 BTU inserts into distinct solutions for distinct problems - Why the average customer now carries 500 to 700 contacts in their phone—and what that means for every single conversation you have on the floor Don't miss this masterclass in slowing down, listening longer, and treating every customer like the stadium full of future buyers they actually represent. —— Links from this episode: WhyFire Fireplace Al Visualizer: https://whyfire.com —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pO4SsDCvliA Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join Want to get more fireplace leads for your company? Check out: https://findmyfireplace.com

7 Steps to Win the Sale (NCHPBA Breakout Session)

2026-11-0301:48:14

"Sales is communicating wisdom to bring someone to the point of a decision." In this episode, Tim shares a recording of a live class he taught at the North Central HPBA annual event in Wisconsin—a complete walkthrough of the seven-step sales process that took him from a fumbling installer with zero sales training to a multi-store manager whose teams broke every record he'd set. It's the blocking and tackling of selling, and it's the class he loves teaching most. In this episode, Tim covers: - Why most showrooms think they're writing estimates for 80% of walk-ins when the real number is closer to 17%—and how tracking door swings changes everything - The "magic question" and the fireplaces-suck story—word-for-word scripts that build trust fast and translate technical features into language customers at an A or B level can actually understand - Why handing a customer too much information is like handing them bowling balls—and how explaining your three-step process makes the close take care of itself Don't miss this one if you've ever wondered why great product knowledge doesn't translate into sales—because the route from greeting to gratitude is teachable, and Tim hands you the whole map. —— Links from this episode: WhyFire Website: http://whyfire.com —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CuYpMJ_Co04 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join Want to get more fireplace leads for your company? Check out: https://findmyfireplace.com

Kyle Quinn - Winning Sales Through Relationships

2026-10-2745:56

"Trust is earned in drops but lost in buckets." In this episode, Tim sits down with Kyle Quinn (National Sales Manager for Canada, ICC Chimney) at the Compact Appliances open house in Sackville, New Brunswick—a corner of the industry where relationships between dealers and vendors run deeper than almost anywhere else. Kyle's spent 22 years in the business, and he's built his career on one simple idea: show up, be responsive, and let the sale come to you. In this episode, Tim and Kyle cover: - Why the best reps don't walk in promising to change your business model on a Tuesday afternoon—they listen first, find the gap, and provide value when the moment actually arrives - How ICC turned a commodity—chimney pipe—into a product dealers sell instead of just use, and why "the chimney is the engine that drives the sports car" changes the conversation with homeowners - The fine line between personal connection and oversharing on the sales floor—when to push into common ground, when to get back on track, and why every interaction either builds the bridge or undermines it Don't miss this conversation on earning trust drop by drop—because in an industry built on relationships, the salespeople who master open-ended questions, honest curiosity, and the customer's own pace are the ones who win when things get lean. —— Links from this episode: WhyFire Pro: http://whyfire.com —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bwtHZjym0GU Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join Want to get more fireplace leads for your company? Check out: https://findmyfireplace.com

Stop Selling, Start Solving (Compact Appliances Keynote Address)

2026-10-2001:18:12

"AI is not a product finder. AI is a problem solver—and that's exactly what you are too." In this episode, Tim shares "Be Solvers, Not Sellers"—the keynote he and Matt Bradley taught at the Compact Appliances annual event—answering the question every retailer is asking right now: how does the local hearth shop win in the age of AI? The short answer: AI is organically predisposed to recommend the businesses that sell, install, and service what they sell. That's you—not big box, not e-commerce. In this episode, Tim and Matt cover: - Why Google's $2.17 trillion auction model rigged the game for whoever had the biggest wallet—and why AI just changed the sport entirely - The three moves that get AI to find, trust, and recommend you—from a homepage that loads in one second to verifiable trust badges like "in business since 1985" on every page - Why posting average installed price ranges wins you jobs—and why organizing your website by inserts, ZCs, and stoves means you automatically lose Don't miss this one—a window has opened for local retailers to take back the market share big box and e-tail have eaten for two decades, and nobody knows how long it'll stay open. —— Links from this episode: https://youtu.be/JEGZLSBcBlQ WhyFire Fireplace Al Visualizer: https://whyfire.com —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JEGZLSBcBlQ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join Want to get more fireplace leads for your company? Check out: https://findmyfireplace.com

Corey Anthony - Conquering the Fear of Selling High-End

2026-10-1301:03:20

"Most people follow up about two times. But there's stats out there that prove purchases above ten thousand dollars only close on the fifth and sixth follow-up—or later." In this episode, Tim sits down with return guest Corey Anthony (Sales Manager, Stûv) live from the Compact Appliances open house in Atlantic Canada. Corey was employee number five at Stûv North America, and he's spent nearly a decade winning dealers face-to-face—now he's teaching an entire sales team how to do it without him in the room. In this episode, Tim and Corey cover: - Why step two of the sales process—understanding the customer's problem—is the step salespeople rush through most, and how Corey spent twenty minutes with a customer before mentioning a single product - The refrigerator analogy that wins the coffee table battle—how simple, true stories beat a brochure full of factoids every time a couple sits down to make the final decision - Corey's add-three-zeros trick for matching firebox size to square footage—a dead-simple formula that works across every brand and keeps customers from getting lost in the world of BTUs Don't miss this conversation on conquering the fear of selling high end—because the difference between losing the sale and winning it often comes down to one more follow-up, one better question, and one story the customer can't forget. —— Links from this episode: WhyFire Pro: http://whyfire.com —— Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fKKSBj2bXSM Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-time-podcast/id1433804268 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vHdzg48bE5qFf0KjMeMej?si=7b6cae3923d348f2 Read The Fire Time Magazine: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine Subscribe to The Fire Time Magazine: https://itsfiretime.com/subscribe Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.itsfiretime.com/join Want to get more fireplace leads for your company? Check out: https://findmyfireplace.com

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