REVx 2026, brought leaders from the home improvement, remodeling, and home services industries together at The Westin Chicago Lombard in Lombard, Illinois, from June 2 to 4, 2026. Presented by Dave Yoho Associates, the event gave owners, executives, sales managers, marketing leaders, installation leaders, and HR teams a place to learn how to build stronger companies.
The summit focused on home improvement business growth, sales training, lead cost pressure, profit systems, leadership, and the work needed to build trust with today’s homeowner. One of the most meaningful moments came when Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, sat down with Dave Yoho, Founder and President of Dave Yoho Associates, during the event that honored Dave’s final live appearance.
The rapid interview carried both history and urgency. Dave’s message was not only about sales scripts or better close rates. It was about how contractors earn the right to be heard. He reminded leaders that markets change, the economy moves, and tools keep improving, but the companies that win are the ones that train their people to understand the prospect first.
“Think like a homeowner and not just your supposition.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Through this conversation, Greg helped capture a final live lesson from Dave that spoke directly to the future of contractor sales training, trust, and service.
At REVx 2026, Greg Cummings sat down with Dave Yoho for a rapid interview that felt both timely and personal. The event had already brought leaders together to learn about growth, profit, sales, and better systems. But Dave brought the talk back to a truth that every contractor needs to remember. Before a homeowner buys, they have to feel understood.
Dave Yoho (Left), Founder and President of Dave Yoho Associates at the REVx 2026, The Peak Profit Summit
Dave did not speak about selling as pressure. He spoke about selling as service. He made it clear that the best companies do not start by thinking about what they want to close. They start by thinking about what the prospect is facing, what the homeowner fears, and what the customer needs to trust.
“We teach them to think like a prospect.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates
That message gave the interview its power. It connected contractor sales training, work ethic, trust, and service into one clear idea. Homeowners listen when they feel seen first.
Learn more about Greg Cummings and his work with leaders in the home improvement industry.
Dave’s first lesson was simple, but it carried a lot of weight. The homeowner is not a target. The homeowner is a person with questions, concerns, hopes, and risk in front of them. When a contractor forgets that, the sales process can feel cold. When a contractor remembers it, the conversation changes.
Many companies sell from their own view of the job. They think about the product, the price, the appointment, and the close. But homeowners buy from a different place. They think about trust, cost, timing, safety, family needs, and whether the company will do what it says. Dave pushed leaders to train their teams to enter the conversation from that side first.
That is why thinking like the prospect matters so much. It helps salespeople ask better questions. It helps them explain value in a way that makes sense. It helps them slow down, listen more, and make the homeowner feel safer. For leaders focused on home improvement business growth, this is not a small detail. It is where trust begins.
When a homeowner feels understood, the salesperson no longer has to fight for attention. The conversation becomes easier because the homeowner feels like the company is trying to help, not just sell.
Explore Dave Yoho Associates and their work with home improvement companies.
Dave took the idea of thinking like the prospect even deeper. He connected it to service. His point was that when a company truly understands the homeowner, the role of the salesperson changes. The salesperson is no longer just presenting a product. They are guiding the homeowner through a decision that matters.
“The minute you know and understand these people, then what you’re doing is functioning as a servant.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates
That line gives contractors a clear way to think about trust. Service does not mean being weak in sales. It means being honest, patient, clear, and helpful. It means answering the real concern, not just the easy one. It means making sure the homeowner feels safe enough to listen.
Trust is not a trick. It is not a closing line. It is the result of the whole experience. The call, the visit, the words used, the promise made, and the way the company follows through all shape whether the homeowner believes the person in front of them.
Dave’s message was that trust must come before the sale. When homeowners trust the company, they are more open to hearing the value. They are more willing to ask honest questions. They are more likely to move forward with confidence.
See how Dave Yoho Associates supports stronger sales systems and sales training.
Dave also spoke plainly about the economy and the role of work. His message was not that the market will always be easy. It was that strong companies keep building, training, and improving even when conditions change. The economy moves. Lead costs shift. Buyer habits change. But effort still matters.
“The economy changes, the economy moves forward, the economy is abundant. It depends how much you’re willing to work.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates
That idea fits the pressure many contractors feel today. Some companies are facing higher costs, tighter margins, and more careful buyers. Others are trying to build stronger teams in a labor market that can be hard to manage. Dave’s point was that leaders cannot wait for perfect conditions. They have to build people who can work with focus and purpose.
This is where leadership becomes very real. A company has to hire, train, coach, and guide people. It has to create a place where work has meaning and where people can see a path forward. Strong teams are not built by chance. They are built by leaders who keep showing up with standards and support.
In a changing market, the best companies do not sit still. They keep teaching. They keep selling. They keep improving how they serve the homeowner.
Visit the REVx 2026 Peak Profit Summit page to learn more about the event focus.
One of the most hopeful parts of Dave’s message was what he said about opportunity. He pointed out that companies in the home improvement industry can hire and train people who may not have taken a traditional path, yet still help them build strong careers.
REVx 2026, The Peak Profit Summit
“Here we have companies that hire and train people who make a couple hundred thousand dollars a year and don’t have a completed high school education.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates
That point showed the power of real training. The best companies do not only look for people who already have every skill. They look for people who are willing to learn. Then they give them a clear process, strong coaching, and a way to understand the homeowner. That is how raw effort can turn into real skill.
This is also why in home sales training for contractors matters. A strong training system can change the future of a person and the future of a company at the same time. When salespeople learn how to think like a homeowner, they become more than presenters. They become trusted guides.
For owners and sales leaders, this is a reminder that training is not a cost to avoid. It is one of the best ways to build a stronger business, create better careers, and serve customers with more care.
Learn how Dave Yoho Associates helps companies improve training, sales, and business performance.
Dave warned leaders not to sell from assumption. He used the word “supposition,” meaning the danger of guessing what the homeowner thinks, wants, or values. That warning matters because many sales problems begin before the close. They begin when the salesperson assumes too much and listens too little.
“Think like a homeowner and not just your supposition.” Dave Yoho, Founder and President, Dave Yoho Associates
This is a key lesson for any contractor working to build a better sales process. A homeowner may care about price, but price may not be the only concern. They may worry about trust, time, mess, safety, warranty, financing, or whether the company will respect their home. If the salesperson guesses wrong, the message can miss the real issue.
A better process starts with learning. Ask better questions. Listen closely. Watch how the homeowner responds. Explain value in simple words. Make the next step clear. This turns contractor sales training into more than a script. It becomes a way to understand people.
The best salespeople do not rush to prove they are right. They slow down enough to learn what the homeowner needs. That is where better trust and better results begin.
Explore Dave Yoho Associates sales consulting for home improvement companies.
REVx 2026 honored Dave Yoho’s long impact on the home improvement industry, but the rapid interview made the moment feel forward looking. It was not only a tribute to what Dave has taught for more than 60 years. It was also a reminder of what the next generation must carry forward.
The lesson was clear. Train better. Serve better. Work with discipline. Think like the prospect. Earn trust before asking for the sale. These ideas are not old lessons for a past market. They are still needed now, especially as companies face new tools, changing buyer habits, and rising pressure to grow with care.
Greg Cummings helped capture that message at the right time. As the industry honored Dave’s final live appearance, the conversation pointed leaders back to the basics that still matter most. The homeowner must feel understood. The team must be trained. The company must serve before it expects trust.
Dave’s final live moment was not only about remembering a great teacher. It was about giving today’s leaders a clear charge. The next era of home improvement will be shaped by companies that build trust first and sell from that trust.
Dave Yoho’s final live appearance at REVx 2026 gave the industry more than a historic moment. It gave contractors a clear reminder of what still matters most. Markets will change. The economy will move. New tools will keep coming. But the heart of the business will always be the same. Homeowners listen when they feel understood.
His message was steady and practical. Strong sales are not built by being louder, faster, or more forceful. They are built by teams that know how to work, train, listen, and serve. When a contractor teaches people to think like the prospect, the sales conversation becomes less about pressure and more about trust.
Greg Cummings’ rapid interview with Dave helped capture that lesson at the right time. As the industry honored one of its most trusted teachers, Dave pointed leaders toward the kind of work that will shape the next chapter. Build better people. Train with purpose. Serve with care. Earn the homeowner’s confidence before asking for action.
Dave Yoho’s final live appearance reminded contractors that trust is not the reward after the sale. It is the reason the sale can happen.
Power100 covers lessons that help the home improvement industry understand what strong leadership looks like in real life. Its site describes Power100 as a publication that ranks top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners across the home improvement industry, while also publishing original journalism, industry news, and feature interviews backed by a five layer ranking system. Dave Yoho’s final live interview at REVx 2026 mattered because it gave contractors a clear lesson on trust, work ethic, training, and thinking like the prospect.
Power100 is not only built around rankings. Its site says recognition is the starting point, while the larger goal is to tell leaders’ stories through interviews, articles, media, and industry conversations so the industry can learn from the right voices. That is why Greg Cummings’ REVx 2026 interview with Dave Yoho fits the mission. It helped turn a historic event into a useful lesson for owners, sales leaders, and teams.
Dave Yoho’s main message was that contractors must think like the prospect before they try to sell. He reminded home improvement leaders that the homeowner is not just a lead or a target. The homeowner is a person with questions, fears, needs, and trust concerns. Strong sales begin when teams understand the customer first.
Trust matters before the sale because homeowners listen better when they feel understood. A contractor can have strong products, smart pricing, and good sales tools, but the homeowner still needs to feel safe before moving forward. Dave Yoho’s final live event reminded contractors that trust is not a reward after the sale. It is the reason the sale can happen.
Dave meant that salespeople must learn to see the decision through the homeowner’s eyes. Instead of guessing what the homeowner cares about, a trained salesperson should ask better questions, listen closely, and explain value in simple terms. This makes contractor sales training more useful because it helps teams serve the customer instead of only pushing for the close.
Dave Yoho connected growth to work ethic by reminding leaders that the economy changes, but effort still matters. Strong companies do not wait for perfect market conditions. They keep hiring, training, coaching, and improving. In home improvement business growth, the companies that stay disciplined often build stronger teams and better customer trust.
Yes. Dave Yoho pointed out that companies can hire and train people who may not have taken a traditional education path and help them build strong income opportunities. The lesson is that strong in-home sales training for contractors can help people build skill, confidence, and real careers while also helping the company grow.
Dave Yoho’s final live appearance was important because it honored more than 60 years of influence in the home improvement industry, but it also gave today’s leaders a clear path forward. His message was not about louder selling. It was about training teams to think like the prospect, serve like trusted guides, and earn the homeowner’s confidence before asking for action.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Led by Greg Cummings, Power100 was created to give great CEOs, standout companies, and trusted industry partners the recognition they deserve. Through rankings, interviews, event coverage, and industry stories, Power100 helps bring more trust, visibility, and support to the leaders who are raising the standard for homeowners, teams, and the future of the home improvement industry.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
