How Homebuilding Sales Became A Strategic Center Of Gravity

In an industry where change often takes a slow, uncharted road, Dave Rice has consistently been ahead of the curve. As the founder and driving force behind New Home Star's evolution from a sales enablement startup to a nationally recognized performance partner, Rice has helped elevate the role of the sales associate beyond the model home and into the strategic war rooms of America’s top homebuilders.

This week, as New Home Star takes its place as the Elite Partner of the Focus On Excellence Summit and Workshop in Denver, it’s worth pausing to recognize how Rice's philosophy and discipline have shaped a generation of sales professionals and influenced the entire operating system of homebuilding firms.

From Order-Takers to Business Operators

Rice's central belief is deceptively simple: sales associates should operate like business owners. They must know their customers, anticipate their needs, and deliver value not only to buyers but also back to the organization.

Suppose you’re serious about moving the sales function from a cost center to a revenue multiplier. In that case, you have to give your team real tools, real accountability, and real insight,” Rice tells us in our interview.

His approach doesn’t treat sales as a department. It positions it as a strategic axis.

Bridging the Field and the Back Office

One of Rice's most significant insights is that a sales representative can be a powerful feedback loop for the rest of the business — if equipped and empowered to do so. Through centralized tools, continuous education, and operational scorecards, New Home Star field teams bring back real-time data on pricing resistance, buyer preferences, and community perception.

We expect our people to be listening posts, data gatherers, and business developers all in one," Rice said. "We tell them: your job is not just to sell homes. It’s to help the builder get better."

That means sales feedback becomes valuable intel for land teams, design departments, and operational leadership.

A Platform for Performance

The heart of the New Home Star system is its proprietary tech platform. It blends CRM, market intelligence, incentive tracking, and performance coaching into a single digital workspace that sales associates use every day. It’s not an add-on; it’s the job.

Rice says,

We believe the best salespeople are students of the business. Our tech stack isn't there to monitor people – it's there to make excellence more reachable."

The platform reinforces transparency, celebrates wins, and flags underperformance early enough for course correction. It also gives builder partners unprecedented visibility into their sales operations.

Elevating the Profession

At the heart of Rice's mission is a passion for redefining what it means to be a new home sales professional.

We're not hiring hosts. We're hiring business athletes," he says.

That mindset has helped New Home Star gain traction with some of the nation's most sophisticated builders, who increasingly view sales as a core capability rather than a downstream activity.

New Home Star's coaching model includes intensive onboarding, performance mapping, daily huddles, and feedback loops. Its culture blends competitive fire with collaborative learning, encouraging every associate to "own their book of business."

Lessons for Builder Leadership

So what should senior builder leaders take away from New Home Star’s approach?

First, that sales is not a silo. It is a sensing mechanism, a strategy lever, and a differentiator – especially in tough markets.

Second, that investing in tools and training for the sales force isn’t overhead. It’s proactive weaponry. Builders can no longer afford sales reps who merely read price sheets and unlock doors.

And third, that accountability plus autonomy equals performance.

When people have data, goals, and support, they rise,” Rice said. “But you can’t fake investment. You have to be in it with them.”

Looking Ahead

Rice and his team see the next frontier as even deeper integration into builder operations. Already, their field teams are informing pricing decisions, product adjustments, and land strategies.

As the housing market becomes more volatile and as buyers become more cautious, the need for disciplined, data-driven, strategically empowered sales professionals will only increase.

New Home Star’s leadership in this domain is not just a model for sales teams. It’s a provocation for an entire industry.

Hyper Focus

In teaming with New Home Star as the Elite Partner of this year’s Focus On Excellence event, The Builder’s Daily recognizes the company’s consistent impact on operational excellence, cultural leadership, and measurable performance improvement.

But it also reflects something deeper: a belief that excellence isn’t reserved for the boardroom.

It begins at the front lines. And in Dave Rice’s world, those lines are staffed with business athletes ready to win.