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What happens when a steel dealer, a pandemic, and a 3D configurator collide? We bring on IdeaRoom co-founder and CEO, Dan Van Orden, to unpack how builders and dealers moved from paper quotes to mobile-first design that turns curiosity into committed buyers. Dan shares the scrappy origin story—from woodworking plans to full-blown configurators for sheds, carports, post-frame, and red iron—and why the real breakthrough wasn’t just 3D visuals, but cleaner processes and smarter pricing logic that reduce errors.
We talk through the moments that changed the game: remote screen-shares that closed sales in minutes, branded estimates that land in a customer’s inbox before the call ends, and a mobile experience that finally feels natural on a phone. Dan explains Boost, IdeaRoom’s streamlined UI that lifts lead conversion without disrupting sales teams, plus the growing set of self-serve tools that let dealers update base and component pricing fast. If steel costs or tariffs force changes, you adjust the rules, keep the guardrails, and keep selling.
This conversation leans into the operational side too—onboarding that now takes weeks, not months; support that solves quick wins in minutes; and the power of webhooks and CRM integrations to pass clean specs through your pipeline. We share how TVs in the showroom, live co-design with customers, and clear option rules build trust and speed up approvals. The big takeaway: a customer-facing 3D configurator isn’t a gadget; it’s your most persuasive salesperson, available on every device, at every hour.
If you care about digital sales, steel buildings, sheds, carports, or post-frame marketing, you’ll walk away with practical moves to modernize how you sell—without losing the relationships that drive this industry. Subscribe, share this with a builder who still quotes by PDF, and tell us: what’s the next bottleneck you want us to break down?

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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: J Money LLC