Smarter Tools, Stronger Teams: AI, Tech & Grit in Sales | Lisa Cooley, VP of MDR Sales at Paradigm
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Buyers have changed the rules, and the window and door industry is racing to catch up. We sit down with Paradigm’s VP of MDR Sales, Lisa Cooley, to unpack how AI, data, and a new generation of talent are rewriting everything from product discovery to the last mile of sales—and why grit still beats hype.
On the buyer side, the shift is dramatic. Homeowners now use long-tail searches and visual matching to find exactly what they want: “black exterior, white interior door that won’t rot at a Georgia lake house.” They expect transparent pricing ranges, instant configuration, and clean visualization before they ever talk to sales. That flips the sales playbook: educate early with rich data and tools, capture preferences respectfully, then show up in the conversation prepared to close gaps—not restart discovery. Lisa shares how our team supports manufacturers and dealers by turning complex product logic into simple, trustworthy buyer experiences.
Topics we cover:
• Generational shift toward empowered, research-first homeowners
• Labor shortages driving adoption of modern tools for recruiting
• Practical ways AI accelerates visualization, estimating and content
• Sales leadership that listens, asks better questions and motivates meaning
• Long-tail search and visual matching changing product discovery
• Connecting manufacturers, dealers and buyers with accurate data
• Vision for tighter data flows and human-centered decision-making
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to hear more stories and insights from the building industry.
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Grit Blueprint is a media and growth company for the building industry. We help ambitious businesses in the building materials and construction industries grow through visibility, storytelling media, and smart systems.
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Chapters
1. Generational Shifts And Labor Crunch (00:00:00)
2. Show Intro And Guest Background (00:00:39)
3. From Family GC To Tech Leader (00:02:09)
4. Private Equity, RSMeans, And Procore (00:05:20)
5. Grit As The Constant (00:06:59)
6. Tech Adoption On The Jobsite (00:08:28)
7. AI’s Rapid Acceleration (00:10:15)
8. Leading A Residential Sales Team (00:12:05)
9. The Empowered Homeowner Journey (00:13:15)
10. Long-Tail Search And Visualization (00:15:10)
11. Why Launch This Podcast (00:17:10)
74 episodes