Builders who run a sales process beat the ones who don't. Builders who automate it pull further ahead. Now AI is about to split the field again. Here's the three-layer system that does it. In this episode of The Builders Coach Show, business coach for builders Kurt Hegetschweiler sits down with Jamie McKean: founder of AutomationWorx, 30+ years in automation and the man who turned Kurt's 6 step sales process into a system hundreds of builders now run on. Together they walk residential builders and construction business owners through the three layers that separate the profitable builders from the rest: the manual 6 step process, the automation layer that stops leads falling through the cracks, and the AI overlay that makes a builder look superhuman in pre-construction. No theory. Just what actually works, translated for builders. WHAT WE COVER: - The 6 step sales process in full: questionnaire, qualifying call, QBE, site visit, preliminary agreement, budget led design - Why pre-construction is the single biggest area of wasted time in residential building, and the day one fix - The first separation event: what happened to builders who ran the manual process consistently from 2010 - Why automating a broken process just speeds up your problems - What the automation layer actually does: one minute lead response, 7 day follow up, automatic questionnaires, agendas and reminders - Speed to lead: why the builder who replies within a minute stops the prospect messaging three others - The 3 levels of AI for builders: ask, assist, agentic (and where to start if you've never touched it) - AI that reads your CRM and inbox for you, and a 187 step website build where only 52 steps need a human - Slow down to speed up: how AI lets you quote fewer jobs, win more of them, and go deeper on each one - Trust but verify: treat AI like an apprentice with an IQ of 180, and always keep the human checkpoint - The Sydney skyscraper builder who replaced two weeks of scope meetings with two hours of AI - Why pre-con and value management is consulting, and why builders should package it and charge for it CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:07 Welcome Jamie McKean from AutomationWorx 0:40 How Kurt and Jamie started automating the sales process 1:43 Why the 6 step sales process exists 3:09 Step 1: the questionnaire before anything else 4:12 Step 2: the qualifying call 4:55 Step 3: the QBE and the reality check on price 5:34 Steps 4 to 6: site visit, preliminary agreement, budget led design 6:30 The first separation event: the manual process done consistently 8:00 Automating a broken process just speeds up problems 8:54 What the automation layer actually does 10:13 What AutomationWorx is and why it replaced three tools 12:20 Tracking where your best jobs come from 13:13 Marketing, sales, delivery: the gap most builders miss 14:37 The builder dashboard: leads, stages, follow ups 16:06 Running the 6 steps through automation 17:32 Agendas, reminders and why communication is marketing 19:18 Speed to lead: reply in one minute, win the enquiry 20:46 The 3 levels of AI: ask, assist, agentic 21:57 Level 2: AI reading your CRM and inbox for you 23:44 Level 3: agentic, a 187 step website build 27:15 Where AI actually pays off in construction: pre-con 29:09 Be the Mercedes, not the Toyota: adding value to lift margin 29:35 AI scope gap checks and client profiling 31:36 Trust but verify: treat AI like an apprentice 32:16 Start with a checklist and build your AI brain 34:09 The skyscraper builder: two weeks of meetings in two hours 35:24 Slow down to speed up: process first, then automation, then AI 38:38 Pre-con and value management is consulting, charge for it 40:56 How to reach Jamie READY TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR BUILDING BUSINESS? If you're a residential builder doing $1M+ and you want the systems, leadership and numbers to match the mission, book your FREE 30-minute Strategy Session with Kurt: 👉 https://builderscoach.com/contact More free resources for builders: https://builderscoach.com Connect with Jamie and AutomationWorx: https://automationworx.co/builderscoach ABOUT THE SHOW The Builders Coach Show is hosted by Kurt Hegetschweiler, founder of Builders Coach, creator of the Million Dollar Builder framework and business coach to thousands of residential builders over 20+ years, and Jess Norton. Real builders, real numbers, real strategies for profit, cash flow and workflow. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. #BuildersCoach #ConstructionBusiness #ResidentialBuilder #BuilderPodcast #SalesProcess #AIForBuilders #AutomationWorx