A Guided 3D Configurator Turns Curiosity Into Confident Buyers

A shed is not a casual cart checkout. It is a high-trust, high-emotion purchase, and the online experience either builds confidence fast or quietly pushes your best leads to the back button. We sit down with Ashish Roy and Chris Dodd from Sensei Digital to break down what actually makes a 3D shed configurator convert, from guided design choices to the tiny details that serious builders care about.

We talk about why “more options” can be the wrong move, and how an intuitive, guided flow helps very different buyers, from a tech-savvy first-time shopper to a retiree trying to make space at home. Ashish explains how Sensei approaches lifelike colors, model organization, upgrade clarity, and accurate features like door swing and interior context. Chris shares what it takes operationally to capture shed craftsmanship in software while keeping the experience simple enough for real sales teams to adopt.

Then we get practical about revenue. You will hear how remote co-design can work through shareable 3D links, how AR “visualize in your yard” can change the conversation, and why attribution matters when you are running Google Ads or Meta campaigns. Sensei also walks through cross-domain tracking, CRM integration, and sending better conversion signals so you can optimize toward qualified leads and real sales, not vanity form fills.

If you want your portable building marketing and sales process to feel modern without losing the craft, hit play. Subscribe to the Shed Geek Podcast, share this with a dealer or manufacturer friend, and leave a review so more shed pros can find these conversations.

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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Shed Geek Marketing

Velocity 360
Play Mor Swing Sets
Cardinal Leasing
iFAB LLC

Transcript

INTRO 0:00

You're listening to the Friday edition of the Shed Geek Podcast, brought to you by Shed Geek Marketing. At Shed Geek Marketing, we've assembled a hand-picked team of specialists from across the Shed and Portable Building industry to help manufacturers, dealers, and service providers grow smarter and scale faster. From websites and SEO to Google ads, Meta campaigns, content creation, video production, lead funnels, systems integrations, and industry-specific lead gen tools, we help businesses build real momentum instead of chasing random marketing trends. Today, Shed Geek Marketing is holding down this title sponsor spot at the top of the show. But this could just as easily be your company, featured right here in front of thousands of industry professionals, business owners, and decision makers every single week. If you'd like information about title sponsorship, podcast advertising, or our 2026 Shed Geek Media Kit, reach out to us at info@ shedgeek.com. And now on to the podcast.

Cord 0:55

Welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek Podcast coming to you today from a bright and sunshiny Metropolis, Illinois. Really couldn't be much of a better day out there today. We have a very special episode. We have the leadership team of Sensei Digital here to tell us what is, what are the latest and greatest innovations in 3D, 3D design, both metal uh and uh portable building as well. So we are so excited to get these guys on. Uh Sheesh and Chris, I know that they are going to provide so much good information today. Before we get rolling, just a couple of quick things so that you know how to stay plugged in with us. As always, the Shed Geek call in line. If you have any questions for the Shed Geek or you would like to follow up on any of the guests uh and how to get in touch with them, that number is 618-309-3648. That is Shannon's personal cell phone. So, please uh call or text anytime, day or night. Uh email. You can always email us info@ shed geek.com. Of course, we have contact forms on the www.shedgeek.com page itself. Uh always, we want to encourage you to go and jump on to uh our Facebook page, but also the Shed Sales Professionals group page. Uh so much good information in the run-up now to uh Shed Expo. I know that there's going to be info flying all around on that page. We're seeing speakers, we're seeing breakout sessions, we're seeing uh panel members being announced right now. So, uh be sure to go and check that out and know exactly what you're doing uh for uh Shed Expo come September. Um, our call in line for anyone in the playing community. If you have a family member or uh a relative or a friend uh or you just know someone who is in that community, remind them that they can listen to the Shed Geek podcast at 330-997-3055. Again, that is 330-997-3055. A lot of cool features on there. It'll even hold your place for you whenever you go to uh look for the next look for the next episode or go back in the queue uh and listen to your favorite episodes. Quickly, we have an exclusive message from the uh exclusive provider of CRM here at the Shed Geek Podcast and the Shed Geek Media Network, Velocity360. You all know them and love them. Uh they say stop letting revenue leak through the cracks. Every second a digital lead sits unanswered, money vanishes. If your team isn't responding to every single lead within 60 seconds, you are losing deals. If you are tired of manually chasing leads, getting ghosted, and suffering from low response rates, it's time to change the game. Make your business market proof with the lock with velocity 360. Close more digital leads in less time. Plug the leaks leaks and capture the revenue left on the table. Auto-track your closed rate by marketing source so you see your exact ROI. They seamlessly integrate your 3D tools, which we'll talk about today. Meta, Google Ads, and all your leads end up in one single organized place. You won't ever have to become a tech expert yourself. They will handle it all for you with their white glove service. Call them at 865-672-8175, or you can visit velocity360crm.com. And as always, you can come to Shed Geek and we'll be happy to make those connections for you. All right.

Sensei Digital Team Joins In

Cord 4:28

So, after breathlessly reading through that, um again, today I'm joined by Ashish Roy and Chris Dodd, the leadership team over at Sensei Digital. Uh and true to form, true to 3D, true to being tech forward. I believe Ashish is actually joining us from one of the most tech forward cities in the world, Dubai. Tell us what tell us what's going on, Ashish. You're in a tech capital uh doing tech things. What's up, man?

Ashish Roy 4:59

Oh wow, thank you for the introduction, Cord. I appreciate it a lot. A lot's been happening here in Dubai. Um they do have a lot of uh robotic and AI related uh uh projects that uh Dubai is uh actually hosting and promulgating and uh innovation that we have been seeing because there are entrepreneurs throughout from the world, from Europe, from Americas, from India, from China. Uh everyone's uh everyone wants to make a mark in a city like Dubai where uh success is just uh one right step away. And uh I believe that uh you know the technology is uh moving at a at such a breakneck pace right now here, the things that we saw last year are just no more uh valid than it has just gone 10x. So, um huge things uh you know uh in the construction in industry, in the marketing industry, in um uh in hosting, uh short-term rentals and things like that. It's uh it's uh going from uh you know where it was to the next level very soon, and progresses that were supposed to be made in a month are being made in weeks. So, we're really excited about it.

Cord 6:12

Yeah,

Dubai Tech Pace And Agentic AI

Cord 6:13

it's incredible. Um it really does feel like a brave new world uh that we're living in uh as these tools begin to be integrated genuinely. You know, I know there's been a little bit of a you know struggle for ROI, especially with the AI tools to start, but I think now that people have really gotten their head around what it means to train models uh or agentic AI for specific tasks, it seems like we are we are now in a in the that actual uh uh efficiency uh gaining that we're going to see. So, I'm super excited about it. So, maybe um maybe a good place to start, Ashish, is um tell us about Sensei Digital. Obviously, this is a product that has been around in the metal and carport industry for years, and uh by my understanding, you know, has kind of um really taken a lot of the market share on that side of metal and carport 3D. So kind of, I guess maybe how has that journey been and what is the journey into sheds? And to your point, you know, gosh, what does the next 18 months, two years look like as all of these things, you know, really start to come at us in waves?

Ashish Roy 7:33

So true, so true, Cord. Um of late, what I've seen is that um a lot of uh things have changed very rapidly with the advent of AI. Obviously, um we all started using AI as a tool to help conversations become better and meaningful answers to the questions that we ask, but Agentec AI has just taken over the world, and we all are uh are seeing that uh revelation happening in real time here. It was not like this back in the day, um, you know, since after COVID, since when um Sensei on the carport side started taking uh um, you know, the capturing the imagination of the users in the carport industry, and one thing leads to another and another to another, and we have 300 successful customers before 2023 dance upon us. And um, you know, um the champagnes were popping and great things were happening. But then what happened was that uh we were uh contacted by a lot of great individuals in the ships industry and uh such a great industry, uh so many great people, and uh with our home base in North Carolina and friends uh throughout the country, especially in uh uh Pennsylvania and Tennessee and even in Florida, uh, we were asked to provide solutions to the problems that exist in the industry, and we started working upon the solution, and um we developed it quickly, not to not to the speed that I would imagine happening with AI now, but still pretty quickly and uh got adoption pretty quick, pretty fast. Uh the first 12 months obviously were always a uh a catching up game where we tried to uh, you know, without uh reducing uh uh you know the importance of uh things that matter the most, try to add on onto the functionality. And uh that's where we found our sweet spot. And since then, it has just been growth now. Sensei Shares is uh uh no more seen as, you know, hey, we also do sensei shades, but uh it's it has become kind of a premier landmark for uh Sensei Digital by and large. And uh shares is seeing rapid adoption. And uh, you know, we have launched a lot of features, but uh the most important thing is how do we reduce the frictions to the problems that exist in the minds of the people who would eventually be buying a shed? And uh, you know, the uh the audience is so different. Uh there might be a tech savvy 25-year-old wanting something in their backyard versus someone uh, you know, 65-year-old, uh, husband and wife trying to, you know, get some storage for the stuff that they want to get out of their house. And uh we had the challenge of building a user experience that uh caters to this uh very varied audience throughout the industry, not to mention the manufacturers, how they price things, uh how much importance somebody wants on payment plans and uh RTO and financing, and to come up with a solution which uh feels as a justified one for all of these was not easy, but we learned sometimes the hard way, sometimes by talking to people uh who have so much expertise and then defining the product in here we are.

From Carports To Sheds Growth Story

Cord 10:41

Yeah, that is, I mean, you know, it's what a journey. Um and at least what we hear, um, you know, we uh of course kind of hear from all sides of the industry uh and a bunch of different players at every level, whether it be, you know, dealers operating one lot um all the way up to manufacturing manufacturers who have dealer networks of hundreds. And what I think has always been the experience that that we hear from Sensei is just how really great it looks, but it sounds to me like you're describing uh more than just looks. I mean, you're describing really removing um objections or removing any of the questions that might be in that process. And I'm not sure this might even go to Chris's expertise, but you know, what does it look like to really sift through what those uh objections or questions in the customer's mind might be? Because we say this all the time on this podcast. Um, you know, a shed, a portable building, is very likely the third largest purchase that most households make. You get a house, you get a car, and then your shed at that sort of somewhere between, you know, six and eight or ten thousand dollars or more, depending on you know what that might be, um, is that next purchase. So, there are plenty of there are plenty of uh uh hurdles that you have to get over whenever you're thinking about uh a purchase that really you know ties that much into people's pocketbooks.

Ashish Roy 12:19

So true, so true. It's one of the most important uh purchases people would make throughout their lifetime, and since it adds to the aesthetics of the house, and since you know families are going to congregate around this structure, since it might be used for um, you know, for a significant amount of time of the day, especially in times of the year where uh the weather is uh great outdoors, um, it's a it's a huge purchase and it's an emotional one because people um people want to know um you know what is it that's available. Sometimes, you know, uh the simplistic view is there are three models of sheds, and you know, you can just probably add two door styles, which is which is just not true. We have seen manufacturers being very innovative. We have seen uh dealers um uh coming up with great uh plans which uh assist the buyers uh to own something in the long run without uh you know having a huge dent on their pockets. So, considering all these things, I would say that uh this important purchase is only enabled by Sensei Sheds to an extent where things which were thought of as uh not possible in the sheds industry five to seven years back, like online checkout, uh ability to pass on data to RTO providers and generating a contract almost in real time, if not in 100% real time, understanding how financing work in case somebody is interested in getting it financed, um, you know, uh showing a plethora of the model options uh categorized properly according to the nomenclature that manufacturers have, uh prioritizing things that would sell well in a particular um uh outdoors, uh, you know, um where you are living by the coast, let's say, versus when you are in the mountains of Tennessee. Uh, those are those are small things but have a huge lasting impact. And that's why I said uh when we were doing a major rehaul, overhaul of our uh user experience just last month, uh we decided that not everything is equal, right? So, depending upon what people want, give them the suggestions, give them the options, match it to what it can store, uh, how it can be used, and then let them pick one model, make it easy for them to customize and see what an upgrade costs. You know, some upgrades might be $50, but might not be necessary to relegate down the importance of uh relegate down the things which are not very important to the last steps and uh put the first things first, like colors. You know, people uh we are all visual beings, people love to see things, provide lifelike colors, provide the options that match clothes, small things, like I'll give an example of where the swing type of the door exists, right? That's so important. And when we move between the 2D and the 3D view of the shed, you have to represent that uh as to where the door is swinging in because they need to know uh exactly the the lot might not be huge, so they want to know exactly you know where the door is going to swing, how they will be entering and exiting, where the light bulbs go, where the switches go. And those things were not always about our sense I, but we have made rapid progress in those enhancements now. Our objective is to see everything in miscellaneous options, which is non-visual, to move them into the visual objects so people can feel it like if they were standing inside in a shed and then looking at it from how it looks from inside and then looking at um in in their yard.

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Guided Selling With Shared Build Links

Shannon 18:01

And now that now that it's new to us, you know, uh, there's this other thing starting. And then we've got to start all over again on educating. Uh, we've got to start all over on podcast, on articles and magazines, on trade shows to get everybody up to speed. We're slow to uh to to, you know, tech's fast to move. I'm almost Cord, I'm almost in a position to be like, are we becoming a tech podcast? We've been having so much conversation here lately over just the speed uh at which tech is moving, and then which with us being slow to embrace it, creates this very unique situation. Um, but man, how true is it? And then Chris, I wanted to ask you, what do you feel like she's kind of mentioned a lot of this, but I was curious about as a as the COO and doing the operations here, um, what do you feel like the difference maker's been? What are those features and benefits? And I know that you may be uh following up Ashish's lead there on mentioning so many of those, but as someone who's like, you know, working in the grind daily, what has that felt like with the customer?

Chris Dodd 19:16

Well, with the customer, uh, I feel like I feel like the 3D side of things um we've always been really good at. But coming from the carport side where visuals are a lot alike in a lot of instances, in sheds, you can offer the same product, but it looks very different. And these providers pay attention to the finest of details, and making sure that you capture exactly what they want to offer to their audience and to their dealers has been something that you really have to uh pay attention to. The scaling in which the size of something is or how it fits has been uh truly eye-opening to how attentive you have to be to the details of the sheds and making sure that when these providers are ready to offer something to their dealers or to the consumer, that they have something that they're proud of. Um and like you said, tying that back into the tech side of things, sometimes these providers aren't really using software to its full capability. So, being able to make sure that you are able to offer everything that they have, but still keep it very simple to where it's not overwhelming for someone that's not necessarily adapted to the software side of things or to all the changes that are coming very rapidly with AI and all of these things, I feel like that has been one of the toughest but most rewarding parts of coming into the sheds industry. Um, because adapting or accepting change is hard, especially in both industries where you've always done what's worked for you. Um so starting fresh or doing something different and being able to fully adapt those models uh has been a challenge, but a rewarding challenge at that.

Cord 21:07

I think it's, you guys are hitting on some of the key things here, which is you know, it's always seemed to me that the 3D process in the portable building industry um is optimal whenever you are having a guided experience. Like the best possible way you're going to sell that shed is if you, the sales representative, are able to sit across a desk or, you know, these days, you know, sit on a Google Meet potentially, uh or a Zoom call like we're on today and actually walk the person through the build uh you know, as the expert who doesn't get overwhelmed, as the expert who is able to take their vision uh and translate it. And it seemed to me that, you know, as more and more 3D builds are now being completed on digital, I mean, there's just a natural issue with how to actually fit all of the um icons and all the options like physically onto a small screen while still having that that great visual and so, I've thought for a while that translating the guidance that a um that a sales rep is able to do and translating that directly into the builder itself which it sounds like that is sort of what you were describing Ashish is that you know you're almost walking people through that process rather than kind of allowing it to be kind of here's all the here here's everything we've got uh you know and now click click click until you figure it out or you know in the worst case scenario you get frustrated and you hit back and now that lead is evaporated. So, am I am I dancing down the right rabbit trail there?

Ashish Roy 22:54

Absolutely, I would say and you know a lot of people come to me and ask this um uh the question about you know what would you think is important or how technology plays a central role like we're discussing in I say technology is only as good as uh the problem that it's used to solve and I believe that listening is so much more important for someone like me and Chris. After working 10 years in the industry um, Cord, it's uh technology comes naturally to us so whether it is um you know React uh JavaScript stack or 3JS or WebGL uh those fancy words uh you know don't scare us anymore because um ourselves and our engineers work very well in those technologies but what problem do we solve you know how do we design an experience that is like you said the most important word is guided so when people are sitting 50 miles away from where they will eventually be buying a shed do they have enough know-how of the process or if they have driven down to the lot and they are sitting right next to the to the salesperson who has had 20 years of experience then they should not feel that the salesperson is being replaced by the configurator because it's not it's uh it's only a tool in the hands of the right people and the more people trust it we have built in analytics we have built in drop-off points we have built in um we have uh used uh tools like uh video to make sure that uh anything that has to be captured as to where people are losing interest or not understanding something is captured. Reports are sent out to us, uh me and Chris and our engineers included and then we work on rectifying that problem. And then we don't even sometimes have to do that because the salesperson themselves are so knowledgeable and they are so well versed with the tool that they would they would let us know that hey this is where we seem like you know the process is getting burdensome for some of the people and then we would try to reduce friction. So, like I said last 18 months we've tried to remove things. Now we have added like something like AR which is like visualize in your own yard you just use your iPad uh when you are on a field visit and you show it to the person how it's going to look they can do the same by just sharing a link and they can just look at the shed in their yard which kind of really helps the buying process but at the same time the technology is an enabler but not an end in itself and that's what we are we have been very successful in doing the experience leads the way and as an entrepreneur I would say that I always invest in listening and answering the right questions asking the right question answering the right questions and then use the technology to solve that problem.

Chris Dodd 25:44

One of the And I want to add I would like to add one thing to that as you were talking about that guided experience and as Ashish was saying we like to listen um in the beginning you were saying you know by doing like a Zoom call or a Google call, something that we were able to implement on the metal side that I think was very vital and a key experience for not only the users but the consumers of the products is now as you're in the 3D building designing a building on the metal side you can actually create a link and text it over or send it over and it'll open up right to the 3D visualizer is in Sensei and you're able to watch it be designed to say, oh, I want the door here or I'd like to move the door there. And that's built within our platform to help that guided experience without having to send, you know, create a meeting invite link. You're able to do it seamlessly right through our platform and offer that experience to the customer that just takes it to the next step. So, that guided experience and just listening to the consumer and what they want and how we adapt to change is something that we've always taken very seriously. So, that that key feature is something that helps guide that experience as well.

Cord 26:53

Yeah big time and so adaptive right I mean that's that is plumbing right into what is the new customer experience um you know not to say that there's not going to continue to be traditional customer experiences on the lot um with a person, but I mean you're solving for um you know whether that be a digital lead somehow you're not in the same room with that person, right? You're not in the same room but you're having a discussion uh maybe it is just a simple phone call um so you've got you know your earbud in or you've got your phone up against your shoulder or whatever it is and now you're able to uh directly send that link um and they can they can watch as that gets built. I mean this is just enhancing what the new age of customer experiences are going to be.

Simple Tools For Sales Teams

Cord 27:43

And to your point Ashish you know things are uh web tools are going to be cheaper more efficient quicker to design than ever and so if the shed industry is not keeping up and I think that's kind of what Shandon was alluding to there right a lot of times we adopt we adopt uh these tools you know six or eight years you know after they've become available and what that really does is it puts you at a disadvantage to what the consumer's expectations are because if they have had smooth uh smooth digital transitions within their communications within web tools within buying experiences for every other thing in their life and now they get back to where like you're gonna need to be on a pencil and paper or it's gonna have to be a voice call instead of uh you know a text message or a video call uh as you're saying there Chris um you just start to create a mismatch uh which creates a little bit of discord and um you know you could use lose that lead lose that sale and to me it seems like we're in an era here where the people who figure these things out uh who innovate what that new consumer experience uh is or will be are going to be the ones that are able to consolidate grow build scale um you know and unfortunately people who don't adopt some of these things will be left behind um I was just thinking as you all were talking through that as well you know Steve Jobs it was always about things being intuitive and things being guided and one of the things we hear over and over and over again is just how good of a salesperson you know a particular dealer might be right they're absolutely fantastic whenever you actually get somebody in front of them they know everything there is to know they make the customer feel so comfortable um but they just they just can't adopt these tools but it sounds to me like um you know not only are these tools are is the sensei digital tools you know built for the consumer but actually built uh in a guided intuitive way where even you can bring your own uh salespeople or sales staff up to speed quickly and they themselves are almost being guided through the experience. Is that a is that a part of this as well um that you see as an advantage with sense yeah definitely, I mean uh cod see what's happening is uh alongside that one of the problems that salespeople and even manufacturers face is the ubiquity of some of the tools like you said the transition some of the industries are way far ahead in adopting technology and they have kind of users so you would have you know like CRM tools like there are there are a lot of CRM tools which do way much more than um than what is needed by a shared salesperson right and that tool is going to only intimidate someone who is who is you know uh used to do things the uh pen and paper way uh nothing wrong with that right but you need to slowly ease the users into the use and adoption of technology you can't just overwhelm them with uh offering uh an experience which has a million things and then a disjointed application for processing invoices and then something for sending out emailers so what Sensei did was it started to uh work towards a very minimalistic sales and lead management system which is offered as an add-on enhancement to the Sensei 3D designer and uh right from the moment the lead is captured or the interest is captured onward almost to the sales process, we have everything in a very simple UI.

Ashish Roy 31:29

And that's why I said that 3D is something which is super duper important because it is a sales tool and it's a visualization tool. But at the same time management of that interest is very important. So, we are trying to reduce the friction not just um introducing people to shares or configuration options or shares but once they have generated interest then these salespeople should be able to um see what's out there like inventory management right someone is responsible for managing that inventory and showcasing that how can I make it easy? Can I give them an app like experience even if it's not an app can I give a progressive web app and I can show it to them that hey, even if you don't have an internet connection while you're taking pictures on the lot you can still save data. You get back to your office the internet connection is back everything is going to be uploaded. Someone autos it's going to be removed those are some pretty basic things people know about them but I don't want to overwhelm people by giving them a hundred different options where it's just you know lost at the sea and uh that's one thing that we have tried to tackle so we are trying to be more than just a 3D configurator um which does a little more without overwhelming the people and their buyers uh you know um taking the right decisions.

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Why Visuals Convert Better

Shannon 33:51

It's a visual language I mean that's what you're speaking ultimately right Chris like it's a it's a visual language that you're trying to get people to understand. If you're writing it on a napkin well it'll look kind of like this uh you're trying to get people to understand it should look this way but you can show them the actual product and you can even run ads specifically towards that we know from a marketing side that if you're encouraging people to go and build their design it's a much bigger hook you know like you're going to bring people in because you're going to match the emotional side of a purchaser of a consumer of a shed because you want them to see it. You want them to visualize it you're really harvesting you know one of our major senses which is sight and you're really trying to like use that where people can almost visualize that as you said with ARS earlier you know if you can do that and walk around with an iPad in their backyard and show them this is what it would look like sitting here that creates that emotion that is not um um measurable because you don't know how a person's going to respond but you know that you have to create that response you have to give that option but it's not measurable because you don't know if that's what's really going to sell it for you at the end of the day is it the colors is the UI is it the builder is it is it their pricing uh is it their ability to build on site like none of those things matter I mean they do but nothing like that really hits that emotional attachment like seeing it and there's something about being able to see something that makes us believe in it more there's a reason that we're doing video here on this podcast today and not just audio. Audio's effective video's that much more maybe an even better representation is being in front of you directly I mean and that's how we're meant to be just as creatures as people we want that connection and uh I think when it speaks of visual language it helps the sale at the end of the day it helps the sale the reason we love 3D configurators is because we see when you specifically run ads towards them like these are high conversions like these are much better conversions. So, the question starts to become not really do I need one it may be can we have one right that may happen a lot of times in the Anabaptist community the playing communities they just may not be able to you know absorb that but they understand that they need it and here's why is because we do not get to control the way retail works purchasers consumers shoppers are still going to use the path of least resistance to be able to find the information they want whether they're googling it whether they're going to chat whether they're going to wherever to find information they're going and they're trying to justify that information and when they get that visual cue like it just changes the dynamic of the cell when you can meet the customer where they're going it's not the technology is not an attack on conservatism I just want to say that you know maybe that's a sound bite that I should have come up with a year ago but this technology is not an attack on conservatism it is a benefit to what you already do and what you already believe. It's helping you aid that anything can be used for negative we all understand that we all know that but these tools really do help the customers journey whenever they see these things I know Ashish, I'm curious you kind of got in on the carport and steel side and I've sewed car ports and steel buildings and there's a lot to that so I can't help but think when you mentioned the instances earlier this is just for my own curiosity there are so many instances that I'm sure you have to create because there's so many options even more options it feels like in the in the carport and metal building world than sheds.

Sheds Versus Metal Buildings Complexity

Shannon 37:58

What's your experience been like as you've rolled out the shed program how does it differ because a lot of the people who sell sheds sell car ports also.

Ashish Roy 38:07

So true um great question Shan uh one of the things that I've seen is uh how much importance uh the counties and the states have started giving to things like certification of these uh big steel structures because we have seen over years you know hurricanes and uh bad weather can cause a lot of damage to life and property. So, clear demarcation is needed between what a dwelling unit uh can be built like versus what a storage unit being built like and then um one of the other big differences between sheds and carpools is that sheds can go you know at the most up to like 16 feet wide in some cases maybe wider but that's like one in a you know 1000 case um carports on the other hand they start as uh small as 12 feet wide um sometimes 10 feet wide and then some of our customers are doing 100 feet wide the length is only up to your imagination you can build almost 500 to 1000 feet we limit our configuration to like one uh 300 feet right now because uh because while the length is not a problem but how many doors and windows are you going to add on that building and how many times is someone using the mouse to move that component throughout it all utilizes memory and uh while our computers these days are very strong technology cannot keep pace with uh you know uh small things like mouse movement and retaining the position of that uh component there and then being able to generate a PDF file and things like that. So, obviously there are a lot of challenges but what I've seen is um while uh we have technically speaking we have one big database and that database has more than 1500 configurable options in carboards right and those configurable options are utilized uh based on the offerings of the manufacturers while in sheds we have a database for every shed provider because they are so widely different. And the nuances like we were talking last week to a shed provider not last week I think last month talking to a shed provider and one of the things that came up was when we were doing a review was that two windows were adjacent to the to the door on the front that was the default configuration. And when the height of the door was increased from six feet to like six and a half feet the windows remained where they were and they wanted it to be not like that. They wanted it to align at the top and that can only happen if the doors are on the cable end but if they are on the sides that should not happen. So, those kind of configurable options who would tell us right we are we are taking a company but that's what I meant when I said that those configurable options are so beautiful and so unique that you have to now I can't go and say every time that hey because it's a config configuration option I have to charge you $500 chips for doing that because it goes as an enhancement to my software right so we have invested and burned sometimes a lot of you know paperbacks to make sure that we are able to offer to the industry and with every offering the tool becomes even that that that more powerful because next time we have those configuration options it's just as a setting in your Intel tool so the back end of this tool is called as the Intel tool and we have an overwhelming number of options there which we have kind of you know removed from the plane site. It's only for my Chris's and my technical team's usage where we would make those configurable options and if something is even beyond that we'll just go into the coding architecture to make a change there. But that's the beauty the nuances with which shares approaches uh its configuration versus how big and huge the carports and the garages and the warehouse buildings can be that scale of challenge is very different. You know it's more about memory and retention on the carport side versus on the shared side it's the minutia of things that is so important.

Cord 42:11

Yeah and it's and it's what the what the builders themselves really care about. I mean to your point right like they want it rendered in the down to down to that I mean it's it's craftsmanship which you know obviously there's a craft in metal buildings and everything as well but um the pride that these builders you know in the portable building industry take in their design and the way that they they lay it out um you know um and it does matter it matters stylistically it matters for you know who your buyer is and whether or not you make that sale so um certainly understandable Shannon had mentioned um you know some of those holdups to actually uh adopting you know 3D builder technology or or maybe technology in general sometimes um one of which being just a a uh religious you know inability to to adopt some of that technology or needing that kind of uh official exemption um but you know the other obviously then is just what the budgets of the builders or the dealers or whoever is the person who is actually investing you know in these technology options and you know where do you in what part of the stack do you invest and you know what do you start with and what comes second I guess probably the thing that that those listening um would want to know is you know just how do you approach the pricing side of this because I think that's really where the rubber meets the road for a lot of people when it does come down to adopting these technologies.

Pricing Timeline And Ongoing Updates

Ashish Roy 43:50

I think we have a very fair pricing system when it comes to Sensei um we have tried to like I said we have invested over these years Building upon the expertise that we have gained by working with these manufacturers. And you know, I think one of the things alongside pricing that is very important is how quickly you can get someone set up because time is money, right? Nobody wants to wait now six months to get a configurator, three months for that matter. That's too huge and long a timeline. So, we try to get them set up now. Obviously, there has to be a um uh a kind of a balancing act that we have to do as to how accurate do we want to make the configurator versus how quickly can we can we really launch it because um uh because uh in the details lie everything, right? Um and most of the times what we have seen is between three to eight week scales where we need to now, and with every subsequent addition that we do to our tool, I think the time will go down and the fee is so lucrative that if you are able to sell um you know eight to ten buildings throughout the month, even five buildings throughout the month, the configurator will pay for itself. Um and uh, you know, most of the people find it so much more reasonable compared to doing it on pen and paper, because um, you know, everything is at your fingertips right now, right? All the upgrade options are at your fingertips, the color options. And then we have a maintenance package as well where people can uh, you know, uh till the time that configurator is on your website, attached to your website. Uh, we will continue updating your prices, we will add new components because that's one thing that you can't uh uh overlook, right? Uh manufacturers are constantly uh like evolving. The materials, you know, like greenhouses, um, things like those are constantly being added to the sheds, uh configurator to the sheds. So, our configurator keeps up pace to that. So, you know, as a shed manufacturer, you're not just paying for a configurator, but you are paying for technology expertise that keeps up with the changes in the industry, making sure that you know uh it's updated in terms of pricing, in terms of your RTO options, and then enhancements, any other enhancements that come, like you know, in technology like AR, we spoke about uh user experience improvements, uh, you know, that's always uh available to you. So, I think that's the value that Sensei offers.

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Tracking Ads To Real Revenue

Cord 47:48

Yeah, and as it comes to the sort of uh order of that tech stack, I mean, at least from our perspective, um we try to be a very pipeline-centric um, you know, company when it comes to our own marketing and how we advise our clients in consulting. I mean, outside of just being visible, so outside of website, Google Business Profile, uh, social media profiles, outside of just like, do you show up to people as as being a company? Um, you know, for us, 3D really takes that next spot in the tech stack because, you know, you can always go out and start running uh, you know, disruptive lead generation, whether that be meta, which is obviously very popular in the shed industry, traditional disruptive uh campaigns, whether that be through video, uh, radio, streaming, etc. You know, but for us, uh, we always think that um, you know, the pipeline is best served by tools that are going to take people from curious to a lead to actually giving you enough of their information that they can actively be worked. And there's just not. I'm not saying that someday there may not be some innovation that takes, you know, that Dethrones 3D as that sort of primary pipeline driver as well as a sales tool, you know, for your actual uh uh sales team whenever they're in person or once they have bridged that gap a little bit. But that's where we see it in the stack. I'm sure you all are a little biased, but uh I would think that you probably see it about the same way, yes.

Ashish Roy 49:29

What a beautiful question. And how nicely have you put it forward, uh meta-ads or Google Ads for that matter, which have been the cornerstone of how you reach to your customers? Where do you bring them? Mostly to your website or now to your 3D, right? So, in Sensei, what we have done is uh we have enabled cross-domain tracking through um through Google Tag Manager. So, if you are using a particular snippet of Google Ads, uh GF4 typically is what people use these days, um, so you can use the same snippet on your configurator as well. You can use that or ask one of our engineers to add that on the tool. What it does is it automatically deciphers all the parameters from your campaign. Um, Google uses GCL ID and or WBRIT in case you know it does not have it, and then we pass on that parameter to your uh to your configurator as well. So, your website holds that data, your website exchanges that data with your configurator. So, if the lead generated out your configurator went into your CRM, we are sending out that data as well, right? You can use Sensei's API and you can identify which campaign it came from, which ad group it came from, which keyword or which ad it came from. And now you know exactly. Now you're we're holding this data and there are innovative methods. So, let's say somebody is using things like HubSpot, they can use the native integration of HubSpot with Google Ads, and they can send that data back to Google Ads and mark it as a conversion code, right? Uh if not, we have a lot of expertise doing Google Google Data Manager API as well. Well, we can store in our own sales and lead management system called Census here, we can store that data. We can send that data back to Google Ads, and what it will do is it will, if a sale was made, it will quantify the exact value of your shared offering. If only a lead conversion happened and you know you change the stage from new lead to let's say quarter lead, and you want to file that data back, then you can attach, let's say, $100 to it, you know, whatever monetary value you want to attach. So that now what happens is your ads become three times more uh uh you know experienced as to what is converting because form fills on the website. Yeah, we all know Meta is prone to spam, you know, Google is prone to spam as well. Sometimes there are just tire kickers. People don't really, you know, they're just price sharping. A lot of things, right? But what signals are you sending back to your campaigns, uh, whether on Meta, whether on TikTok, or Google Ads? That's the most important thing. And Sensei is one of the tools, and I don't know about others, obviously, but Sensei does that because we come from a marketing background. So, we want to make sure that those kind of things are taken care of before we say that hey, we have a holistic offering. So yeah.

Shannon 52:12

There's so there's so much validation in being able to track the data and being able to track the conversion. And I think in a tech adverse industry to some degree, uh, that can be a hard sell, which is why we love podcasting. We believe that educationally, if we can all improve, right? You know, that's why we say the a rising tide lifts all boats. It's why we understand that even when we compete with people, we want them to come on the podcast because we want to have those conversations because they're real conversations. That that's the part that really, really matters is that you're discussing something, uh, and it gives you a chance to display your area of expertise. I mean, it's not like you guys woke up and said, let's do a 3D configurator. There's a lot of time, effort, and process that's gone into this. There's a lot of information. I'm gonna step away from the data side for just a minute, and I'm just gonna ask this question, uh, Chris or Ashish, whoever wants to

The One Promise And Customer Service

Shannon 53:16

take it. If there's just one message, because I still believe that like people buy on the emotional sense. And I here's my here's my soft toss for you guys to hit a home run. If there's something that this industry should know uh about Sensei Digital, what's the one thing that you would want a shed manufacturer to know that you guys do?

Ashish Roy 53:41

One thing that I would want to tell the shed manufacturers is we will help you sell what you create, not what the technology offers. It's easy for me to bring you, you know, 300 models, but do you offer those models? How do you price them? How what components go on which models? Uh, what is what are the defaults on these models? Can the components be moved laterally versus horizontally? Uh, where do you place your windows? You know, exactly what you are building in real time. And let's say 70% of your shared models are those seven models that you sell the most. I have a way, we have a way of showing them at the top so that your best sellers are always in the sight of the users. So, rather than us telling, hey, this is the technology and you work on this technology, we say we bring the technology as an enabler, you use it, and we'll help you sell it exactly the way that you have been selling for all these years.

Shannon 54:42

Strong argument there, Cord. Strong argument.

Cord 54:46

Very well put, and exactly, I mean, you know, exactly um the type of uh framing that that um certainly the manufacturers and dealers want to hear, right? Um, you know, because I do think that there is some resistance, you know, because it is um, you know, depending on what technology you're talking about. Um I mean, heck, this has even worked its way into our cell phones and everything else. Um, but you know, a lot of tech technology has gotten to the point where it can dictate, right? Technology can tell you no, you are doing it this way. And uh in fact, I just I mean I love the uh um Samsung messages app, and they just discontinued it. Said you will not use this app any longer, you know, um, and it worked really well for me. Uh, but I will admit that now I've switched over to Google Messages and it is a lot more convenient. Uh you just like on Apple, you can share uh, you know, share documents and everything, uh, just like on there. But anyway, um, you know, I do think that that makes a huge difference, right? Uh this is a technology that caters to what you sell, what you build, not the other way around. Um, and I think that's what most people in this industry want uh because it is so craftsman driven, it is so you know, driven by the individual. Um you know, we've tried to estimate before uh just how many you know individual builds and designs and companies there are out there. But as soon as you feel like you have a number that is somewhat reasonable, you hear that you know 15 more individual guys, just you know, a man and a hammer and two by fours have sprung up and now all of a sudden you have you know you don't know if that's anywhere close to accurate now. So, um I mean I think this has been uh uh fantastic and eye-opening and hopefully forward looking for all of you out there out there listening, um you know, and who are considering just exactly what is going to uh to your point, what's going to help you keep uh doing what you love to do, keep building sheds, keep selling sheds. Um and the point isn't that technology is here to um you know to change everything about your business. It's here to enable you um to continue to do what it is that you love, um, you know, and go match whatever that that customer is looking for in that digital way or in that experience. But at the end of the day, um, you know, there's still going to be hammers that get swung to build sheds, you know. Um you know, and I guess maybe there's a future where robots, but I think robots and sheds are a ways away. Um so maybe I'll just give you all the opportunity, Chris. I know we've been having uh we've been going back and forth on sort of the really whatever, uh keeping it up here in the clouds. Um, but maybe bring it back down for us before we before we go here and just tell us about what that that on the ground day-to-day, you know, obviously you're the one who is handling the operations and the moving of pieces. Just tell us tell us about that side of it and what it's like to be out there with um the customers and the builders and everything else.

Chris Dodd 58:21

Well, one person we haven't got to mention yet that's really been vital to uh what we've been able to do on the shed size. His name is Anthony Vargas. Um, he is the one that's working day-to-day, um, working these leads, uh working with these manufacturers, these providers and these dealers, alongside myself. This is more of his sole job and what he does and communicating his uh you know uh objections and um what he's running into every day. Uh but I think the one thing that really helps us on the ground is our customer service. Uh our attention to detail on the software side uh only happens because of the great team that we have behind us uh all the way around, from the developers to the customer support side and just really listening. Uh I think that that's something that's always set us aside on both parts. Um being able to get in touch with us uh and being able to get the help you need in real time. Um if there's something that's really dire and it's an emergency, us being able to get somebody on it right away, uh, no matter where they're at, what time of day it is, um, has really um helped us grow uh and be a reliable household name in the industries that we are a part of. So, I think staying um humble and just really always remembering where we came from, no matter how we feel day-to-day, or you know, getting manufacturers or dealers to believe in Sensei, because one thing I can say is everybody here truly believes in the product that we provide. Um we are sales is just part of it, right? We want to sell our software, we want people to use our software, but the thing is we truly believe in the software that we offer. Um, and customer service and being able to show up and listen to the people and get them what they need has been a vital, vital part to our success uh in sheds. And I think that only goes, you know, that goes just as far as any part of it. Uh if you can't be there and listen and make things happen and make the changes happen, um, then you're really not gonna, you may capture the audience, but you're gonna not gonna maintain that audience. I don't want someone to sign up with Sensei um and because we tell them a bunch of things and then two months later they're like, this is nothing that we thought it was, and then they just leave. We want uh relationships to last for a long time. We love to bring people on and then keep their business for years to come because it's not just someone getting a subscription, it's a partnership with Sensei, and we truly believe in that here.

Cord 1:00:55

Well, I don't I don't know that they could match up with our philosophy much closer on that note, Shannon.

Shannon 1:01:01

I mean, that is um that's well, I mean, short-term wins just, you know, there's just no gain there. I mean, short-term wins just uh, you know, that doesn't, it doesn't help the customer like we, yeah. I mean, I feel like you've got our office bug because you're saying a lot of the same things that you know we would say over here. Uh you can't go for the short-term win. It just, you know, it's not, it's not the kind of business we want to be in. And uh, you know, we believe that people buy from people they trust, you know, so like we want to be trustworthy people. On that note, you said a couple things that I'd like

How To Get A Demo Closing

Shannon 1:01:38

to get on here. One is how do people reach out to you if they want to know more, Chris? Like, how would they connect with you guys? Uh, you know, to do a demo or you know, brainstorm with you guys.

Chris Dodd 1:01:50

If you'd like to do a demo, um, you can always uh call directly into the office um 336-515-7900. Um, and some one of our customer support representatives will be able to get you in the right direction. If you're someone that sells metal, if you're someone that sells sheds, if you're someone that sells both, someone here will always be available to um to help you. Uh we're Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 or 8 to 6 on uh Eastern Standard Time. And then also you can always go to our website uh at www.senseydigital.com, um, and then you'll be able to fill out a form. You'll also be able to test out the 3D estimator on the shed side so you can play around and see how things go. So, go visit our website, uh see what we have to offer, get to know our team, uh, get to know some of our clients that truly believe in the product that we offer and just see what we're all about. I think uh the website's always a good place to start. Fill out that lead, request the demo. It'll come directly to myself, Anthony, and the team. We'll be sure to get to you and get you set up on a demo so we can show you all the products that we have here to offer.

Cord 1:02:58

And of course, uh all of our listeners always know you can uh click the link that will be attached uh in the accompanying newsletter, and we will send you over to that website as well. And you can always reach out to us. We'd be happy to put you in touch with these guys. Guys, it has been such a great conversation um, you know, about not just the present, uh, the tools in the present, but the industry of the future. Uh, and I think these conversations are the ones that are going to inform uh what success looks like in the next three to five years in this industry. So, um I would go ahead and uh extend an invitation. Maybe we could talk again in a year um and see where we're at because I have a feeling, uh, as we said at the beginning, uh, you know, some of these things are just going to keep on moving at light speed. And uh let's stay in touch about it if you guys are willing to do that.

Ashish Roy 1:03:53

Would love to. Thank you for having us today here. We appreciate the problem.

Cord 1:03:58

Absolutely. Thank you all for being here and thank you for your time. Thank you, Shannon, for joining me as a co-host. Um, this was it's always good to get uh get a little bit of a round table going and have uh have so many different uh different conversations being able to take place in one place. So, thank you all for listening, and we will see you next time on another episode of the Shed Geek Podcast.

OUTRO 1:04:24

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