In this episode of Built for Growth, Pam Torrey talks with Alec Newcomb, Fractional CMO at Thompson Creek Window Company and founder of MarketingAlec, about the gap between AI hype and AI results in home improvement marketing.

Alec sits at an unusual intersection. He advises around 250 companies a year through his newsletter, teaching, and speaking work, while also running marketing for one of the fastest growing window companies in the country. He and Pam dig into what separates AI that moves the bottom line from AI that just looks good in a meeting, then get specific about how Thompson Creek approached voice AI for its call center.

Topics covered:

• Why "performative AI" is the trap most companies fall into first
• The real mandate behind Thompson Creek's AI rollout: double digit bottom line growth, not headcount cuts
• A surprising data point: 26% of Thompson Creek's customers are over 72, and many of them prefer talking to the AI over the call center
• How Thompson Creek tracks the shift with a balanced scorecard of sentiment, sales, and satisfaction metrics, rather than cost savings alone
• What happened when AI took over inbound calls, and how the team handled pushback from call center staff
• Alec's advice for any CMO or business leader who wants real AI results, not just AI hype

If you're weighing where AI actually belongs in a high ticket, trust heavy sales process, this one is worth your full attention.