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EARLY RELEASE
The Autodesk Storytelling Playbook
Lee Mullin spent 18 years mastering go-to-market strategy at Autodesk from technical support to leading product launches across construction tech. Now running BuildArc, he's helping AEC tech companies break through the noise in an overcrowded market.
In this conversation, Lee reveals why most companies are sabotaging their own sales by leading with product features instead of customer stories, and shares the exact messaging frameworks that turn skeptical buyers into believers. I
In this episode, you’ll:
Discover the "Context-Contrast-Call" framework that transforms product demos from forgettable feature lists into compelling narratives that move buyers from "maybe" to "yes"
Learn why venture-backed AEC tech companies fail at differentiation and the exact messaging strategy that cuts through a market where everyone promises the same productivity outcomes
Master the art of customer-centric storytelling by understanding the critical difference between what customers say they need versus the actual problems they're trying to solve (and why this distinction determines product-market fit)
Steal the messaging hierarchy framework that ensures your entire organization—from technical support to sales to marketing—tells a consistent story that builds trust instead of creating customer confusion and churn
Get the proven iPad-on-site pitch strategy that convinced skeptical contractors to adopt mobile technology when they were still using paper plans, and how to adapt this approach for any transformational tech
Chapters:
00:00 - Why storytelling is the hidden differentiator most AEC tech companies miss
03:24 - The "faster horse" problem: What customers say vs. what they actually need
06:13 - Building your messaging framework: One story, multiple touchpoints
08:42 - The consistency trap: Why disconnected stories kill customer satisfaction
11:53 - Lee's journey: From Autodesk technical support to go-to-market leader
15:32 - The hard truth about differentiation in a crowded AEC tech marke
18:45 - Customer-centricity vs. product-centricity: Which story are you telling?
23:17 - Common messaging mistakes that make buyers tune out immediately
27:56 - The strategic narrative: Your big idea that changes customer behavior
31:08 - Real example: How BIM 360 positioned against entrenched competitors
35:42 - Why most companies fail to articulate their actual value proposition
39:28 - Building messaging that works across the entire customer journey
43:15 - The role of emotion in B2B construction tech decisions
46:53 - How to validate your messaging with real customer conversations
51:20 - The "jobs to be done" framework applied to AEC technology
56:09 - The hero framework: Making your customer the protagonist
58:37 - Context-Contrast-Call explained with the iPad construction site example
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