How AI Is Transforming Mortgage Sales and Buyer Experience

Welcome back to Lending Leadership: Your trusted source for insight on all things lending, sales, and, this week, the transformative power of AI.This episode, we’re thrilled to pull up a seat at the AI sales table with Ben Treadway of ConsenSys. Ben Treadway is not only an industry innovator with deep experience in mortgage technology, but also a champion of buyer enablement and smarter sales enablement in an era where information and decision-making are happening faster than ever.We dive headfirst into the future of lending where AI-driven agents and conversational automation aren’t just buzzy tech tools, but real solutions to information overload, repetitive inefficiencies, and shifting buyer expectations. We break down what AI can (and can’t) do for both buyers and loan officers, explore the different “buying love languages” borrowers bring to the table, and tackle the big question: Is AI here to help loan officers, or replace them?You’ll hear practical stories about how ConsenSys was built on the idea that while selling is hard, buying is even harder and how empowering the buyer (both externally and internally) has real, measurable business impact. We also talk about website conversions, onboarding, compliance, and why the old methods are rapidly losing ground to tech-forward, customer-centric experiences.Key takeaways:AI as a Multiplication Tool, Not a Replacement: Ben Treadway is clear: AI isn’t here to put loan officers out of a job. Instead, it’s about freeing up time by automating repetitive FAQs, allowing sales teams to focus on more qualified, meaningful conversations. The technology is designed to support and scale the work of professionals not erase the need for them. (21:06)Meeting Buyers Where They Are On Their Terms: We discuss how every borrower (or internal stakeholder) consumes information differently some want videos, others want to read, some prefer hands-on demos, and others want to talk. Giving prospects options and catering to these “buying love languages” increases comfort, trust, and ultimately conversion. (04:06)The Era of Self-Education Has Arrived: Research shows that five years ago, buyers spent about 50% of their time self-educating before reaching out to a salesperson. Today, that number has soared to 90%. Mortgage and sales pros must recognize that buyers are coming to the table with more information and greater expectations for both speed and transparency. (23:12)Closed-Model AI Safeguards Brand and Compliance: Unlike public-facing tools like ChatGPT, ConsenSys uses a “closed” AI model. This means it only dispenses the information you want it to share ensuring brand consistency, up-to-date messaging, and, crucially in mortgage, regulatory compliance around things like quoting rates. (14:11)Transforming Onboarding, Recruiting, and Website Conversions: Conversational AI agents are versatile. They make onboarding new loan officers easier by offering instant answers and resources on company knowledge. Externally, they can engage website visitors proactively, boost conversion rates, and even streamline recruiter-candidate interactions by providing instant, detailed information making for smarter, faster follow-ups and a stronger employer brand. (17:06), (33:05)At the end of the day, as Rach reminds us: Stop making people buy the way you want to sell—give them options, let them explore, and be there (as a person) when they’re ready. That’s how real lending leadership is done in the age of AI.Tune in and let’s reimagine the buying journey, together.