How to Sell AI in an Industry Dominated by Legacy Tech | Chris McLendon

In this episode, I sit down with Chris McLendon, Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at TidalWave, to talk about what it looks like to sell AI-native mortgage technology into an industry that is under margin pressure, skeptical of hype, and still deeply dependent on legacy systems. Chris explains why he left a much larger incumbent in ICE Mortgage Technology to join TidalWave, what made the product and team feel real, and why Diane Yu’s track record was a major part of his decision.We also get into how lenders evaluate AI, why independent benchmarks matter, and how TidalWave uses its Columbia study showing strong compliance-check performance against Claude 4.5 in the sales process. Chris breaks down why the biggest opportunity is not just adding AI point solutions, but rethinking the borrower and lender experience from the front end. He also shares how startups can compete against large incumbents, why speed is a real advantage, and why reputation matters so much in a small industry where “you really only get one name.” TOPICS WE COVER Why Chris left ICE Mortgage Technology/Encompass for TidalWave and what made the team feel different  How TidalWave uses its Columbia benchmark study to build credibility with lenders evaluating AI  Why many AI tools in mortgage are still point solutions, and how TidalWave is approaching the borrower experience differently  How lender conversations around AI have shifted from “show me” to “how fast can we go live?”  What startups have to do better than incumbents when selling into mortgage technology  Why reputation, trust, and knowing early adopters matter so much in a relationship-driven industry ABOUT THE GUESTChris McLendon is the Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at TidalWave, an AI-native mortgage technology company focused on improving the borrower and lender experience through automation at the front end of the loan process. Chris has been in the mortgage industry since 1999, starting in production as a loan officer before moving into mortgage technology. Before joining TidalWave, he spent five years at Black Knight on the Empower platform and ten years with Encompass/ICE Mortgage Technology, working across relationship management, enterprise accounts, and new logo sales.LINKSConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter-armendarez/ Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.techsaleswithcarter.com/newsletter/ Learn more about TidalWave: https://www.tidalwave.ai/