Struggling To Sell Roofs
Dear Roofing Salesperson,
I’ve heard you’re struggling to sell roofs.
You’re confused because you still see a lot of roofs that need to be replaced.
You tell me there’s entire neighborhoods where half the roofs look like they have enough hail damage to qualify for a new roof.
You keep asking, “What about all those people who haven’t replaced their roof yet?”
The question you should be asking is, “Why haven’t they replaced their roof yet?”
Since we aren’t exactly sure why they haven’t replaced their roof yet, let’s run down the list of usual suspects…
#1 They’ve Already Spent The Money
As our good friends over at Arnett Construction recently pointed out on Facebook, when you’ve worked with a homeowner through the entire process only to have them spend the money… wasting all of your time and effort, that is extremely frustrating!
Keep this in mind… there’s only two things you can’t fix:
– You can’t fix stupid.
– You can’t fix broke.
If the money isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how it went away, the money isn’t there. Move along. You don’t work for free, do you? Dry your tears and move along.
This brings us to reason number two…
#2 They Can’t Get The Money
While there are probably several reasons why they can’t get the money, you can probably narrow this one down to their claim either getting denied or only paid partially. Obviously, they may still want to pursue a re-inspect or perhaps chase down the appraisal process, but that’s up to the client. After those alternatives are exhausted, the result is still the same… they can’t get the money. Move along.
There might be another reason why they can’t get the money…
#3 Their Bank Has The Money
This is a more recent phenomenon that I started noticing after the economic meltdown of 2008. I personally believe that banks are under increasing pressure to beef up their reserves. As a result, they’ve jumped all over these insurance claim checks. This isn’t true of every mortgage company, but there’s a few big names that have really made it difficult for the homeowner to recover their funds.
I’ve noticed that homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments (and there’s a lot of that happening these days) are intimidated by the mortgage process. I’m hearing more of this lately from the guys I coach on a daily and weekly basis.
It is human nature to put off anything that is confusing, isn’t it?
#4 They’re Confused By All Their Choices
Write this down and never forget it… “A Confused Mind Never Buys!”
Their home is smack-dab in the middle of a hail damaged neighborhood. Their wind turbines have big dents in them… you can see the dents from the street. There’s no doubt in your mind, they’ll qualify for a new roof. Funny, that’s the same thing every other roofing salesman thought to himself as he approached the front door with their best pitch.
You can only imagine how many times they’ve been pitched. The hail happened back in the Spring. It is now Fall and they still haven’t replaced their roof? It probably isn’t because they haven’t been approached 100’s of times… actually, it is the exact opposite… they’ve been approached 100’s of times and now they’re confused.
Remember, “A Confused Mind Never Buys!”
#5 They Don’t Trust Roofers
Is it any wonder?
The television news and local newspapers love to run fear-mongering stories about bad contractors.
I don’t blame the media. Fear sells. They’re doing their job. Every time I hear one of these reports, I think to myself, “I would love for them to run just one story about a homeowner who ripped off a contractor.” They wouldn’t have to search very long. I’m sure you have a story or two you’d like to tell. I know I do.
However, none of that matters because they don’t trust you!
You have a website. So what! Who doesn’t?
You have fancy brochures. So what! Everybody has fancy brochures.
You have a big truck with an expensive wrap. So what! Big trucks are everywhere. Folks have seen wraps before.
You’re licensed, insured, bonded, certified, listed in the Yellow Pages for three generations and members of the BBB & Angie’s List too? Unfortunately, none of that matters because… they don’t trust you!
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying these things aren’t important ever. I’m just saying that all of these aren’t important until the day they trust you. Most of the valuable hits on your BBB will happen after a homeowner has met with you, or maybe even after they’ve signed your contract. They are doing their due diligence or possibly fighting buyer’s remorse.
Do you have to be listed there? Absolutely, I wholeheartedly recommend you contact your local BBB and sign up right away if you haven’t already! But until a homeowner trusts you, you’ll almost never get a contract signed based solely on your membership or your website, fancy brochure, big truck, or your clever advertising.
Nobody ever said, “Oh man, you’ve got a Twitter account, where do I sign?”
There’s an exception to every rule. I’m sure if you think long enough you can come up with that one guy back a few years ago who said he signed up with you because he liked your Yellow Pages ad… and the reason you’ll remember them… because that almost never happens.
You can’t make a living signing up only the people who are impressed with your business image.
All of these things together may buy you one, small, teeny, little, itsy-bitsy opportunity to state your case, but they still don’t trust you… until they trust you! You have to take that one opportunity and knock it out of the park if you’re going to earn their trust.
What are you going to do about it? How are you going to earn their trust?
If you want to know the answer, or you think you already know, reach out to me and let’s talk about it. Okay?
Peace,
Mike
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Mike Coday
Mike started selling roofs in '95 while working as a youth pastor at a small church in North Texas. A decade later he transitioned to speaking at industry conferences and training outside sales teams. Today, he works exclusively as the premier consultant to roofing company owners who are driven for growth.
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