It’s a great time to be a roofing contractor.
The industry grew by 2.7% annually from 2015 to 2020 and is expected to reach $32.14 billion by 2028. But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine…
There are currently 37,340 roofing companies in the United States, a 1.2% increase from last year. That means competition is fierce, especially in high-growth locations.
Plus, roofing is a big-ticket item that requires significant research and consideration before purchase. People don’t buy new roofs—or even repair their current roofs—on a whim. And they’re always looking for as much bang for their buck as possible.
What does this all mean? Salespeople in the roofing industry need to step up their game and learn the ins and outs of how to sell roofing to their target market. We’re here to help. Keep reading to learn 10 roofing sales tips you can use to drive more revenue in 2023.
How To Sell More Roofing Contracts
You need more than a sterling reputation to sell roofing contracts in 2023.
You need a proven system to connect with quality prospects, earn their trust, and close deals. These 10 roofing sales tips will put you and your sales team in the best position to succeed.
Craft A Value-Based Sales Pitch
Why should your prospects hire your company to install or fix their roofs? Because you offer them unique value, which you’ll share with them in your finely-tuned sales pitch.
The best sales pitches answer three important questions:
- Why should I buy this product/service?
- Why should I buy this product/service from your company?
- Why should I buy this product/service from your company right now?
The answers to these three questions will vary from prospect to prospect. That’s why it’s so important to research, speak to, and learn about your target market before you pitch. This will help you offer the right product/service at the right time, boosting your chance at the sale.
Once you understand the specific problem your current prospect is facing, you can present a viable solution and explain why your company is best equipped to deliver it to them.
Prospect With ICP Data
Every sales team needs to create an ideal customer profile, or “ICP.
If you’re not familiar with the term, an ICP is a detailed outline of your perfect client. It should include demographic information such as age, location, and income status, as well as psychographic details like individual goals and fears. Here’s a quick example:
Jim is 45 years old and a lifelong resident of Boise, ID. He makes $75k a year, putting him in the top 25% of earners in his city. He wants to replace his roof with a quality product that will last. He also wants it to look stylish to please his wife and preserve his home’s resale value.
Once you’ve created an ICP for your company, use it to inform your prospecting efforts. How? Generate leads that match the profile you’ve created. This will increase your reps’ close rate.
SPOTIO’s Lead Machine enables reps to prospect by 200+ different data points.
Set Minimum Daily Sales Activities
Your reps can’t force prospects to buy new roofs from them. All they can do is present the facts in a logical, easy-to-understand way and hope for the best.
That doesn’t mean they’re powerless in the selling process, of course. There are things they can control, such as how much effort they put into closing deals.
Generally speaking, the more effort they expend, the more sales they’ll make. So, why not set minimum daily sales activity goals for them to meet? This will keep them accountable and ensure they call, email, and visit enough people to meet their quotas.
Use Multiple Communication Channels
How do your reps connect with leads? If they only meet with prospects in person, or only call them on the phone, or only send them sales emails, your team is behind the times.
Modern sellers should use every communication channel at their disposal to connect with and sell to potential customers. This includes the three channels above and social media.
Using multiple channels has one major benefit: it will allow your reps to communicate with each prospect in his or her preferred way. Some prospects enjoy in-person visits. Others prefer to chat via email. A multi-channel communication strategy will cater to both.
One more tip: track every customer interaction with a tool like SPOTIO, which will automatically log in-person visits, calls, emails, etc., and send the data to your CRM of choice.
Canvass (And Re-Canvass) Neighborhoods
Your sales team needs to use multiple communication channels to connect with leads. But let’s be honest; in-person visits are your most effective strategy.
So get your reps out of the office and into their respective territories. Ask them to pay special attention to neighborhoods in which roofing contractors have recently worked. The other folks in the area will probably be more receptive to their sales pitches because, after all, their neighbor just had their roof worked on. They might want in on the action, too.
Once your reps have canvassed a neighborhood, ask them to wait a suitable amount of time. Then instruct them to re-canvas the same area. This will give them a chance to reconnect with potential customers and meet with new prospects they missed the first time through.
As with most things, canvassing is easier with the right tools. SPOTIO’s canvassing software makes it easy to capture crucial information and pass it to closers, if needed.
Follow Up And Nurture Leads
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. You need to follow up with prospects to close deals at a consistent pace. This is especially true in the roofing industry.
Remember, a new roof is a major purchase. Your company’s prospects will want to take their time making a decision. If your reps don’t contact them on a regular basis, they might forget about your offerings and buy from another company that was more diligent with its follow-up.
What about prospects who just need roof repairs? Should you follow up with them, too?
Of course! These folks need solutions ASAP before their faulty roofs cause serious damage to their homes and personal property. They’ll probably hire the company that communicates with them on a regular basis, not the company that talks to them once and then disappears.
Automate Repetitive Sales Processes
Wanting to follow up with leads and actually doing it are two different things. Luckily, there are tools you can use to automate this process and others. Let’s take a closer look:
Capture Data
Do your reps have to manually record who they visit, call, email, and text? Do they have to personally transfer data from a notebook to your CRM software? The best field sales apps will do these tasks for them using automation. Imagine how much more productive they’ll be.
Create Messaging Templates
Automation can be used to streamline your reps’ multichannel sales communications, too. Use software to create email and text templates that can be personalized and scheduled to send when predetermined criteria are met. Or take things to another level and create fully automated sales workflows with SPOTIO Autoplays. Doing so will boost each rep’s productivity and ensure that important leads never fall through the cracks.
Prioritize With A Day Planner
Finally, invest in an automated day planner that your reps can use to keep track of their sales activities. Used correctly, this kind of tool will tell your reps exactly what to do and when to do it. Better yet, it will make completing each task easy thanks to embedded notes, buttons, etc.
Use References And Ask For Referrals
Here’s one of our favorite roofing sales tips: use referrals to close more deals.
When speaking with prospects, ask your reps to reference specific customers that said prospects might know, i.e. the neighbor down the street from them.
And when your reps make sales, have them ask their new customers to refer their friends to your company. You can even give them a small reward for doing so, i.e. an Amazon gift card.
Both of these strategies will help build trust. Every professional seller knows that trust is essential to the sales process. Without it, your reps will never close deals. This is especially true in the roofing industry, where the cost of service can reach five figures.
Provide A Free Offer
The world may seem pretty divided right now. But there’s one thing we can all agree on: free stuff rules. Use this to your advantage when selling roofing contracts.
What can you give away to meet more potential customers, earn their goodwill, and eventually, make more sales? Maybe it’s a free roofing consultation or inspection. Maybe it’s something else that your target market would love to have, free of charge.
One of the great things about this strategy is that it develops reciprocity. By giving your prospects something for free, you’ll create a desire in them to return the favor. Handled correctly, this desire can be leveraged into future sales, positive testimonials, and more.
Monitor Rep Activity And Performance
Finally, when learning how to sell roofing services, make sure you track your reps.
Are they meeting the quota? If so, what strategies are they using to succeed? If not, what’s the reason for their underperformance? Do they need to contact more people? Maybe they need to receive more roofing sales training so that they can implement your team’s sales strategy effectively.
SPOTIO gives sales managers all the tools they need to monitor reps in the office and the field. Easily track their communications, travel paths, and more.
Whether you use SPOTIO or not, you need a reliable method to monitor your sales reps. It’s the only way to properly evaluate their performance and help them improve.
Case Study: Storm Guard Used SPOTIO To Double Down On What Was Working
There are plenty of sales tools on the market. But very few of them are as effective for outside sales teams as SPOTIO. Why? Because our solution was specifically built for this purpose.
Storm Guard, a national exterior restoration company that specializes in roofing, recently made the switch to SPOTIO after using a different tool. The impact was immediate, allowing the company’s reps to quickly take notes, track deals, and make more sales than ever before.
Storm Guard’s sales managers have enjoyed using SPOTIO, too, because it enables them to easily monitor reps and understand how each deal in the pipeline is progressing.
In the President of Storm Guard’s own words, “SPOTIO is awesome. It’s easy to use. And I guarantee you that it is worth the money.”
Increase Roofing Sales With SPOTIO
The roofing industry is booming.
After reading this article, you know exactly how to sell roofing services and capitalize on the amazing potential in front of you. All you have to do is follow the roofing sales tips above.
Need a tool to help you automate data capture, communicate with prospects, and/or track your reps? Consider SPOTIO. Our platform is perfect for roofing companies with outside sales teams. Sign up for a free trial of our software today to see if it’s right for your company.
