As a new roofer, trying to book a roofing job can be overwhelming. If you are a new roofing contractor, you will find out that filling your schedule with booked appointments may take some time and effort. Fortunately, this post will give you surefire tips that will help you line up new customers for your roofing business.
First Impression
When answering the phone for a roofing inquiry or responding to an internet lead, the first impression you give to a client can go a long way to booking a roofing appointment. Roofing contractors tend to have the worst reputation of being shady, rough, and dirty. You can stand out from the stereotypes by oppositely presenting yourself. A friendly smile while being on the phone will help to break the ice of a potential client, and yes, they can hear a smile. If you don’t have excellent communication skills, several online resources can help you out, or you should hire someone who is. A well-written phone script can help to portray a high level of professionalism.
Honesty
Many storm chasers are out there to make quick bucks but deliver poor services. I would advise you to under-promise and over-deliver rather than exaggerating their skills and fail to attain the desired results. The pressure, particularly when you desperately need a job, is to promise more than you can do and at a cheaper rate, to get a roofing job. This is a very harmful practice. You can quickly get into trouble with clients who have paid for your services, and yet you fail to deliver as agreed.
If a client requests you to perform a specific roofing task, be open about your skills in that area. Don’t fear to tell them that you are not a specialist in that particular area and that if you book the job, you won’t deliver exceptional results. Clients appreciate honesty, and you will gain their trust. You would be surprised by the high number of customers who appreciated my honesty in sharing with them my weaknesses and strengths.
Don’t be too anxious to take on a roofing job that you cannot complete without giving a customer a set of honest expectations. Believe me, your clients will appreciate this, and you may end up getting several referrals.
Be honest about the status of your potential customer’s roof. Don’t advise them to install a new roof while a minor repair can extend their roofs’ life. That is unethical and plain dishonesty. Since you don’t expect someone else to do that for you, and then do it to your existing or prospective customer.
Lastly, remember to be honest about the timeline of the project. If you know that you cannot complete a particular task this week, don’t promise that it will be completed within the week just to book a roofing job.
Knowledge
It is crucial to be knowledgeable and organized when dealing with a potential roofing client. Understand your pricing structure and roofing lingo. Be honest and confident when discussing the best way to complete a roofing project. I understand that some roofing knowledge comes from experience, so it may be hard to be an expert in roofing services you are not familiar with. That’s where the concept of honesty comes into play.
I remember there was one roofer who used to respond, “That’s my specialty” when any prospective client asked about specific roofing services. In simple terms, every roofing service that the client wanted to be his specialization.
He has “Fake it till You Make it attitude.” But that is not the best method to book a roofing job. It would be advisable that you gain a lot of roofing related experience and learn so that you can help clients make a better decision. If you opt to have a roofing specialty, then put a lot of effort to learn all that you can to become an expert in that field. Many clients can quickly tell when a roofer doesn’t know his specialization.
Value
All clients want to know whether or not they are getting good value for their money. There are several methods of giving clients value without wasting your income. One such way is adding extras, in addition to what the customer wants at no extra charges. This could include cleaning all the gutters after completing a roofing project or doing a free roof inspection after storm damage. Be honest about your pricing.
Giving clients value does not imply that you should always start with a higher price and afterward offer ‘the extras’, but this method is a common practice in some regions. In some cultures, you will take the customer around and round before settling on a price. However, this is not acceptable in some areas, especially in the United States. So, it is suitable for customers to know the value that they expect from once they hire you for services.
Communication
Communication with a potential customer can make all the difference between booking a roofing job and never hearing from the client again. Beginning with the initial call, make sure that you communicate with your client effectively. Make sure that you obtain all the crucial contact details and the correct address. Set up a clear timeline for the appointment if the client would be required there. If you are going to arrive late, then it would be courteous to call the client and update them on your status.
After the first meet-up, you should try to do a follow-up to keep the lines of communication open with the client. A follow-up phone call, text, or email can be effective ways to make the customers take appropriate action. If you follow the other four points we have discussed above, you should be able to persuade the clients into an agreement.
Be patient. Not hearing from a prospect does not imply an automatic “No” to your request. I recently got an email from a client after two years telling me that he is ready to start his roofing project.
If implemented correctly, these five tips will help you book more roofing jobs. Always remember that no matter the technique you use, you will not book every appointment. In fact, if you are booking every roofing job that comes your way, your prices might be too low.
Now, got out and book some roofing jobs today!
