Level Up Your Roofing Business: Sales Secrets from the Big Leagues
As a roofing contractor, are you looking to boost your sales and take your business to the next level? In the competitive roofing space, simply installing a good roof isn’t enough anymore. The industry is evolving, becoming more sophisticated, much like professional sports has become more metrics-driven over the years. According to the sources, the roofing space is still relatively early in this transformation, perhaps only in the “third inning” compared to HVAC’s “fifth or sixth inning”. This means there’s a significant opportunity for those willing to adapt and up-level themselves.
On a recent Roofer’s Helper Podcast, Kyle from Sales Transformation Group (STG), shared some valuable insights on what separates winning sales teams from the rest.
What it Means to Play “Big League Roofing”
Stepping up from the “little leagues” in roofing sales involves several key shifts:
- Accountability and Coachability: Just like in sports, successful business people are coachable and accountable. These are qualities STG looks for when hiring and instills in the contractors they train and coach.
- Metrics-Driven Approach: Gone are the days when metrics weren’t really tracked. The contracting industry is becoming much more metrics-driven, requiring you to know your numbers and use tools to track them.
- Investing in Training and Professional Development: One surprising observation is the lack of training and professional development traditionally seen in the roofing space. While past success might have been possible without it, the new normal requires continuous improvement.
- Building a Great Brand: This involves effective marketing, social media presence, and fostering referrals. Referrals are powerful because they build trust and reduce the need for customers to vet you themselves.
Mastering the Sales Conversation
Simply providing a quote after an inspection isn’t closing the deal; it’s leaving it up to chance. High-level companies approach sales conversations differently:
- Ask Better, Tougher Questions: Don’t be afraid to ask challenging questions upfront. An example of a good opening question is: “Is there any other priority that takes precedence over this project currently?”. This helps you understand the client’s priorities early, preventing wasted time and effort on proposals for projects that aren’t a real priority.
- Be a Trusted Advisor: Position yourself as an expert who can help solve the customer’s problem. Your goal isn’t necessarily for them to like you, but to believe in your ability to provide the right solution.
- Handle Objections Effectively: Avoiding rejection or praying an objection doesn’t come up is not a winning strategy. Instead, learn to isolate and handle objections.
- Follow-Up is Crucial: Sales is described as a follow-up game. Data suggests it takes multiple touches—sometimes 5 to 7, even up to 12—for someone to do business with you. Sending a proposal via email is just the beginning; the follow-up starts the process over again in a “new inning”.
Characteristics of High-Figure Sales Teams
Companies consistently hitting high revenue figures (e.g., 8-figure teams earning $10 million plus) demonstrate common attributes on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. These include:
- Self-Generated Leads: A high percentage of leads (around 70%) are self-generated.
- Regular Coaching and Review: Implementing weekly one-on-ones, ride-alongs (virtual or in-person), and pipeline reviews are standard practices.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Sales leaders need to know which deals are forecasted to close and where deals are in the pipeline to make smart business decisions about investing in marketing, technology, or equipment. Guessing based on a “foggy pipeline” leads to trouble.
- Accurate Forecasting: Successful teams can forecast sales with reasonable accuracy, aiming for around 70% accuracy. This reliable data is critical for leadership planning.
- Empowering the Team: Top companies empower the people they hire and trust their training processes, allowing individuals to learn, even through failure.
Overcoming Growth Plateaus
Many contracting companies face challenges reaching or growing beyond the $2 to $7 million mark, with $5 million often being an average plateau. This is often because the owner is still wearing too many hats and lacks a clear roadmap for scaling. Trying to figure out growth alone can be costly in terms of revenue, time, and resources.
Professional training can provide this roadmap and help bring awareness to areas where improvement is needed. The goal of training is to reach a state of “unconscious competence,” where effective sales behaviors are replicated consistently without deliberate thought. This transformation typically takes about six to seven months.
Training platforms like STG offer structured programs and coaching tailored to the contracting space. They also provide different learning tracks based on sales verticals (commercial, retail, insurance, service). Leveraging service and maintenance contracts, for example, can be a “tip of the spear” strategy to build trust and relationships, leading to larger re-roof jobs down the line.
Beyond structured training, being part of a community allows contractors to share best practices and learn from others’ experiences.
In conclusion, elevating your roofing sales goes beyond technical skill; it requires adopting professional sales processes, becoming data-driven, investing in coaching, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous development. By embracing these principles, roofing contractors can move beyond the “little leagues” and achieve big league success.
