With the changes that Asphalt Shingle Manufacturers made to their warranties making virtually everything a “Limited Lifetime Warranty” can you still use the warranty that your preferred brand offers a selling point in your presentation?

I came across this interesting video on YouTube. It was made before the Lifetime Warranty craze hit but it still offers some insight into ways that you can sell the warranty if you take the time to examine the fine print of your chosen manufacturer.

Let us know your thoughts. Is the warranty discussion dead when it comes to Residential Shingle sales?

I came across this article and felt that I needed to share it with you. Whenever I go out and meet with Roofing Contractors I hear the same thing over and over again, ‘I just got beat by another Roofing Company by a few thousand dollars, and my bid was low!’

Are You Leaving Money on The Table?

Entrepreneurial Tightrope: Making sure your price is right.

Most often quality of service is associated with the cost. In other words, your prices have invoked the “you-get-what-you-pay-for” idea into the minds of your customers and potential customers. They are fearful of what they might get for that low price.

Not all the time, but sometimes it is reasonable to think that if the price is cheap the work will reflect the price. Recently, my daughter was searching for a plumber to install a new kitchen sink. She told me that my plumber was too expensive, so she went looking for a lower-priced plumber. After getting several bids, she selected the lowest bidder. But in the end, she wound up paying both the plumber she had selected and also my plumber, who had to brought in to correct the multitude of errors the first plumber had made.

I met a man in the lawn care business who walked into a gold mine after repairing the damage of one lawn done by a cheaper priced lawn care company. After seeing how good his work was compared to the lower-priced lawn care company, almost everyone in that neighborhood signed up with the more expensive company.

I will assume that you do a quality job. With that in mind, maybe the person who refused to give you work based on your low price has had a bad experience with low bidders.

Setting prices too low can make you look like less than an expert. And yes, a janitor has a certain expertise that is used to get the job done correctly. There are many horror stories told by entrepreneurs and company managers about the sloppy jobs done by the janitorial companies they have hired. I won’t spend time with my own personal stories; however, I must have had at least a dozen cleaning service nightmares.

Another thing that you might want to consider is how you arrive at your prices. And, are your prices fair and correct for both you and the customer?

Several years ago my young nephew started a carpet cleaning business to help him through college. He was determined to be competitive, so he quoted the same price as other companies in his area – 30 cents a square foot. Turns out he didn’t know how to properly measure in square feet and consistently gave prices that were too low.

He landed a contract at a local restaurant. The owner questioned the method that he used to come up with his price and helped my nephew figure out the error of his calculation. This may be the reason that a customer has asked you to come back and do another walk-through: Maybe he wants to be sure you aren’t cheating yourself.

Here’s another story you might want to consider. I was visiting my mother last summer when a gardener she hired to trim two lengthy hedges came by to be paid. She handed him $20.

How long did it take to do this job? About two hours, he said. He felt $10 an hour was about right.

But what he didn’t consider was the use of his equipment, the cost of advertising and promoting his business, the cost of traveling to the site, various insurance policies and other expenses not readily seen. And most important, he didn’t take into consideration the woman back at his place of business who took my mother’s phone call, handled the appointment and mailed the bill.

My mother admitted after he left that all of the other people she had called wanted between $50 and $75 for the same job. Imagine that!

Many people who have left the corporate world to start businesses get confused when it comes to pricing. Some feel successful by billing clients for the same amount of money as they earned before. But they forget the added financial obligations they have taken on as a entrepreneur.

Have you reviewed your financials lately? Are you making a reasonable profit after expenses? When you created your price, did you consider all your expenses? Perhaps the time has come to consult an accountant to help you identify all of your expenses and to make certain all of them are factored into your pricing.

Let us know your thoughts about pricing in your market.

If you are a Roofing Contractor on Twitter you may have found it difficult to find the right people to follow. How can you grow a Twitter following that has potential customers and not just marketing companies and manufacturers? Watch this video to find out.

How can Roofing Contractors make their Twitter “Following” & “Followers” lists more professional and appealing to potential customers? This video will show you how to manage your Twitter account for greater appeal.

If you would like to learn more about advanced marketing strategies check out our Membership Area.

Do you have a neighborhood that you would like to dominate? Maybe it is that 25 year old upscale housing tract that is 75% shake roofs and you want to be the one who gets to re-roof them.

How can you use niche marketing to help you dominate your target market or neighborhood? If this niche is really worth targeting, meaning it has enough work (or high dollar/profit work) that if you were to get 15-25% of the re-roof’s it would justify the cost of marketing then some of the suggestions below could be worth your time.

Would you like to DOMINATE this neighborhood?

First – define your niche. For most residential roofers it would be a specific neighborhood. Other examples of good niches could be HOA’s, schools, community housing projects, etc. After you have defined your niche take a look at who your target customers are. The benefit of marketing to a niche is that most members of it will have common traits. The main trait you will be looking for here is: How do they make their buying decisions?

• For example, most residential home owners really value the opinion of their neighbors and additionally are likely to use the internet to research contractors and materials. With that in mind it could be good to look at how you can precisely target those areas.

One good place to start would be to register a domain name that includes the name of the subdivision or neighborhood. For example if the neighborhood is called Mira Vista you could look into registering www.roofingmiravista.com, or something like that.

Then you could set up a free blog at www.wordpress.com and easily build a small site that targets that niche and links back to your main site. On that site you should make sure to include photos of all of the jobs you have done in that niche and also include as many testimonials from your other customers that live in that area as possible.

In addition to the customized site I would recommend sending a monthly newsletter to your niche that contains information that is beneficial to your target market. This will go a long way to making your company the company of choice in your chosen niche.

Another good idea would be to create a Facebook page just for that niche where you could post pictures of the jobs you have done just in that neighborhood or market segment. On that page you would also want to set up a reviews tab and have past customers in that area post reviews of your work.

Then, whatever other marketing you do for that neighborhood make sure that you include the domain name for your customized site, or Facebook page on it. Make yourself the expert for your niche and target your marketing. This will have you on your way to dominating it. Your competition will have no idea what happened.

Would you like to have easy to follow video training on how to set up your own Blog or customize a new Facebook page? Check out our Member’s area.

When you look at all of your options for marketing it can be overwhelming and expensive. However, one very overlooked source of marketing assistance is your roofing manufacturer. You should be asking your local manufacturer’s sales reps for marketing assistance. This assistance should be available to you even if you are not a certified or preferred roofing contractor. If you don’t know who your local rep is just ask your distributor for their contact information, or better yet, to set up a lunch for you with them.

When Your Roofing Business Grows - So Does Your Distributors & Your Manufacturer's

What sort of marketing help can they offer? It really depends on the rep and how much of his budget he is willing to spend. Every manufacturer’s rep is given a marketing budget to use to promote their products to contractors. One of the most common items that you can get from your rep is yard signs. As I have mentioned yard signs are a very powerful marketing tool and should be used on every job (use the QR code generator in the Roofer’s Marketing Membership site to create QR codes to put on your yard signs). You can also ask your rep for such items as bid proposal folders, magnetic truck signs, truck lettering, business cards, direct mail pieces, home show promo items and more.

Who is willing to spend the most to help you market your roofing business? Usually this will be whatever rep of the big manufacturer’s that is not the market leader. For example, if everyone uses brand X & Y you should call the brand Z rep and talk to them about what they can do for you if you were to start using their products. On the other hand, if you are very loyal to one brand you should contact that rep and see what they can do for you to help maintain (and earn) that loyalty.

What if no reps are willing to help you (or they won’t help you unless you sign up for a program)? That would be surprising but possible. In that case I would talk to your local distributor and see if they will set up a local promo with the manufacturer to provide yards signs or some other marketing item with every purchase (or with a minimum amount of purchases). For example, I have seen promos that give you five yards signs with every 50 Squares of material purchased. This is something almost every rep can set up with his distributors, even though they may not do it very often (usually because it creates some extra work for them).

The bottom line is; don’t be afraid to ask for help in this difficult economy. If you do you may be surprised at the amount of marketing help that is available to your from your manufacturer.

What are some of the biggest complaints people have about roofing contractors that you can easily avoid, and at the same time leave your competition in the dust?

These may seem simple and obvious but you would be amazed at how many roofing contractors do these exact things! Avoiding these should be part of your marketing program.

Avoiding These Mistakes Can Easily Boost You Past Your Competition

1 – Being late or not showing up at all for your sales appointment

This is one of the biggest complaints that consumers have about roofers (before the work is done). This is also one of the easiest ways to loose a potential customer and hand the sale to your competition. If you are going to be late or need to reschedule, make sure that you let the homeowner know as soon as possible, or better yet, show up on time as scheduled! Advertise that you guarantee on-time sales appointments. Think of Dominoes Pizza “delivered in 30 minutes or it’s free.” That powerful statement catapulted their business to the #1 pizza chain in the nation, just because they promised to be on time.

2 – High Pressure Closing

How many of us like to be closed? When you need a new car or other major purchase what is it that you dread the most? High pressure salesmen. You may close some sales with this technique but you will dramatically lower your chances of having a truly satisfied customer that will refer their friends and family to you. One high pressure sale now could cost you many sales later.

3 – Unprepared sales presentations

The customer needs you to be the expert. The only way that you can build that confidence in your prospect is to be well prepared and ready to answer their questions and provide them a meaningful reason to do business with you.

4 – Unexpected charges

Help calm the customers fears that you will stick them with extra charges after the job is started by doing a thorough inspection of the job before providing a proposal. In addition to this you should provide some sort of assurance that your bid is complete and if there are areas for potential increases make sure you are clear about them upfront.

5 – Lack of Communication

Before, during and after the sale. Customers want to know what is going on and what to expect at every step of the way. In your marketing and sales presentations clearly outline the steps and time-frames of their roofing job. Letting them know what to expect, and then living up to it is a sure fire confidence builder and one of the best ways to ensure a steady stream of referrals.

Always remember that what seems normal to us in the industry may seem strange, uncomfortable, or downright aggravating to our customers. If you can assure the customer that they will not experience these hassles with your company you can ensure that you have the advantage over your competitors who are content to do business as usual.

Would you like to learn  how to use today’s latest marketing techniques yourself?  Check out our New Membership site full of done for you marketing, training videos, and more.  Take control of your marketing today.  Click Here.

It may have been a long time since you heard some good news regarding the outlook for the Roofing Industry.  That is why we were so excited to share this article from Adology with you.  It seems that there is some silver lining to the depressed real estate market for Roofing Contractors and other construction professionals.  Here is what they had to say about the outlook for 2012:

Are You Ready For Some Good News?

Homeowners across the U.S. seem to be reaching the same conclusion. It might be a long time before the real estate market improves. As a result, they are now spending more money improving homes than at any time since 2004.

BuildFax has been tracking building permit data nationwide for the past 7 years. This fall, the company reported, residential remodeling jumped 34%. During the early part of the recession, homeowners were only spending money on necessary maintenance projects. But now, more consumers are paying for projects that cost more than $10,000. Specifically, BuildFax analysts say the following projects are most popular these days:

• Roof replacements 21.4%
• Deck additions 7.9%
• Bathroom remodels 6.9%

Joe Emison, VP research and development at BuildFax, sees the trend continuing because “these are immediate fixes they [homeowners] will enjoy and that potential buyers look for.” Emison also noted that previous remodeling frenzies were all about improving a home with the goal of a quick sale. Now, “it’s about – I am finally going to fix those things that are driving me nuts.”

Building permit activity has been rising year over year in 2011 in all regions except the Northeast:

• West +43.5%
• Midwest +15.9%
• South +9%
• Northeast (-4.7%)

With the sales of new and existing homes expected to be slow in comparison to recent levels, marketers of home improvement products and trades professionals such as plumbers and electricians can grow market share by advertising their services to homeowners.

[Sources: Canlen, Brae. Roof replacements, deck additions most popular. HomeChannelNews.com. 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011; Voorhis, Scott. Tinkering with your house? You are not alone. 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011

It’s been a long time since anyone has had really good predictions for the Roofing Industry.  Are you ramping up your marketing efforts to take advantage of this trend? Are you going to make 2012 the best year you’ve had in a long time?  Roofer’s Marketing is here to help.

Please share what you think about these findings.  Are you seeing an increase in business?  Are you planning on doing more marketing this winter to fill your pipeline for spring?

Does E-Mail still belong on this list?

With so much attention being given to Social Media as the preferred marketing method for small businesses, and an increasing number of roofing contractors, you may be wondering if E-mail is dead. E-mail marketing can take a number of different forms from a Monthly Newsletter, to a well crafted Auto-responder series, to just a quick follow-up. Is it still worth the time and effort to create an E-mail list and regularly send E-mails?

Here is a very interesting examination of this topic from Duct Tape Marketing that I wanted to share with you. Notice what the experts are saying about E-mail marketing and how to get the most out of your E-mail marketing efforts:

No matter how enamored you may be with social media, email still outpunches just about every tool out there when it comes to cost effective lead conversion.

Now, what this really means is effectively using email communication in conjunction with efforts to produce educational content, amplify content throughout social media channels and turn Twitter followers into email subscribers.

It’s integration as much as anything that makes email work, but there are a handful of things that you need to do to get the most out of the email component of the mix.

Grab Attention

It’s not enough to have an email subscribe form tucked into the sidebar of your home page. If you’ve got a great offer to put in front of your visitors you need to make it impossible to ignore, without being obnoxious.

A new breed of popups makes grabbing visitor attention and turning it into email list subscribing almost pleasing. I’ve been experimenting with a rather new WordPress plugin called Pippity.

Once installed and configured this tool will note when you have a visitor that has not been offered your email subscription and briefly take over the screen to make them an offer. The visitor still has lots of control over the screen, but this tool positions your list in a way that’s hard to ignore.

I know there are some that don’t like this tactic, but Pippity gives you so much control, including A/B testing, that you can fine tune the tool’s use to make it work for you. Like it or not, with the right offer, most people see 300-400% jumps in subscribers using this kind of approach. (One tip: Turn it off for mobile browsers, as there’s no way to make it a pleasant experience on a mobile.)

Exchange Value

Giving people a reason to subscribe is even more important than simply grabbing their attention. In order to get willing subscribers these days you must sell the value of what you have to offer and most likely exchange something like a free ebook or report that sounds too good to miss right at the point of subscription.

The act of giving an email address comes with a price these days because all of our email inboxes are jammed. Your free stuff better sound as good as most people’s paid stuff if you want to get subscribers.

Be Sharable

Smart marketers have always employed tools that made it easier for people to share their email newsletter with friends, but these days that means making your content easy to share in social media as well.

Most email service providers have added social media sharing options that you can embed in your content so that a reader could tweet that they just read your article.

The content itself must exist online in order to use this most effectively. Most service providers also allow you to create an online archive version of your newsletter and I recommend you use this approach to socialize your content sent via email.

So, what do you think? Here at Roofer’s Marketing we believe that in order to have a well balanced marketing campaign for your roofing company you need to have both Social Media and E-mail. When you combine the two you have a very powerful and low cost marketing combination.

Please share your thoughts about E-mail marketing for roofing contractors.

A Consistent Marketing Strategy Can Make This Sign A Reality For Your Roofing Business

Have you developed a marketing strategy for your roofing business? Many roofing contractors look at marketing as an event instead of looking at it as an important part of their overall business strategy. What I mean is that many will let business fall off, then spend a bunch of money on marketing until business picks up, and then stop marketing until business falls off again.

This start and stop marketing method is very expensive and does not allow you to have a predictable and regular flow of business. A much more effective strategy is to incorporate marketing into your regular business routine just like you do with other essential business functions like accounting and safety. This allows you to use less expensive and more effective forms of marketing.

Here are a few points from an excellent article on Duct Tape Marketing that can really help you grow your roofing business in a consistent and predictable way.

Create a Content Road Map

The term content conjures up a great deal of frustration with business owners, mainly because it’s vague enough to be misinterpreted and cited by experts enough to create exhaustion.

The idea of content in marketing isn’t simply a generic way to refer to your need to blog, it’s a strategic approach to creating the assets your business needs to communicate strategy and facilitate lead generation and conversion.

With that description in mind, you need to view your approach to content creation much like a publisher armed with an annual table of contents, otherwise known as a list of important keyword search phrases.

Your content creation plan must be very intentional and must be installed as an ongoing practice instead of viewed as a one-time event. Your plan must include provisions for content that builds trust, content that educates, customer generated content, other people’s content and content that converts. You can find a deeper discussion of these five types of content here.

Build a Total Web Presence

No longer is it enough to build a Website and expect to compete these days. Prospects, even those that are looking to do business locally, turn to search engines to find every kind of business and solve every kind of problem.

Today’s marketers need to approach the Web with an eye on creating the largest presence possible in order to stand out, or merely show up, when a prospect goes hunting for a solution.

Building an online listening station, optimizing brand assets in sharing services, claiming valuable social and local network real estate, participating in ratings and review sites, and maximizing social media activity are the foundational elements of total web presence building.

This is how you begin to make your content strategy pay. This is how you begin to activate the know, like and trust elements of your Marketing Hourglass.

Mix and Match Your Lead Generation

Active lead generation comes about through multiple touches initiated through multiple channels.

There is rarely one dependable way to generate all of the leads a business might require to meet objectives. It’s the careful blending of advertising, public relations and systematic referral generation that creates the repetition, credibility and control needed to get a prospect motivated enough to pick up the phone or schedule an appointment.

The key to making this blended approach work, however, is the commitment to valuable, education-based content distribution. Advertising that promotes content gets viewed, a referral made by way of content gets action, and PR generated by way of content gets shared.

Orchestrate a Lead Conversion Process

If you’ve followed the steps outlined so far in this system, your prospects aren’t really sold so much as they become ready to buy. In order to continue the experience your marketing has promised to date you must also give intentional marketing driven consideration to the steps in your lead conversion process.

What is your systematic response when a prospect requests more information? What is your systematic method for communicating how you deliver value? What is your plan to nurture leads in your hourglass? How will you orient a new customer? What is your plan for measuring the results a customer actually received?

A fully developed lead conversion process doesn’t consider a sale complete until the customer receives the expected result.

Live by the Calendar

The basic premise behind the notion of a system is continuous operation. You can’t build a marketing system and hope to be done at some point.

There are elements that you may build and use continuously, but the fact is that operating your marketing system must become habit.

Have you implemented a sound marketing strategy in your roofing business?  If not, now as the roofing season is coming to an end, is the time to start so that you will be ready to start next year with a pipeline full of leads.  Sounds good doesn’t it?

Please comment on what strategies are working for your roofing business.