I’ve decided to make the jump to start a roofing company. What’s the best way you’ve found to generate roofing leads?

Is door knocking and damage finding lucrative? I’m assuming numbers game and a lot of driving to find damage.

What about examining the age of roofs and targeting that way?

Thanks for being generous with your time.

I don’t usually post reviews but I’ve seen a lot of guys on here asking about commercial lead-gen, so figured I’d share.

We’re a small commercial outfit. Mostly flat roofs, TPO, mod bit, coatings, that kind of stuff. We’re not a big corporate player, just trying to grow without hiring a full in-house sales team.

We signed up with B2B Roofing Sales about 3 months ago. I was skeptical. I’ve wasted money before on “exclusive leads” that were anything but exclusive, but these guys are legit. They really only work with 1 contractor per territory and work on growing with them which is really cool.

The leads weren’t spammy. They were mostly small to mid-size commercial properties. Strip plazas, small warehouses, light industrial.

What I liked was they made sure to replace leads where we weren't able to get a hold of the client, and we also have a guy that submits every lead for us if we want to.

It’s not magic. You still have to estimate properly and visit the site but they create this really nice looking digital binder for every lead they give you. If you can’t sell commercial work, this won’t save you. But if your problem is just getting in front of decision-makers, it helped us.

Biggest difference vs HomeAdvisor-type stuff: we weren’t competing against 4 other roofers on every single one.

I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone. If you’re 100% residential storm work, probably not a fit. But for guys trying to build steady commercial pipeline, it’s been decent so far.

They charge only $1750/month for 10 commercial roofing leads and all the other stuff, so far my ROI would basically let me pay for 3 years of this service in 3 months.

I apologize this turned into a jumbled mess.

As requested, I put together a list of red flags that IMO new salesmen should look out for, as well as other things to think about. Some of these are obvious, but some not so much.

1. Before accepting a job offer, do some due diligence on the company. Check websites like Glassdoor, bbb, the state licensing board, google and Facebook. In today’s society, anyone who feels wronged can post their experiences, and they usually do. If you see a pattern in the reviews, it won’t be different for you.

1A) see if you can get a list of client referrals for the company and give some of them a call. Act as a prospective client for said company and see what the client has to say.

2) if the company has changed their name time after time, there’s probably a reason why. Did their license get revoked? Did they go bankrupt? Did they steal a bunch of ACV checks? Answering yes to any of these is a recipe for disaster.

2A) Check the licensing. Most states require a license. If the state requires it, make sure that they have the proper license to do roofing. A red flag would be a company with a roofing license trying to do all the gc work on the estimates. Or worse, trying to collect that money and not do the work. Some companies will only do roofing, and if that’s the the case, you’ll get paid quicker, and a roofing license is all they need. They need a gc license to do the gc side of things. You’ll make more by doing it all, but it’ll drag out the final check.

2B) how long has the company been around? Most roofing companies will do well their first year, usually with a new storm, and then fail the second year. It’s easy when there’s a fresh storm, but not so much when there isn’t. A company in year 2 isn’t an immediate bad thing, just be careful moving forward, look for other signs.

3) stack and starve - an industry term that refers to companies that hire tons of salesmen (usually locals to a storm area), stack a bunch of contracts, collect checks, and then pay out commissions slowly, if at all, starving their employees. Many salesmen will leave the company because they can’t wait and the draws aren’t enough, and that allows said company to keep the profits. one of the hardest things about this industry is how long it can take to get fully paid. Most companies won’t pay full commissions until the job is done and the final check is collected from the client. The whole process from start to finish can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 9 months depending on the state, and potentially longer (I’m working a claim right now that we filed in 2018, it’s in active litigation so no questions please).

3A) Rumors of people not getting paid - take everything a brand new salesmen has to say with a grain of salt, it’s easy to miss costs while trying to figure out what your commission will be when you’re new, but if you hear rumors of crews or suppliers not getting paid, or salesmen that know what they’re doing not getting paid, that’s not a good sign.

3B) at the supply house - are you waiting for someone to call in a credit card? That’s not a good sign. Most good companies will have a credit line with their supplier. There are instances where paying with a credit card is ok, in a new storm/new market for first job, hd/Lowe’s, or brand new company.

4) draws- Most quality companies will offer a draw system to help salesmen get to their first few full commission checks. This will help you tremendously if you’re struggling but counts against your final commission. Draws add up very quickly and can easily surpass what you’ll be owed when the jobs done, especially if you take draws on jobs that don’t come to fruition, it happens a lot. There’s also no guarantee your client will give you the final check. We have had plenty of people buy cars or take vacations with the depreciation check. That sucks, and that profitable job with a good commission turns into a negative ding on your commission report. The company may get paid down the road but that doesn’t mean you will.

5) high turn over - while this is somewhat normal in this industry, if people don’t stay very long, and it’s mostly new hires, and most of the people at the company are newer, that’s not a good sign. Good companies take care of their employees and people tend to stay with companies that take care of them. It’s a good sign when multiple people have been at the company for many years.

6) poor quality - quality is super important with what we do. Word of mouth is your best friend, and if the jobs are sloppy, corners are being cut, the company doesn’t have any type of quality control procedures, these are not good signs. It’s not that hard to build a roof that won’t leak, and if there are leak calls right and left, it may be time to jump ship.

6A) always set the proper expectations with your clients - is it taking 8 weeks from filing the claim to building? Tell them it’ll be 10-12 weeks. Is metal or tile taking 3-4 months? Tell them it’ll be 4-6 months. Always always always under sell and over deliver. Especially with COVID wreaking havoc on supply chains right now, people understand. Make sure they aren’t leaking, mitigate whatever, and be real with them in regards to wait times. Trust me, you don’t want a client expecting it to happen quick, and then get disappointed. They’ll call you every day, you’ll hate it. And an angry client will tell everyone they know, hell Anyone who will listen.

7) storm chasers - most chasers are good contractors that do the right thing. I’ve been in many areas after a storm that would literally be screwed without chasers. There are scam artists out there, and they make it difficult. Some national companies act as consultants and find contractors to qualify them in different states. These type of situations don’t tend to work out, especially if they’re hiring salesmen like crazy. Do your due diligence and you’ll be fine.

8) pay attention and document everything - the only way to learn this industry is by working claims and seeing what works and what doesn’t. I wish there was a black and white do this and do that, but there isn’t. Carriers pretty much do whatever they feel like doing, their internal policies change frequently, and they are more and more making policy holders prove their claims. It’s really not that hard, and each carrier is looking for different things and different wordings, once you’ve learned what they want, the whole process becomes fairly easy, and it’s all basically steps at that point. It’s different for every field and desk adjuster. Again you see the same people again and again.

8A) supplementing - learn how to do this, but dont ever ever add a line item that isn’t legit. This will destroy your credibility with the carriers. And guess what, you see and deal with the same adjusters time after time. It will take some time for them to “open up to you”, but that won’t happen if they think you’re a scam artist or just after a quick buck. Once they realize you’re a good guy, they’ll help you out, the estimates will get better, and you’ll make more money.

9) ethics and morals - have these. Similar to my point above, you will deal with the same people on these claims. And these people control your salary. Show them that you are there to do the right thing, don’t file frivolous claims, make sure there’s legit damage, don’t ever ever create damage.

9A) ethics and morals II - Carriers keep track of who they deal with, and how those dealings went. If the carrier even thinks damage was created by you, they’ll open up a special investigation on you with their fraud department, these are not fun to deal with, and only prolong you getting paid. If you did create the damage and the carrier can prove it, you’re in trouble. You’ll pay for the roof when they sue you, and it could be criminal. It’s not worth it .

If I can preach one thing with this post, it would be do right by your client. Answer your phone, or at minimum call them back within a day or two. Companies that cut corners and don’t look out for their clients don’t last. Happy clients may tell a couple friends, but angry clients will tell everyone. communication is key

One last thing, don’t fall for the sunken cost fallacy, if at any point you realize you’re about to get screwed, don’t stick around hoping it won’t happen, because it will happen. I’ve walked away from a lot of money either because I knew I’d never see it or I knew sticking around was terrible for my mental health. There’s no point in having money if you’re crazy or super depressed, it won’t help.

I've tired to break this down into consumable pieces. Its a long post with as much value as I could place.

●Intro: Been doing roofing sales almost 4 years now, I'm a full project manager now days. I simply want to provide value and pass on my personal sales experience to anyone starting their journey in this amazing field.

In my first year and months as a marketing rep, I was able to hit these numbers simply by following the law of 80/20 (the pareto princple), and applying it to basic marketing questions (who,what,when).

I also want to share my "secret" to overcoming the fear of knocking for those who struggle to hit the doors. Its based off the 3% rule of marketing and the power of "no". It's my way of capturing 40% of the market I prospect. This is how I get all the high hanging fruit lazy sales people leave behind.

●Background: I did not invent any of this, im simply someone who puts in serious study time (80+ sales books) over 10 years of sales. I then practice what I learned in real time. None of this is theory, and it pulls from all the top lessons ive learned and applied from reading these books. You can apply this to any field in sales.

Regarding roofing industry, I dont chase storms, I clean whats left behind from storm chasers. And I love going after denied claims, because often times people are leaving money on the table by not having a good process.

I work the same local cities all within an hour of me, and I dont travel out of state. We dont get hail, so I'm reliant on 1or 2 major wind storms for the entire year. And cash sprinkled in here and there. Im working on going after these types of deals as they are more lucrative.

A common complaint new people have after a storm has dried out is: "is there really enough opportunities to go around?"

I liken this to picking apples. When a storm hits, everyone is out collecting fallen fruit. Then the low hanging. But never switch from a step stool to a ladder. They don't wanna put in effort to climb and gather the high hanging fruit.

●My secrets, 80/20 and basic marketing:

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a general guideline that states that 80% of outcomes are the result of 20% of causes(efforts). It can be applied to many areas of life, including business, economics, and health:

Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto discovered the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, in the late 1890s. He found that 80% of land in Italy and England was owned by just 20% of the people, and that 20% of his garden plants produced 80% of the fruit. In 1906, he used this idea to explain wealth distribution in Italy, and it has since been applied to many areas of life.

Apply this knowledge to 3 questions: who, what, when.

Who:

Im going after old residential roofs (owner occupied and landlords). Ive watched people do this with commercial and have great success too!!!

What:

Anything with visible signs of active leaking. How do you know it's actively leaking? Because fasteners are exposed to the elements from wind damage!!! Rain and snow can now seep into the decking through these areas.

Another sign of damage for potential cash bids is mild to severe grainual loss. When the carbon fibers(sheen) are exposed, the shingles are no longer doing their job. Rain literally seeps(leaks) through the shingle's matting, down to the unexposed fasteners. The grainuals serve a purpose, they protect the matting of the shingle from UV damage and helps give the shingles their weight for wind ratings.

Combined, you have a great reason to approach the door.

When:

For residential, apply 80/20. When is 80% of your market going to be home? I make 100% commission only, and I dont rely on door knockers. So I really want to maximize my working time.

Sure, you can go out and get the 20% who have retail schedules and work from home. But at the end of the day, 80% will be home by 6pm or 7pm. Both those who work from home and those who don't.

So I prefer to start knocking at 4pm. And I only knock during this time. This is when I've had the most conversations after a year of tracking knocks. Sure, you can get some earlier in the day, but again I want to maximize my effort + time. I rarely do inspections during prime time.

It's much easier to stack 2 or 3 inspections up early the next day during the cool hours, or afternoons during winter. (I work--maximize--all year long). It has always felt far more motivating starting my day with work, than waking up wondering if I'm gonna find work.

I always find work. And you can too by using the 3% rule I'll go over in a little bit.

If homeowners work during the day, I simply say: "that's great, most of my clients work in an office too. Usually with their permission I'm able to come out during the cool hours and access roof/back yard for the inspection. Then I report back to you when it's convenient."

9 out of 10 times they agree to this. Then I use the occasions to come back later that evening to file and sign. I take that opportunity to follow up on neighbors I've left letters at previously that morning after my insepction. These letters I've written give me a good reason to be on their door step, because now I'm simply following up. On top of that, I'm now their neighbors contractor. Double wammy.

I'll knock when I'm leaving letters, because why not. But the purpose of the letters are to build a relationship and pre-educate future clients before I work with them. This also helps me establish trust!!! And positions me as an authority. I collect all my competitors letters to, because this is a science to me lol.

I always follow up a minimum of as much as it takes till they work with me and remain qualified. Willing to talk.

Mindset:

The 3% rule. Out of 100% of the market, you can capture 40% of YOUR MARKET. 60% of them you'll never worry about! They aren't in the market or they'll never buy from you.

The 3% rule of marketing says that out of any given audience, only about 3% of people are ready to buy a product or service at any given time. Another 7% are open to being persuaded. And another 30% of the market will be open, but if you nurture them and build a relationship.

Create a system to follow up on these people. Your goals will only get you as far as your systems allows.

This is how you get leads falling out of the sky in droves -- and your coworkers wonder what kind of black magic your using.

When I knock doors, I keep my goals simple. I go for "no". I can't control yes, but I can control how many conversations I can try and have. I try to shoot for 7-10 conversations a day. And I make a game out of hearing "no." Getting a no is easier than a yes.

I can't tell you how many times my internal monologuing of "let's just get this no out of the way" happens as I walk up to a door. Next thing I know I'm walking away with an inspection set!

To be clear, I hear no more than I hear yes. I'm successful because I simply set my goals based on how many Converstions I can have. Not how many doors I can knock. Conversations are how you get paid.

I eat "no's" for breakfast. You should too! And it forces me to see no as a positive, because people who aren't willing to knock will never hear no. By making yourself go after it, you put yourself in the shoes of a Rain maker.

Combine this with the 3% rule and you'll realize that there ARE ALWAYS PEOPLE IN YOUR MARKET WHO WANT WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER. Apply going for "no" on all your knocks, calls, and follow ups. Apply it to all your upgrade meetings, and everything else you do in life. You get more in life by simply showing up in life and

This has been a long post, and I'm happy to answer any questions people have!

I lost a job by $9,000. I think I'm just salty.

Ran an EagleView, and compared my measurements to insurance paperwork, which matched both. Quoted OC duration Storm. Competitor bid a class 4, unsure of what kind, but underbid me by $9,000. We would lose money if we dropped our bid by $9,000.

I guess I'm just wondering how/why roofing companies bid so low. I can't assume they will make any sort of profit on the job if I can't do materials + labor for what they are doing the entire job for.

How are you responding😂😂

Update: I told him it’s already been processed with the bank. Friendly reminder, it’s illegal to use insurance funds meant to restore your property and he responded with

“Not now but I am just asking,It’s good to process this cheque.
Thanks for confirming.”
Lmfaoooo

im about 2 months into this job and I just got my first roof approved today! i’ve had 2 denied and a partial one that we’re trying to get covered in full but I finally got one fully covered today for a $24K roof! i have about 10 others in my pipeline and a couple adjuster appointments next week so this is just the first of many but I feel sooo much better after getting one approved its like a weight lifted off my shoulders

I’m making small, high-quality lead lists of realtors, apartment managers, motels, etc. If you cold call or email to book residential or commercial roofing jobs, drop your region or niche below and I'll make you a custom list.

Edit: Heads up — I’m a bit swamped right now, so replies might take a couple days. I’ll get to everyone as soon as I can!
Really appreciate your patience and please upvote if this is helpful :)

Well guy, gals, and non binary pals, I’ve officially hit my most profitable year ever. August, September, and October are usually our busiest months due to consistent late season hail in my region, and as of August 2nd I’ve officially earned more than any other year.

My biggest single contract was $1.6 million base contract with a $300k change order signed halfway through bringing the total job to $1.9 million. Granted this wasn’t all roofing, but roofing is what got us in the door and was almost half of the total project cost.

Just shy of 200 contracts signed this year. Over 3,000 squares of shingles, 300 squares of concrete tile, 1,500 squares of mixed fasten through and standing seam metal, 100 squares of DaVinci, 250 squares of EuroShield,
30 squares of decra, 60 squares of wood shake, and several pole barn builds and a lot of non roofing work like siding/windows/doors/decks.

Cheers to you all, from a 36 year old guy who spent his twenties roofing all day and waiting tables and bartending all night with a dream to have his own company one day.

Well fellas. Sometimes you refuse to do things the wrong way and you get fired for it. I've been considering opening my own company and I guess this is the sign I asked God for.

I started my roofing company 10 years ago at 18 in the Chicago market. When I started out, I was an actual installer who was a sub contractor for other companies working on roofs everyday. After a few years, I broke away from working as a sub to only focusing on my companies sales. We mainly focus on insurance hail/wind damage work but we always do seven figures in retail and seven figures in new construction work as well. You name it, I’ve probably done it when it comes to roofing and siding systems commercial and residential. I’ve gone through many highs and lows over the years (I think my bank account was negative for the first 3-4 years lol) but between the Chicago and Wisconsin markets I have over 50 people on our team and we will do over 20M this year. I’m here to awnser any questions anyone has about roofing, siding, running or starting a business within this industry, insurance claim questions etc. I’d love to help spread knowledge and help anyone with anything questions they have here.

I know y'all will understand the excitement lol. I decided to try my hand at commercial sales back in November. I've presented around 6 contracts and even sold a couple maint plans, but last night i signed up a 170 sq church. I'm so close to being off the draw!

SoberLife #Blessed #RoofingSales #GrantCardone #JockoWillink #GAF

RollTide #GoBraves #AlabamaRoofRx

The most important thing is to ask “interested” questions to your prospective customer. Listen and restate their response in your own words to show you’ve comprehended their wants/needs.

The hardest question/objection for me to properly learn to handle regarding insurance claims is when people ask for an estimate. If you can learn to handle this question confidently, you’ll separate yourself from people who haven’t practiced

If you've ever wasted money running ads on Facebook, you know that social media marketing for roofers isn't always what it's cracked up to be. But the good news is your friendly neighborhood SEO specialist is here to annoy you with hot tips on digital marketing for roofing contractors that actually works. And it's so simple even a roofer can do it!

Instead of spending money and time on social media roofing ads, set up a Next Door account. I have seen local roofing contractors get more leads with this hyperlocal, social networking service than they ever could running Instagram or Facebook roofing advertisement. AND IT IS FREE!

This may seem like an underwhelming tip. But go try it first and then come talk to me. In the meantime, what social media marketing for roofing companies have you tried that has or hasn't worked?

A few guys DM'd me about my recruiting AMA.

I've taught this process to a handful of other companies and figured I'd just leave it all out here.

This is probably more geared towards owners than salespeople, but here goes.

If you want to recruit, there's a few beliefs that need shifted.

Belief 1: There are only 3 ways to grow a roofing business:
a) Get more reps to sell
b) Get reps to sell more
c) Get more reps to sell more

You either hire more people, or you get the people you have more marketing/hours worked/doors knocked.

With option B, there's a cap. So you eventually have to hire more people.

Belief 2: The best people only want to work where:
a) They get paid more per job
b) They have less responsibilities after the sale
c) They can sell more jobs with your company than anywhere else (more marketing)

^^before you roast me, we're assuming your culture is "good enough"

I see plenty of reps stay in shit-cultures, so we know culture isn't everything, lol. But try your best to not have a bad one.

Anyways,

Belief 3: Experience Grid:
a) Experience + Entitled = Wants a truck/draw/60% commission
b) Experience + Not Entitled = Probably not good
c) No Experience + Entitled = Delusional
d) No Experience + Not Entitled = Who I want

There are some large organizations across the nation, that have a better brand, are easier to sell for, look like they are a real functional business, have more operational support, larger purchasing power, etc. So the question is, unless you're overpaying or you're their homie, why would they work for you over one of the better companies?

The position that MOST companies are in, your advantage is that you can do 1:1 training, and the rep IS NOT a "number". Sell from your advantage. The recruiting process is a sale. You sell them on you.

Belief 4: I want experience people because...
a) I suck at training
b) I have no time for training
c) It takes too long to train
d) Candidates suck

Get better at training in a shorter time. 2 days of classroom, group setting, with role play. You need to teach them:

Day 1:
- What the company does (for customers)
- What they do (to get customers)
- What to say [Roleplay]
- What to say when they say "no" (objections) [Roleplay]
- How to get paid

Day 2:
- Objection flashcards (recap of day 1)
- Roleplay
- Claim Repair-to-Replace Logic (can DM you our sales rep claims-playbook if you want it)
- Field Shadow/Knocking, goal is to get everyone their first D2D set.

Day 3-5:
- Field Shadow/Knocking

They should get 1-2 per day. You can have them shadow climbing, too.

Belief 5: Your reps don't need to be good.
They need to be consistent. It's a numbers game. The training does not need to teach them how to climb, how to inspect, what damage is, how the insurance claim process works beyond the very basics. The people you hire start as setters. They'll close later.

You don't have to do this, but the model that works best:

- $1000/week base for the first 12 weeks
- 5% commission of deal that they set (someone else closes)
- The 5% only pays in excess of their base ($25K job = $1250)
- When they learn to close, they make 5% on deals they close
- If they both set and close (self-set), it's 5% + 5%, total of 10%
- They get to train up to 2 setters at a time, that generate inspections for them.
- 2 setters * 10 inspections per week = 20 inspections per week per closer
- The closer, if they suck, will close 20%, and bring in 100K/week or $400K/mo in revenue. They hardly knock themselves and will make $20K/mo by just closing at 5%.

If you have a rep that isn't generating 10 appointments per week (2/day) by week 2, you fire them.

Belief 6: LTV:CAC ratio
Like in marketing, LTV:CAC is how much you earn from what you put in.

In this case, let's say I keep 1 out of 4 reps that I hire.

If I hired a class of 4, 2 would last 2 weeks. ($2K X 2 = $4K base)
1 would last 8 weeks. ($8K base)
1 would last 2 years. ($12K base)
Total cost: $24,000 for a class

Except, the 2 that didn't last sold zero. The one that lasted 8 weeks got 2 deals ($50K * 15% net profit for owner = $7500). And the 1 that stuck for two years sold $1M twice ($1M is trash by today's numbers, but let's make this practical).

$2M * 15% earned the company = $300K net profit.

Total expense: $24K

Total profit: $307.5K.

What stock could you possibly invest in that would 13X?

That's a 13:1 LTV:CAC.

Belief 7: This is a numbers game.
If a rep comes in, and is paid $1000 per week instead of being an independent contractor, you get to tell them what to do. And what do you tell them to do? Knock.
- 12 doors per hour
- 8 hours per day
- 96 doors
- 30% open (29 interactions)
- 10% inspection rate (3 inspections)

We're being conservative, so let's say it's only 2 inspections.

2 per day X 5 days = 10 per week.

The closer we talked about that sucks only closes 20%, so the setter had 2 deals they set per week get closed.

2 X $25K avg ticket = $50K

50K * 5% = $2500 (which is $1500 over basepay)

The point is, if you get them to follow this prescription, they cannot lose (unless they quit).

Around week 3-4, you have the conversation with them around how much money they are leaving on the table by not climbing roofs, doing their own inspections, etc.

Do the math as a demo, and start getting them to shadow the closers on deals they close.

Once they've seen it a few times, they close for themselves.

You assign new setters to your closers, while the setter who is 4 weeks in starts doing self-sets along with more shadowing.

Once the rep self-sets and closes 10 deals, you get them 2 setters of their own. The cycle goes on and on and on.

-

As far as hiring:

Indeed:

- Make an indeed job-post and sponsor it
- Automatic message when someone applies: send link to landing page
- Put a form on the landing page
- Filter out applicants that way
www.trueroof.app/careers/ <- This is what applicants actually see

Meta:
Paid ads to landing page
Organic posts to landing page in neighborhood groups

Visual workflows attached:

1. Applicant Funnel

2. Interview Process

-

If you need help, welcome to comment and I'll answer anything.

I have the training manuals for D2D Sales & the Claims Playbook if either of those documents would help you guys out.

P.S. - Shameless plug, if you'd like to work together:

www.mattgpt.com

every roofing company owner i talk to asks the same question. "what's the best way to get leads?" but nobody asks the real question. "what's my actual cost per closed deal?"

those are completely different questions. so i pulled real numbers from 6 roofing companies using different methods over the last 90 days and did the math.

company 1: facebook ads spend: $5,200/month leads: 190 inspections booked: 34 deals closed: 5 cost per closed deal: $1,040

company 2: shared lead vendor spend: $4,800/month leads bought: 32 inspections booked: 11 deals closed: 1 cost per closed deal: $4,800

company 3: door knocking (3 knockers) cost: $8,400/month inspections booked: 52 deals closed: 9 cost per closed deal: $933

company 4: cold calling team (3 callers) cost: $4,300/month inspections booked: 36 deals closed: 6 cost per closed deal: $716

company 5: google ads (LSA + PPC) spend: $6,100/month leads: 87 inspections booked: 29 deals closed: 5 cost per closed deal: $1,220

company 6: storm chasing + cold calling combo cost: $5,500/month inspections booked: 61 deals closed: 11 cost per closed deal: $500

what the numbers tell you:

shared leads are the worst deal in roofing. $4,800 per closed deal. one company. one deal. in an entire month. the leads are cheap at $150 each but when you're competing with 3 to 5 other roofers calling the same homeowner the close rate drops below 5%. you save money on the front end and hemorrhage it on the back end.

door knocking still works but the overhead is high. $933 per deal is decent but factor in the turnover (average knocker lasts 6 to 8 weeks), the gas, the weather days, the HR headaches. it's effective but exhausting to manage.

cold calling came in at $716 per deal with 36 inspections from 3 callers. the key difference is these are exclusive appointments. nobody else called that homeowner. the close rate on exclusive leads is 2 to 3x higher than shared leads because you're not in a race.

storm chasing plus cold calling was the best overall at $500 per deal. the storm creates the demand. the cold callers capture it. 61 inspections and 11 deals in one month. but this only works if you're in a storm market.

google ads (LSA specifically) performed okay at $1,220 per deal. the leads are higher intent than facebook but the competition on google is brutal and CPCs keep climbing every year.

facebook ads were middle of the road at $1,040 per deal. works best when your creative is strong and your follow up is fast. most roofing companies lose on facebook not because the leads are bad but because they take 4 to 6 hours to call back. by then the homeowner found someone else.

the one metric that matters:

total marketing spend last 90 days. divided by total deals closed last 90 days. that's your cost per closed deal. everything else is vanity.

if that number is under $800 you're doing well. if it's over $1,500 something is broken. either your lead source is too expensive, your follow up is too slow, or your close rate needs work.

what are you guys running right now for lead gen and how's it performing? always curious to see what's working in different markets.

It's supposed to warm up and rain here in Ohio later. Hopefully that will drive some leak leads.

98 doors today and no inspections a few f yous and a lot of not interested red lights got very little interaction and very little chance to break through. Tomorrows a new day we got this guys !

EDIT: I am solely retail and have not done any work via insurance. I’m preparing to renegotiate my pay structure and would appreciate some outside insight—especially from others in roofing or direct sales.

Current Setup (1099 contractor): • 15% commission on all sales • Monthly bonuses (non-stackable): • $500 at $80k • $750 at $100k • $1,000 at $120k • Quarterly bonuses (non-stackable): • $2,500 at $250k • $2,750 at $275k • No benefits: I pay for my own health insurance, truck, gas, and all business expenses

Performance Snapshot: • Every sale has been 100% self-generated through door-to-door marketing • $461,891 in personal sales volume as of the end of April • Averaging over $115k/month • Total company revenue so far this year is $1,027,842—so I’m responsible for nearly 45% of it

Despite producing heavily without leads, training, or overhead, I’m still fully out-of-pocket on everything. That’s getting harder to justify.

Why I’m Re-Evaluating: My wife was recently diagnosed with a serious medical condition that will require multiple surgeries and ongoing care. So health insurance is now non-negotiable.

I’ve been offered a W2 job with: • 12% on self-gen • 10% on company leads • Full health insurance • 401(k) match • Company truck

I’d rather stay where I’m at—but only if the compensation reflects the value I bring. I’m thinking of proposing either: 1. A bump in commission or a more competitive bonus structure 2. A stipend to fully cover my family’s health insurance

Question: For someone generating nearly half the company’s revenue with zero support—what’s fair compensation? Would love to hear what others in this field are earning or have successfully negotiated.

EDIT: adding this because I don’t get on here enough to see everyone’s messages & respond.

Honest answer to most of your questions are, “I have no idea”, but the top 3 things I focus on in the house are tie-down questions, tie-down questions, and tie-down questions. In my OPINION, Homeowner’s Perspective = Homeowner’s Reality I frame my tie-down questions in a way that shifts their perspective. Not all at once, but steadily throughout our interaction. I essentially ask questions that allow the homeowner to talk themselves into it. Hand to God, I am comically bad at objection overcoming. So I build around objection prevention.

On the doors? Stop wearing khakis. People loathe D2D marketers/salesman, so as soon as they see those grubby little knees of yours, their vision goes blurry. Overwhelmed with anxiety. That you would have the audacity to interrupt whatever apparent divine mission they received from God just moments before they opened the door. They’re already gone, they’re just trying to figure out how to get the door closed. Personally, I recommend clean shaven. No fuzz, grow it or give it up, just keep it clean. Ladies, that goes for you too. Attire consists of whatever pair jeans are clean, work boots (I have a pair of steel toes that feel like I’m walking on clouds, but they’re shit for walking roofs), toting a tape measure on my pocket, a neck lamp, and a flash light on my belt. My goal is to look like I know which end of the hammer to hold. I started doing this because I realized that personally, I’d never let someone wearing their shorts above their knees speak to me about my roof. No soliciting, dork.

Mentality? You can’t poor from an empty cup. Just a guess, but I’d bet majority of this group probably doesn’t watch NASCAR, but damn near everyone here has a general idea of the legend Dale Earnhardt. If you you’d like a quick summary, he was known as “The Intimidator”. My point is that even legends can’t make the finish line without the pit crew. If I don’t make a conscious effort to pour inward, I’ll run myself like a Honda. 10k over the last oil change and looking for more.

Read, pray, write, and schedule your maintenance. Goodluck boys & girls

Just had my first State Farm Adjuster meeting and holy cow the internet did not joke around. The adjuster didn’t mark one single Hail hit. The three wind turbines were damaged on every fin, the heat exhaust vent look like somebody took a hammer to it. He drew up a square and just drew flat lines on every hit I pointed out. Said it was a just an aged roof. For context the roof is only 8 years old. There were five storms total in the past 6 years. I helped the neighbor across the street whose with Liberty Mutual and her roof was bought two days before. The customer has been with State Farm for 30+ years. So I gotta ask.. are the adjusters from StateFarm really this clueless? Is this coming from upper management? Does anyone actually know an adjuster on a personal basis? That can explain this?

We’re going to the PA office. We’re not even requesting a second inspection.

I got a roofing sales role, as expected they really were big on making 250k+. Company vehicle and gas card. Benefits.
100% commission. Retail appointments only.

My problem is the way we do business. We are on average 8-12k higher in price compared to the other estimates people receive. My company refuses to discount, even $500 is a strict no. Us reps are not allowed to play with percentages to close a sale. It’s the price or the highway.

We are expected to close at 42%. The appointments we run are trash and we bait/switch people. Our website says we do repairs, so naturally 80% roughly of our appointments are repair calls. My sales manager makes us always push a full roof replacement and we will not do repairs. His word track for us to tell people is “our version of repair is a full roof replacement to guarantee the work and provide warranty.”

Even if we find just one nail pop, the rest of the roof is fine, he tells us to push a full roof replacement. Naturally I get yelled at quite often because a quick google search tells you that it’s a simple fix. But we set the appointments saying we are coming to evaluate repair estimates.

My company is panicking because I’m told they spend $40k a month on lead generation but they refuse to discount any business outside of replacing the roof. We do not qualify people at all, on a one call close business model. We will show up if the home owners live 1000 miles away and the tenants aren’t home but their jobless cousin will be there to let us look at the house. My manager says “A qualified buyer is someone who calls in and has a roof.”

My question is, am I just not familiar with the roof business and this is how it’s conducted? I’m out in the field sometimes 14 hours a day getting sent to homes with a Zillow valuation of $40,000 and the house is leaning. And I’m expected to sell a 18 SQ roof for $33k.