Door-to-door roofing sales may seem obsolete in 2024, but it is still one of the most effective ways to close roof sales and get your name out there.
Sure, learning how to sell roofs door-to-door takes literal legwork and some interpersonal skills, but people still appreciate the face-to-face interaction they get from any home service company.
Key Takeaway
Credibility is vital in the roofing business. Face-to-face communication is one of the most effective ways to establish credibility. It lets people see that your words are in tune with your body language.
Still, door-to-door roof sales are notorious for being challenging. Not everyone will react favorably to a stranger ringing their doorbell.
In the following blog post, Roofer’s Guild will explain how to sell roofs door to door effectively in 2024.
Tip #1: Get To The Point
Don’t take too long to get to your point. Believe it or not, most people aren’t interested in spending a significant portion of their day in idle chatter with strangers.
People will tell you that you are a salesman when you come to the door, so don’t waste their time. State your name, the company’s name, and your sales point right off the bat.
Bonus Tip: it can be constructive to rehearse your door-to-door roofing sales pitch – especially the greeting where you state your name, your business name, and why you are there.
Tip #2: Adapt as Needed
While it’s a good idea to have part of your pitch rehearsed, don’t be a robot. Remember that one of the most effective door-to-door sales tactics is finding the pain point of the potential customers. That means you must converse with them and listen to their roofing needs.
You may be able to steer the conversation a bit by observing certain things about their roofs. In general, though, the goal is to listen to customers and let them talk about their roofing concerns.
Once they mention their concerns, then it is time to provide your solution. If they can’t remember their last roof inspection, note that you offer a roofing inspection service. If they mention concerns about the effect of extreme weather on their roof, note that you specialize in storm roof repair.
Next, take a look at the state of their gutters. If they require cleaning or repair, steer the conversation toward them and mention that your company offers competitive gutter cleaning and repair rates.
The point is to adapt your pitch to the needs of the customer. Of course, you may not always be able to do this.
After all, you can’t just lie and say you offer a roofing service that the customer needs even though you don’t. But more often than not, you will find some roofing needs that you can fill for potential customers.
Tip #3: It’s About Getting Leads
Of course, you always want to try to close a sale. However, there is a secondary purpose: generating leads. Leads are vitally important to your roofing business, and you need as many as you can possibly get.
You should already be implementing SEO and digital marketing strategies to generate more roofing leads online, but selling roofs door-to-door is a golden opportunity to generate leads even if you can’t close a sale.
Consider the neighborhood of a worksite you are on. Your customer’s neighbors are excellent lead prospects because their roofs are prone to the same problems. They are likely to need roofing services soon, too, right? So go ahead and knock on their doors and ask them about the state of their roofs.
Even if they aren’t interested, you can ask to leave your card with them just in case they need any roofing work in the next year or two.
Tip #4: Be Polite
Being polite when you knock on someone’s door and try to sell them anything is a given. What we’re talking about, though, is to be polite even in the face of rudeness.
Remember that many neighborhoods these days have their own social media groups, and word can get around quickly of a rude door-to-door roof salesman.
Plus, if you return rudeness with rudeness, you will have no chance of converting that customer in the future.
Tip #5: Use Storm-Chasing Apps
Part of being an effective salesman is knowing which areas are prime for business. If you want to know how to sell roofs door to door effectively, you have to know where people are most likely to buy.
A storm-tracking app could be highly effective. A good storm-tracking app will let you know which areas have been recently hit with hail or other kinds of storms.
Remember that people will be looking to shore up their roofs as soon as possible after the storm, so it could be highly profitable for you to eliminate the need for their search by showing up to their property.
Tip #6: Be Honest and Transparent
The best salespeople are usually the ones who are more introverted and less salesy. Most homeowners can detect B.S. since they can access online reviews and neighborhood forums announcing when roofers are going door-to-door.
If you cut through the B.S. and lay out an honest assessment of your services, your chances of a conversion increase exponentially.
Remember that some people won’t answer the door regardless. Some may even threaten you to get off their property and insult you personally. While such behavior is not common, it does happen to roofers. The best you can do is promote your roofing company authentically in a way that addresses their needs.
Sales can be a tough job, but somebody has to do it. At Roofer’s Guild, we encourage business owners to try door-to-door sales before they ask employees to do the job. Once they understand what goes into the process, they can hire people who are well-suited for the position.
