Roofing sales tips: fix the list before you fix the pitch
Most roofing sales advice is about what to say at the door. The bigger lever comes earlier. It is which doors your reps are standing at, and how many other roofers stood there first.
Short answer
The roofing sales tips that move close rates most happen before the pitch. Work homes with a real reason behind them, like an older roof, storm exposure, or neighbors reroofing. Avoid addresses other roofers are also calling. Open with that reason, offer an inspection instead of a price, and follow up. A strong pitch on a weak or shared list still loses most of the time.
Same rep, two different lists
List A
Every house in the ZIP code
- Half the roofs are under ten years old
- No reason to give at the door
- Other roofers bought the same list
- The rep decides where to start
List B
Homes ranked by their signals
- Older roofs, storm exposure, nearby reroofs
- A specific reason for every door
- Nobody else has the address
- The best homes are at the top
Put the same rep on both for a week. The pitch did not change. The odds did.
Five roofing sales tips that start with the list
1. Sell to homes with a reason
A roof about 15 to 25 years old, recent hail or wind, or two neighbors who just reroofed. One signal is a maybe. Several on the same house is where your reps should start.
2. Stop racing other roofers for the same address
When a homeowner hears from four roofers in a week, the conversation turns into a price fight. Shared leads commonly close in the 5 to 15 percent range for that reason. An address nobody else is working is a conversation, not an auction.
3. Open with the reason, not the company
"We just finished the roof two doors down" or "the hail on the 14th came through this street" earns the next thirty seconds. "We're in the area" does not.
4. Offer an inspection, not a price
Nobody buys a roof at the door. An inspection with photos is an easy yes, and it is where the real sale starts.
5. Follow up on every address
Many inspections come from the second or third touch. Log every door and call, and come back on a different day.
Where the roofing sales process really starts
- 1
Pick the homes
Research which homes show real signals and rank them.
- 2
Open with the reason
Every rep knows why they are at that door.
- 3
Inspect
Photos, findings, and an honest recommendation.
- 4
Follow up
Back on a different day, until there is an answer.
Most sales training covers steps two to four. Step one is the one that decides whether those hours pay off, and it is the one most crews skip.
We do step one
Worth a Knock does the research your reps skip. Every month we find the homes in your territory showing roofing signals, score them from 0 to 100, explain why each one made the list, and write the opener. No other Worth a Knock roofer gets the address for at least 12 months, so your reps are not the third roofer at the door.
See it on your own streets first. Get five free sample opportunities from your ZIP code.
Updated
Common questions
How do you sell more roofs?
Start with a better list. Put reps on homes with older roofs, storm exposure, or nearby reroofs, keep them off addresses other roofers are working, open with the specific reason, offer an inspection, and follow up on every address.
Why are my roofing reps not closing?
Often the list is the problem, not the rep. Reps working every house in a ZIP code, or shared leads several roofers are calling, spend most of their time on homes with no reason to buy and homeowners comparing quotes.
What is a good close rate for roofing sales?
It depends heavily on where the homeowner came from. Shared marketplace leads commonly close in the 5 to 15 percent range. Referrals and homes nobody else is calling close much higher.
Keep reading
More answers for roofing owners
- Canvassing and door knockingDoor to door roofing sales that does not waste your reps' afternoonsDoor to door roofing sales done right: which homes to knock, the best times, a door script that opens an inspection conversation, and how to keep canvassers off homes another roofer already worked.Read the answer
- Roofing leadsBuying roofing leads: what you are actually paying forRoofing leads for sale compared: lead companies, homeowner lists, storm lists, and aged leads. What each one contains, who else gets it, and what to ask before you buy.Read the answer
- Roofing leadsFree roofing leads: where to find them, and five to start withWhere roofing companies find free leads, from referrals to storm reports, and how to get five free sample opportunities from your own ZIP code.Read the answer
Skip the prospecting homework.
We find, rank, and prep the homes in your territory worth a knock, then send them to your team with the reason and the opener. Leave your name and number, then pick a time.
- Limited roofers per territory
- No long-term contract
- Your addresses stay yours for 12+ months