Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report

A Lead Generation Goldmine

Issue #251 | September 11, 2024 | Todd Miller

The summer of 2024 brought mixed results in terms of roofing and home improvement. Contractors in areas that experienced severe storms have stayed busy, while many in other areas have had difficulty generating leads and getting homeowners to commit. 

In this issue of the Executive Report, I will discuss a couple of effective but often overlooked options for generating leads in slower times. Better yet, these methods create leads that are more likely to close than traditional leads. 

Referral Maximization 
Referral Maximization is committing part of your traditional marketing budget to connect with your past customers. Everyone is quick to say that they love referrals from previous customers. Referral leads start with positive feelings about your company and are more likely to close than most leads. Yet, most referrals are obtained with high hopes rather than with intentionality. 

Here’s the reality – if you can obtain one referral lead from each previous customer every year, your company will grow not incrementally but exponentially. I doubt you will be able to keep up with the growth!  And, what’s more, your average lead cost per sale will likely go way, way, way down. 

So, how do you maximize referrals? I recommend you spend some time brainstorming for your situation, but here are some general ideas to get you started.

1. Send a monthly e-newsletter or even a published written newsletter to your entire database of past customers (and prospects). Stay in front of them!
2. Create a “customer concierge” who personally contacts all past customers at least four times yearly. Focus especially on the spring, fall, and after major weather events.
3. Go back to your past customers and ask to put yard signs on their properties bragging about how well their project still looks and performs.
4. Perform random acts of kindness for past customers—power wash their driveway, bring them flowers, clean their outside lights or windows. Again, take part of your standard marketing budget and commit to touching base with past customers.
5. Send them a gift certificate to see a movie or enjoy a nice dinner.
6. Develop a rewards program that rewards them every time they give you a referral, regardless of whether you sell it. The selling is up to you, not them!
7. If you have past customers who are regularly in the news, set up Google Alerts for their names so you can send them clippings and notes of congratulations.

  Use your imagination and be intentional about generating referrals from your past customers, and your business will change dramatically. 

Pay Attention to Leads You Didn’t Close 
Some folks may call these “rehash” or “nebulous” leads, but I call it paying attention to the leads you didn’t sell. All leads should stay in your database and receive newsletters until they tell you to stop. There is often business in those past leads. 

If you spend time reaching out personally to each past lead, here are some good things that can easily come of that:

1. You find that they never bought from anyone, but now they are ready to decide.
2. You learn why they didn’t purchase from you, and you can implement it in the future.
3. You learn that the product or service they bought didn’t work well for them, and they are back in the market.
4. You learn that they sold the home. In this case, you can try to find out who they sold to. But you also might find that their new home has a need you can fill.

I recently learned of RemodelBoom. If you have a database of at least 5000 leads generated since 2018, RemodelBoom will reach out to them with personalized texting (not AI or “Bot” texting!) and generate renewed interest for your company.  What’s unique about their program is that you pay them only based on leads you can close! 

Whether you’re flush with leads and business right now or still in the hunt, Referral Maximization and paying attention to leads you didn’t close are great ways to keep your pipeline full and your sales team busy. 

Please contact me anytime you’d like to discuss these ideas or more.

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