Five Hallmarks Of A Successful Metal Roofing Contractor
I hope that this finds you well and enjoying a great 2015. I am consistently hearing from contractors across the country that homeowners are in more of a buying mood than they have been for several years. When you combine this with the increase in availability of financing options, this really should be a banner year for many contractors.
While recent issues of the Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report have focused on how to sell the benefits of metal roofing, I want to change gears for a moment in this issue. The question I want to address in this issue is “What are the hallmarks of a successful residential metal roofing contractor?” In my experience, there are five business attributes shared by the contractors I have seen enjoy the most consistent success in our industry. Each of these benefits really is worth of several paragraphs of discussion and I plan to do that in future issues but, for now, let’s take a brief look at each of the five hallmarks.
- They are PASSIONATE about Metal Roofing being the best option for their clients. This passion for metal roofing spills over to their entire organization, and to their prospects and customers. No one wants to buy a product from someone who doesn’t make it clear that they personally believe in that product. Passion and enthusiasm are contagious. A very common question asked of salespeople presenting metal roofing is “What kind of roof do you have on your home?” You can imagine how turned off the prospect is by certain responses to that question.
- They are committed to SYSTEMIZATION in all facets of their business. Successful residential metal roofing customers are continually in search of the “perfect recipe” that maximizes the success of their organization and the delight of their customers. They know that developing and proving successful systems for all aspects of their business will help them to create a machine that can even run without them. They have seen too many contractors struggle due to a lack of systems keeping them in “putting out fires” mode all of the time and they do not want to be that way. Instead, they focus on systems for everything including lead generation, purchasing, sales, accounting, and installation.
- They track and know their NUMBERS and use them as a method of staying on track and evaluating their success. They know their lead counts and costs, their marketing costs, their installation costs, and their profit percentages – among many other things. They watch their numbers vigilantly and make swift, positive changes if things start to track in the wrong direction. They know that contracting companies are fragile. It’s a slippery slope once things get out of kilter at all. Numbers are their way of tracking and knowing when things have deviated from a path that will lead to success.
- They constantly perfect and practice a scripted SALES PROCESS that their sales team must follow. A finely crafted sales presentation will involve the homeowner emotionally, physically, and intellectually while still ensuring that all pertinent features and benefits of the product are fully taught and demonstrated. While this sort of presentation takes time to develop, memorize, and deliver, it also provides the best possible opportunity for a consumer to fully appreciate the value of what you’re selling.
- They see quality INSTALLATION as being fundamental to their business, and they have someone with a vested interest in watching over it. The most consistently successful residential metal roofing contractors I have known have had someone in their organization with a vested interest in making sure that installs went off without a hitch. In most of these organizations, the owner was the passionate visionary who drove marketing and sales. When they got distracted by worrying about installation, their focus was lost and sales slumped.
Again, these are just overviews of the FIVE ATTRIBUTES OF A SUCCESSFUL RESIDENTIAL METAL ROOFING CONTRACTOR. We will dig into each of these more deeply in future issues.
In the meantime, if you’d like to discuss any of these things, or talk about how Isaiah Industries helps its dealers in each of these areas, please give me a call at 1-800-543-8938 ext 201 or drop me an email at tmiller@isaiahindustries.com. I’d love to hear from you and share ideas with each other!
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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