Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report

It’s Always About Price

Issue #108 | August 24, 2018 | Todd Miller

Welcome to our newest issue of the Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report. I trust that you are very busy. Of course, as all successful contractors know, you can never “rest on your laurels.” Rather, “Continuous Improvement” is the name of the game.

So, did the subject line of this email raise your eyebrows? “It’s Always About Price.” Well, if it didn’t make you raise your eyebrows, it should have, because it’s only half of what I wanted to say. What I really wanted for the subject line, but they told me it was too long, is this:

“It’s Always About Price … Unless YOU Make It About Something Else!”

And that’s how it is with selling. When any consumer goes to buy something, first and foremost in their mind is price. What will it cost? What’s the least amount they can pay? How do they keep from getting “ripped off” and paying too much? Why would anyone pay more than they have to? Those are the questions and thoughts that always go through a consumer’s mind.

And yet every salesperson will tell you that what they want is a sales process that is NOT about price. Where they often fail is giving the customer compelling, emotional reasons for it to NOT be about price. So, you guessed it, it ends up being about price.

If you do not get your future customer, to their very core, to come to the thought that it’s NOT about price, then guess what? It WILL be about price!

So, how do you get that consumer who is focused on and fretting over price to flip to the point of realizing that, in making their purchasing decision, they have far bigger fish to fry than price? There are two important steps.

The first step is to help the customer Establish Their Criteria. Until you have helped them fully define what they want to accomplish with their new roof, you will never have the facts you need to zero in on and take them from making a decision based on “price” to a decision based on “solution.” And “solutions” are what customers will pay for.

Their Established Criteria can include things like Beauty, Longevity, Energy Efficiency, Fire Safety, Low Weight, Resiliency, Worry-Free Future, and even Financing. These are all things that, once established, will take the consumer from a focus on “what does it cost?” to a focus on “how do we solve my problems?”

The next step in making sure that the deal is not about price is separating out what you offer as FAR DIFFERENT from what anyone else offers. And, yes, this will include having to “kill” whatever is offered by your competition. You can’t sit on both sides of the fence in terms of the comparing your product or service to your competitor’s! The key areas of differentiation you bring up will all be geared toward meeting their Established Criteria but they can include:

• Product Features and Benefits
• Energy Efficiency
• Total Home Performance
• Product History
• Steps That Go Into The Product
• Installation Quality
• Steps That Go Into Installation
• Installer Experience and Credentials
• Service After The Sale
• Warranty
• Financing Options

Remember, as you go through the above things, if you do not clearly show how you are better than the competition, then the sales process will slip back into the area of a decision based upon price – and that is not where you want to be. Someone will always have a lower price than yours and if you do not take the focus away from price, you will be the one to win the race to the bottom.

So, two steps to make the sales process about something other than price: 1) Establish Their Purchasing Criteria; and 2) Differentiate Yourself From Your Competitors.

As always, thank you for being a loyal reader of the Executive Report. We always strive to bring you industry-leading ideas and information to ensure your success. If there is ever a topic that you’d like us to cover, please let me know.

Finally, before closing out until our next issues, I want to mention two things:

“Let’s Be Frank.” On Thursday, August 30, we’re holding a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern featuring Frank Farmer, president of American Metal Roofs and Metal Roofing Consultants. Frank has built a highly successful multi-million dollar business installing high end residential metal roofing. In this call, he will discuss several keys to success but one thing we will focus on is how to recruit, train, and retain a world-class sales team! To be a part of the call, dial in to 857-232-0476 at 11 a.m. Eastern and then enter the password 332616.

Don’t forget our new “Outlet” website featuring odds and ends of inventory we have accumulated and need to clear out in order to free up space. On www.arsoutlet.com, you will find a gamut of things all at incredible prices including house wrap, coil stock, metal roofing seconds, VersaShield underlayment, and snow guards. Need something you don’t see – just ask us! We might have it!

Thanks again. Please contact us whenever we can be of service.

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