The Power and Potential of Roof Visualizers
As technology advances, new tools improve the construction experience for homeowners, contractors, and manufacturers.
One of the most effective tools we’ve found to improve the discovery and sales phase for homeowners is a product visualizer. One step further than the beauty shots on your website or social media, visualizers put your product directly on their roof.
We believe in the power of visualizers, so we’ve created one for each of our brands, Classic Metal Roofing Systems, Kassel & Irons, and Green American Home. Each one enables homeowners to see our roofing on their homes, all by just uploading an image. If they’d prefer to use a sample instead, we provide those too.
If they supply their own picture, for best results, start with a photo of the home taken square-on and slightly from above to accentuate the roof. If you can, show up at the appointment with a created image already made that you could show the homeowners.
Besides the capability of visualizers to plant an idea in a client’s head, it also allows them to play around with different styles and colors. As a result, they might discover unexpected combinations of the two that become their ideal roof.
A visualizer puts the ball squarely in the homeowner’s court so that they can explore freely. And after exploration, you have a ready-made segue into explaining more about their chosen product. If you are prepared, you can dive into the features and benefits of their choice, explaining why it may or may not be a good fit for their situation. This can streamline the sales process for you, and if a homeowner uses the visualizer first, their curiosity is ripe.
Another helpful thing is to get the customer to commit to a color fairly early on. You don’t want to jump the gun too fast and start choosing product and color before you have reviewed their needs, but the sooner they commit to a color, the sooner they see their dream roof.
It’s also important to help a homeowner understand how much their roof contributes to the overall attractiveness of their home. Many homeowners never consider how the roof can individualize and characterize their home. For many homes, 50 – 60% or even more of the home’s visible exterior is the roof. Introducing the roof as a design element of their home rather than just a “necessity” will draw them into looking at the beauty of your product.
You also want them to realize that roofing products have two lives – an aesthetic life and a functional one. Most roofing materials look nice for a few years, but for most of their useful life, they are streaked, stained, and tired looking. A metal roof, though, can immediately add home beauty and then maintain that beauty over the test of time.
In a recent episode of our podcast, Construction Disruption, we had the privilege to interview Jackie Mosher, COO of Dzinly. Dzinly takes the visualizer to the whole exterior, including roofing, siding, shutters, and even minor architectural changes.
I bring this up because they, and potentially other companies, partner with manufacturers and brands to feature their products. If visualizer services like this become popular, this may be another avenue to show off your offerings—just something to keep in mind for the future.
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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