5 Tips For Marketing To Real Estate Agents

First, I would like to thank Jessica for requesting this topic!

Real estate agents can be a great source of repeat referral business for the roofing contractor.  How can you tap into this market without wasting time and money?

Before getting into specifics of how to market to agents I would like to give you a couple of cautions to keep in mind.

First, when designing your marketing plan for real estate agents remember that there are about as many (if not more) real estate agents as there are roofing contractors.  This makes it critical for you to spend your time in the right places and with the right agents.  Just like in the roofing industry there are a lot of agents just sitting around without much work.

Second, you have to be prepared to say no to some agent’s requests.  I have had agents ask, after a roof inspection that was bad and was jeopardizing the sale, to just say something to make the potential buyers feel good about the roof.  You may be asked to give estimates of how long a roof will last, and you may find yourself pressured to withhold negative information for the sake of getting the deal done.  Hopefully this will never happen to you, but you should be prepared.

Now on to the marketing part.  Here are Five Tips.

1 – Find out who the busy agents are. This one can be tricky.  Just because an agent spends a bunch of money on ads doesn’t mean they are busy.  How can you find out who the busy agents are?  One of the first things I would do is visit local real estate offices and speak to either the Broker or the Office Manager and ask them who their busiest agents are, they will often be more than happy to tell you who is really producing and also who the up and comers are.  This will give you a good list of targets.

2 – Focus on agents who work with Buyers. Typically it will be the buyer in the transaction that will request a roof inspection and you would like to be the roofing contractor the agent recommends.   However, you should also try to get in with busy listing agents who will recommend that their customers get a roof inspection ahead of time (not all do this) so that they can market the home with a clean roof inspection.  Also, it will often be the listing agent who will make recommendations to the seller as to which contractor to choose to have any requested repairs made.  That said, if I had to choose I would choose the buyers agents to target first.

3 – Meet agents face to face. Take in helpful information to the agent.  Become a resource.  Agents are people too and they usually choose contractors they are comfortable with and feel will be there for them to help them out.  After you have finished step one ask what times are the best to catch the agent in the office and then drop by and introduce yourself and your company.

4 – Don’t be put off by the first rebuttal. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling on your first visit.  Just be cordial and persistent.  Agents will eventually appreciate your persistence and over time will be more inclined to send some work your way.  Establishing familiarity will go a long way for you over time.

5 – Offer to speak at the local Board of Realtors meetings or at local real estate office meetings. Brokers will often invite companies to speak at their weekly meetings as will the local Board of Realtors.  Check with them and ask what sort of roofing related topic they would feel would be beneficial and do a short presentation on the subject (don’t forget to bring bagels and coffee).   Make sure to bring some sort of leave behinds that highlight how an agent can benefit from working with your company.

I hope this information helps.  Face to face marketing with agents is more time consuming but will get you much much farther than would any sort of mailer or flyer.  One other tip, make sure that any agents you do currently work with refer you to other agents in their office.  Their recommendation can go a long way in getting you in with other agents.

Please let me know your experiences in working with agents in the comments section below.

Good Marketing Can Overcome Customer Concerns

I travel a lot for work and occasionally I eat alone.  The other night while eating by myself I wondered how the family at the next table would react if I asked to sit down with them and join in their meal.  After chuckling to myself as I considered the consequences it dawned on me that most of the time a roofing contractor is just as much an unknown stranger to the homeowner as I am to the family at the next table.

So what?  Sometimes as roofing contractors, or roofing salespersons, you can get so comfortable going into total strangers homes that you can forget how unusual and uncomfortable it can be for the homeowner. This is especially true if the homeowner has not previously been exposed to you or your company.  Imagine all the thoughts going through their mind as you pull up.

“Will he (or she) be honest?” “Will he try to rip me off or will he give me a fair deal?” “Can I trust the recommendations he makes?” “Should I even let him into my home?”

How can your marketing help put the homeowner at ease before you arrive?  How can your marketing connect you with your customer?

First, we must give marketing a broad definition.  It includes a lot more than your yellow page ad.  Have you ever had a customer tell you that they see your trucks all over town, even though you only have one truck?  That is the power of marketing with vehicle lettering.  In a small service area this can be a very powerful tool to get potential customers comfortable and familiar with your company.  Yard signs can also be very effective at accomplishing this in your target neighborhood.  You are no longer a complete stranger because, if their neighbor trusted you, you must be o.k.

Second, your marketing can soothe customer concerns by featuring testimonials.  You can tell your potential customers how great and honest you are, but it really means nothing when it comes from you.  However, if someone likes you enough to give you a testimonial, it can go a long way to building trust.  What is the best form of testimonial?  A video testimonial with your customer singing your praises is far and away the best and most powerful testimonial that you can provide.  Outside of that, a testimonial with a picture of the people and their names (not initials) can be effective, though not nearly as effective as a video testimonial.

Finally, look at places where you can incorporate a list of Frequently Asked Questions (or something similar) that address common questions and concerns that your potential customers may have.  This can show your prospect that you recognize, and have thought through, their concerns.  Combine this with a testimonial of a customer describing how you overcame their concerns and you are miles ahead of your competition.

If you use your marketing as a tool to connect with your prospects, before you ever meet them, it can make a big difference in the way they feel when you arrive to give them an estimate or sales presentation.  Be a welcome and trusted adviser, instead of an unknown stranger.

Why Do They Buy?

Does this quote apply to the roofing business?  If so, how?

You don’t buy coal, you buy heat;
You don’t buy circus tickets, you buy thrills;
You don’t buy a paper, you buy news;
You don’t buy glasses, you buy vision.

- ANONYMOUS

You don’t buy a roof, you buy _______ . If you ask me, no one lays around daydreaming about buying a new roof.  So, when your customers sign the contract why are they really buying?  There can be many reasons, understanding those reasons can help make your marketing more effective, and your sales easier to close.  Let’s look at some of the common, and very different reasons your customers not only buy a new roof, but choose you to do it for them.

The most obvious reason to buy a roof is out of necessity.  So, we could say “You don’t buy a roof, you buy protection.”  A roof protects our family, our valuables, our health, our investment, etc.  During this difficult economy this seems to be the primary motivator for the re-roof market.  If that is the case in your market look for ways to incorporate this into your marketing.  Look for ways to stress that this expense is small in comparison to the value of what it protects.

Another motivator for purchasing a roof is to fit in (or stand out).  This was a big motivator over the past couple of years.  When everyone was refinancing and fixing up their homes it created an environment where a new roof was just part of keeping up with the Joneses.  If you have neighborhoods still experiencing this phenomenon then your marketing should focus on ways to stand out from crowd with new and interesting roofing products.  So in this case we could say “You don’t buy a roof, you buy status.”

Often the decision to buy a new roof is a mixture of the two.  The “desire” to attain greater status in the neighborhood is rationalized by the “need” for a new roof.  This can be your toughest sell as usually the need is not as pressing and a new roof could wait, but the desire is there.  In this case your marketing has to appeal to the desire first, but be backed up with sufficient facts so that the buyer can convince themselves of the need.

These are just two basic reasons someone may purchase a new roof.  Take some time to analyze what drives the buying decisions for the majority of your customers and make sure that your marketing is appealing to the right source of motivation.

In addition to the reasons someone is buying a new roof it is important also to analyze why they are choosing you as their roofing contractor.  What needs are you filling?  You may be a high end contractor and choosing you could be a status symbol in itself.  You may be a value oriented contractor satisfying the customers need for a good deal.  You may be known as an exceptionally honest contractor and you fill the customers need for protection (from shady contractors).  It is important to identify the reasons customers choose you and incorporate those into your marketing as well.

If you can successfully answer the question “What are my customers really buying?” and incorporate that into your marketing, your customer will already feel drawn to you and your company before you make a sales call, and this can lead to a much more productive and profitable 2010.

How Can Roofers Make Home Show Marketing More Fun?

This past weekend my wife and I and some friends went to a local ski expo.  When we arrived and saw the place we thought we would be in and out in an hour.  Four hours later we were leaving with smiles on our faces.  What made it a great experience and how can roofing contractors make their home shows more productive and fun?

I have been to many home shows, worked a number of them and helped roofing contractors prepare for them.  However, I have never been to a home show that was nearly as much fun as the recent ski show I went to.  Now you are probably thinking “of course a ski show is going to be more fun than a home show.”  Why?  Are skiers more passionate about their hobby than homeowners?  No, I don’t think so.  People are just as passionate about their homes, and they spend a lot more money on them than they do on skiing.  However, we in the industry tend to think that having fun is not part of the sales equation.  I think when it comes to home shows we should try to make it more exiting and entertaining for the homeowner.  How?

Here are some of the things vendors were doing to attract attention and have a little fun.

1 – One vendor had a Plinko game going (you know, like the “Price is Right”)  Fill out an info card and get a try to win prizes ranging from nothing to a cheap keychain to a free lift ticket.

2 - Another had a snow chain installing contest where the fastest installer won a free lift ticket.  I am proud to say I won a free lift ticket!

3 - One creative and inexpensive game was a beer pong set up with small prizes like chap-stick or soda can insulators for getting the ball in the cup.

4 - One company had a “horse race” where each person got a number on a horse and they had a kid from the group roll dice and move the horse forward one slot each time the number was rolled.  My wife was excited to “win” a $20.00 off coupon.

5 - Many vendors had drawings for prizes if you signed up.

When I have worked home shows in the past I hated how people would come by and just look for the freebie to take without even talking to me.  These vendors had games that engaged the customer and we spent a lot of time talking and listening when we probably would not have otherwise.

We also found that winning a chap-stick was a lot more fun and satisfying than just picking it up off the table.  So, how can roofing contractors incorporate this into their marketing efforts at home shows?  Try to incorporate something fun, a golf putting contest for a free roof inspection, or that key chain or coffee mug that you were going to give away anyway.  Something to get the customers to stop and talk instead of snatch and run.  I’ll bet you’ll be the hit at the next home show if you are the only roofing contractor marketing himself in a fun and unique way.  Give it a try, you and your future customers will like it!

A common mistake many small business owners, including roofing contractors, make is confusing marketing with selling.  “I don’t need to do much marketing, I am an excellent salesman.”  Is that true?  What are the differences?

Let’s use the old saying “you could sell ice to an Eskimo” to answer that.  Selling is obvious.  Many roofing contractors are excellent salesmen once they are in front of a homeowner.

The question is: Where are the Eskimo’s?  How do I get them to call me?  That is where marketing comes in.  It does not matter how good of a roofer you are, or how good of a salesman you are, if you have no one to talk to.  Sadly, many people are hiring roofing contractors who are not as good as you at sales or roofing.  Why?  They have better marketing.

This probably seems obvious but it is a good reminder that no matter how good we are we still need a solid marketing program to be sucessful in todays market.

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do”

- Thomas Jefferson

Stand Out from other Roofers with Simple Messages - that Really Say Something.

I like that quote.  This is an important principle to keep in mind when developing marketing messages for your roofing services.  Roofing contractor marketing does not need to be complicated or lengthy.

“Great, I will just put a bunch of simple bullet points in my ads and people will surely read them”  Not true.  Along with being busy we have also become immune to most advertising.  I was looking at an ad for an electrician in my area.  His bullet points were:

Clean professional service – Experienced, friendly electricians – Free quotes

If you were looking for an electrician what would go through your mind as you read those bullet points?

My thoughts are: “Really?  Wow, I’ll hire this guy because the other electrician advertises ‘dirty unprofessional service done by grumpy guys with no experience’!”  Or in other words – “What else would I expect?  Everybody says those things!”

Keeping it simple does not mean saying the same old thing that everyone else says. You could have taken the ad for that electrician and inserted his competitor’ name and the ad would have been fine.  You could have taken his ad and inserted a plumber or a roofer and the ad would have been fine.  This is not a good ad.

Keeping it simple is hard work.  It means really taking the time to figure out what makes you different from other roofing contractors (saying something they cannot say) and then finding a way to say it quickly and convincingly in language the customer will understand.

TAKE ACTION:

1 - Review your ads and see if your are saying things that make the reader say “Of course, everyone says that!”  If you have them, change them.

2 - Take time to review what makes you different from other roofing contractors and  find a way to explain these differences in two or three sentences.  Then replace your old generic points with these.

In future posts we will discuss how to develop these statements often called your “USP” or Unique Selling Proposition.  Please share your thoughts.

How should what you spend on marketing change with the economy?

There is a lot of talk that we are coming out of the recession.  Unfortunately, I still see a lot of roofing contractors struggling with a lack of business.

Some have reacted to the downturn by cutting all “unnecessary expenses” (marketing) and some have increased their spending on advertising in hopes of getting more work.  Which strategy is best?

Neither.  Now more than ever roofers need to be marketing, however they must also be very careful to control costs.

First let me make the case for why you should continue to spend some portion of your income on marketing.  Notice these comments from Harvard Professor John A. Quelch. You can read his full post here.

“This is not the time to cut advertising. It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.”

He makes the point that right now marketing is cheaper and there are fewer of your competitors advertising, so your marketing dollar goes farther now.  If you spend that marketing dollar wisely.

I met with a roofing contractor today who said that he cut all his yellow page ads this year.  The salesmen tried to strike fear into his heart when he cancelled, his business would surely fail without the $20,000 per year he was spending on big yellow page ads.

I asked how his business was affected.  “Not at all” he stated.  I congratulated him for having the courage to break from the norm and cut some major costs.  Did that mean he stopped marketing?  No.  He has continued to market his roofing business in other ways.  He has gone back to the basics, yard signs, truck lettering, direct mailing to target markets and other proven methods of marketing that are much less expensive yet still very effective.

That brings us to the point.  Roofers need to be marketing but in more cost effective and creative ways.  Make sure you are tapping your distributor and your preferred roofing manufacturer as well.  Many of these will provide you with these tools for free or a greatly reduced cost.

How much should you spend on marketing?  It is different for every market and company.  However, I personally think that it should be a consistent formula based on your revenue.  I believe you should set a marketing budget that is in the 4-7% of gross sales range (this is just a suggestion, not a rule).  This way as sales increase so does your marketing spend and as sales decrease so do your expenses. This will also ensure that you have money available for marketing.  You need to add it to every sale as part of your expenses.  Don’t make the mistake of spending your profits on marketing.  Budget for it and treat it as a business expense.

In future posts we will look at creative and inexpensive ways to market your roofing company.

TAKE ACTION:

1 - Make sure marketing is counted into your costs for every job and set aside that money for that specific reason.

2 - Look for ways you can control your costs by cutting marketing that is overpriced or is not returning good results.

3 - Look for new and inexpensive ways to promote your business and ask for help from distributors and manufacturers.

Please post your ideas and comments!

This is not how you want your customers neighbors to look!

I was reading a blog that a gentleman wrote about how he is really bothered by the roofing crew working in his neighborhood.  He described loud music that was blaring out of opened truck doors disturbing him and other neighbors.

“So What?  My crews listen to music while working, this is common and he should just get over it.  We will be gone in a few days anyways.”  If this (or something like it) was your first reaction, you may want to reconsider.  Why?  Here was his next comment:

“If you and your staff don’t care about offending me and my neighbors – I don’t want to hire you.”

Even if neighbors never complain, your crews could be costing you a lot of business (and money) if they do not take into consideration how their actions and appearance could affect others wanting to do business with your company.

How can you turn your crews into a marketing powerhouse?

1 - Company shirts.  These go a long way to making your crews look more professional.

2 - Incentivize good behavior.  Tell your crews they will each get $20.00 gift cards for every neighbor that hires your company.

3 - Remind them that even if they speak a different language they need to watch what they say.

I had a roofer tell me that a homeowner called him to tell him that the roofing was going well, but that apparently his crews “really like his wife”.  They were speaking another language that the homeowner also understood.  This is not good marketing!

4 - Clean up the jobsite every day.

5 - Keep the jobsite music down or use i-pods.

6 - Be alert to the looks of the neighbors.  If they look unhappy try to figure out why.

There is a lot more to marketing for roofing contractors than just placing ads.  Fine tune your crews and you will be surprised how much additional work they can bring in for you.

There it is, you are so proud.  The shiny new postcard is ready to be sent.  How could anyone resist the beautiful pictures and bullet points?  You can hardly wait for the flood of calls this will surely generate.  This was a mistake I made and thousands of dollars later I still had no calls from that beautiful postcard.  What should I have done?  Tested it first!

Split Testing can Help Roofers Find a Message That Matches Their Market

No matter how perfect you or your graphics design person thinks your marketing is, you should test it.  How?

Roofers should take advantage of a long known marketing strategy called “split testing”.  How can you use split testing to improve the rate of return you get on your marketing?  Here is an example:

Lets say you have identified a specific neighborhood with 500 houses as the perfect re-roof opportunity, you have developed a direct mail piece and are ready to send it out.   Ideally I would recommend that you have two different mailers and send each one to 100 homes.  Wait 2-3 weeks and see which one gets a greater response.  If one mailer gets 1 call and the other gets 2 you will have identified a message that is 100% more effective than the other.

If neither mailer gets a response take some time to analyze what your message is and if it is really matches up with the targeted market.  Is the neighborhood you are marketing to made up of smaller homes and the ad you sent contains pictures of beautiful mansions and high end roofing (or vice-versa)?  If this is the case your marketing may be sending the wrong message.

Does your marketing contain a specific call to action?  Are you trying to get people to call or maybe to visit your web site?  Either way make sure you make clear what action you would like the reader to take.  You may want to incentivize this by offering a free report or other item that will encourage them to contact you.

Once you have revised your message for your market, test again!  Send it to 100 homes and compare the response to your previous mailings.  Once you have a message that is working, then mail it to the entire area.

Marketing for Roofers is expensive, especially direct mail marketing.  Make sure that you don’t spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on advertising that is not effective.  By split testing first you can make sure that your next roofing ad campaign will be effective and bring the results you want.

Remember – Test it first!

Good Marketing Can Help Your Roofing Company Succeed in This Recession

In Part 1 we identified ways to see which roofing contractors are busy in your market and what your percentage of market share is.

In Part 2 we looked at important questions you should ask based on that information.  Now the question is:  How can you use this information to grow your market share?

What is the number one thing most roofing contractors in your market do to try to gain market share?  Lower Prices.  This is a big mistake.  The other day one roofer told me that when he sees the prices of some of his competition, he thinks they must have to get a loan just to do the job because they have to be losing money.  This seems to be a common feeling.  Is lowering your price the best way to get more work?

Let’s refer to the great marketing company, Jack-In-The-Box, for the answer to that question.  A couple of years ago they had a commercial where a worried assistant runs up to Jack to inform him that he is losing money on every burger they sell.  Jack calmly replies “I have one word for you – Volume”.  It may work for Jack-In-The-Box but it is a terrible strategy for roofing contractors.

How can you grow your market share without lowering your price?  Here are a few ways.

1 - Good marketing makes selling easy easier.  If you have done an effective job of marketing your roofing company and you have built a relationship with your potential customers, through your marketing, they will already have a good idea of the value you bring before you ever step into their home.  This can help remove some of the price barrier ahead of time.

2 - Can you clearly tell your customer in 30 seconds or less why they should do business with you, instead of your competition?  This is not as simple as saying “We have been in business for xx years” or “We have experienced crews”.  These are things your competitors are sure to tell them also.  You need to come up with a statement that will clearly differentiate you from your competitors by saying something that they cannot say.

3 - Talk to your past customers and ask them ‘why they chose you’.  This can give you a good idea of what consumers see as your strengths.  You can then leverage this in your marketing and in your face to face sales.

4 - Do not imitate the marketing you see on television.  Large corporations spend millions of dollars each year to pay for Branding Ads that are designed to do nothing more than drill a brand name into the minds of viewers.  Most roofing companies cannot afford to advertise enough to accomplish this task.  Instead, make sure that your marketing is targeted to a consumer who needs a roof and make sure that your advertising provides useful information that will help a potential customer see why they should use you, before they ever meet you.

These are just a few suggestions that can help you grow your market share.

Please comment below on other methods you have found effective.