# Residential –vs– Commercial Roofing Customers



## daviddeschaine

Which customer would you rather have - a residential customer or a commercial customer.


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## Grumpy

I am primarilya residential roofer however I have spent the last few years spinning my wheels trying hard to get into the commercial market. It just has not happened they way I have wanted. I really do enjoy the residential work, and don't want to sacrifice the quality minded customers I have however I do find my selling style is better suited to a commercial audience. I am not a closer, and in residential I find a good bulk of the work gets eaten up by low ballers and high pressure salesmen. I am a high quality, median priced guy. 

My style of selling is to build trust through education. This works well, I find, with educated consumers who understand the value of a dollar spent. However those whow ant to buy cheap, not my customer and those that are easily maipulated with deception and "too good to be true" promises, usually not my customer. I do spend a tremendous ammount of time with my customers discussion their needs, educating them on their options, sometimes making revisions, getting the job started to ensure the crew knows all the little details the customer and I may have discussed, performing final inspections with the customer and making sure overall their satisfaction was met 100%.

For that time spent, I feel I would be better off chasing larger jobs. Instad of running 10 estimates a week in residential where the average job may be 25 squares and knocked out in a day or two TOPS, I could run 4 or 5 estimates in a week and have the crew busy for a full week with a 100 square job. That means less time wasted running estimates, and more time spent ensureing customer satisfaction. In other words, for the time spent I expect to see a much larger return in commercial. 

One other thing nice about commercial, my daily overhead doesn't matter if I am commercial or residential. I need to earn the same ammount per day. I find that while I am not trying to be, I am much more competitive on the commercial than on the residential where guys workign for beer and cheeseburgers are common place. I also find that in most, not all, cases the commercial buyers are more sophistacted than the average joe home owner that just wants a deal. Regardless of residential or commercial, an educated customer is my best customer.


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## Joyfully

Hi,
One of the most important points of difference between commercial and residential roofing is that though they are ultimately meant to serve the same purpose at the end of the day, they are still meant to serve on different kinds of roofs. In other words the design structures of the roofs they are expected to be constructed upon vary greatly.

*Roof Ventilator*


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## gtp1003

me i always was a residential guy, would imo use a residential guy for that. commercial form commercial. Thats my 2 cents.


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## gograiley

God bless you guys who work with the house wives in residential


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## whitcoroofing

Well in my case it would be commercial, considering less than 2% of my company’s revenue comes from residential jobs. I'm not going to talk negatively about either client, but we target clients seeking quality solutions. If everybody chose the cheapest bid, then we would be out of business. In the case of commercial clients, they are usually more incline to pay a premium, because they usually know what they want, and they want the best. I guess what I'm trying to say is when you have a warehouse full of millions of dollars of inventory you are going to do whatever you have to, to make sure that roof doesn't leak. 

GA commercial roof contractors


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## shazapple

I'm not a roofer, but I deal with a lot of commercial buildings. Every once and a while I'll have to deal with a residential style roof (aka shingle) and they are the hardest to ensure quality workmanship because most residential roofers in my area are not part of any association or programs which ensure some level of skill.


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## RooferJim

There both good. Commercial is better margins and can be repeat business . Residential is great for cash flow and quick turn around. Grumpy my friend, give me a call sometime. I got some advise for you on commercial work but will not put it on a public forum.


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## Billy Luttrell

Grumpy, I can tell you some of the reason why your closing on residential vs commercial is the way it is. I had the unfortunate experience of working for a large storm chasing company for a short while. Even though I was in production, they still had me attend sales meetings on occasion and the salesmen are pretty much trained like you said...high pressure...something for nothing...to good to be true.

The top dogs and sales managers told me I would not make a good salesman because I know to much about roofing and installations and that I would end up talking more technical terms and roofer jargon and explaining how roofs are applied etc, etc, which in turn "over complicates" the conversation and the sale and makes the customers think to much thus making them want wait before they sign a contract and weigh options.

I still do some residential but I do not market towards it, just when someone else refers them to me. I did learn a lot about sales from that company and to be honest, I just do not have it in me to sell that way...call it ethics and morals.

I just sold a commercial job on Wed. and the customer told me he was going with me based on my explanation of the job process and application of the materials to be used...pretty much all the technical terms and roofer jargon that residential customers to not want to hear.


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## Grumpy

Billy, You do not need to, nor do I, sell the way the "closers" do. Yes I do talk technical jargon, but I back it up with photographs because a picture speaks 1,000 words. I would agree with you 100% it's very ez to confuse people when you get into the technical, but at the same time I want people to understand the differences between the other bidders and myself. I am proud to say we are usually offering a superior roofing system and if I can convince the customer of that, the sale should be mine... assuming the customer gives a chit about quality vs low price. 

This too goes against what the sales gurus say. They say sell on emotion, don't focus on their logical side. I think if you can do both you are, or shoudl be, a juggernaut. Simply focusing on the emotional side without having the logical side to back it up is a recipe for disaster on the back end. Production may be left with a mess to clean up, but hey the "sales" man is happy, he got his commission.


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## Billy Luttrell

Grumpy said:


> Billy, You do not need to, nor do I, sell the way the "closers" do. Yes I do talk technical jargon, but I back it up with photographs because a picture speaks 1,000 words. I would agree with you 100% it's very ez to confuse people when you get into the technical, but at the same time I want people to understand the differences between the other bidders and myself. I am proud to say we are usually offering a superior roofing system and if I can convince the customer of that, the sale should be mine... assuming the customer gives a chit about quality vs low price.
> 
> This too goes against what the sales gurus say. They say sell on emotion, don't focus on their logical side. I think if you can do both you are, or shoudl be, a juggernaut. Simply focusing on the emotional side without having the logical side to back it up is a recipe for disaster on the back end. Production may be left with a mess to clean up, but hey the "sales" man is happy, he got his commission.


assuming the customer gives a chit about quality vs low price. 

That my friend is the mistake I have learned over the years in assuming a sale is mine. In a world full of storm chasers, something for nothings, and drunks with a ladder and pick up truck who helped his uncle roof his house in 1987 trying to hit a lick or pay his mobile home rent/beer money/dope money. 

I have learned most(not all, but most) residential customers are looking for the cheapest option possible, especially here in my region where stormers are still eating up the April 27th tornado fiasco. There are actually Craigslist ads advertising FREE ROOFS and 150.00/sq labor and material and Tear Offs $20 off $45 back on. 

Most commercial customers are looking for fair and value...most bang for their buck, and want to be educated and want to know where their money is going and want to protect their inventory and their offices their tenants.

It sticks in my craw too when I spend hours with a residential customer showing them pictures, and inspecting their roof, and educating them for 2 weeks later to drive by and see bubba's roofing or 4 trucks with Texas plates out front....but it is what it is.

I do advertise residential leak repairs, and I know you have stated that your repair crew does well for you. We were around before all these people came pouring in and we will be here after they are gone, and in my opinion they just open up another market for us, repairs. Yeah it sucks to not get the reroofs, but we cannot roof them all anyways. If I get to where I can have 4 men in 2 vans running repairs 40-50 hours per week non stop...I would probably consider not doing reroofs much and just focus on repair and maintenance programs. Low over-head, fast turn arounds, and personally I still enjoy repair work myself more than anything.


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## Grumpy

For the most part I agree with you. There definetly residential customers who recognize the value in quality, and those are the customers we seek out. But they are few and far between.

I think it is worth mentioning that while my overall approach is very similiar in commercial vs residential, there are some key differences worth the mention. 1st, I offer ALOT less flexibility in residential than I do in commercial in terms of material quality and scope of work. For example, I will replace all flashings on a resndential roof. I do not give the customer that option. On a sloped roof, I will do damned near what ever the customer wants so long as it fits within a manufacturer spec and I can be comfortable that the roof is complete. 

On a commercial sale, I do less preeching and more asking. My pitch starts out by first explaning their warranty options. I do it this way because I explain that what roofing system I specify will depend on how long they want it to last. This really gets alot of questions out in the open. From that point forward we discuss everything from insulation options, I make recommendations, but the choice is theirs. We talk about membrane options and thickness and attachment options, and I allow them to make the choice reminding them if the choices they are making fall within their desired warranty option. 

There are reasons why I approach the two differently.


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## Billy Luttrell

Grumpy said:


> For the most part I agree with you. There definetly residential customers who recognize the value in quality, and those are the customers we seek out. But they are few and far between.
> 
> I think it is worth mentioning that while my overall approach is very similiar in commercial vs residential, there are some key differences worth the mention. 1st, I offer ALOT less flexibility in residential than I do in commercial in terms of material quality and scope of work. For example, I will replace all flashings on a resndential roof. I do not give the customer that option. On a sloped roof, I will do damned near what ever the customer wants so long as it fits within a manufacturer spec and I can be comfortable that the roof is complete.
> 
> On a commercial sale, I do less preeching and more asking. My pitch starts out by first explaning their warranty options. I do it this way because I explain that what roofing system I specify will depend on how long they want it to last. This really gets alot of questions out in the open. From that point forward we discuss everything from insulation options, I make recommendations, but the choice is theirs. We talk about membrane options and thickness and attachment options, and I allow them to make the choice reminding them if the choices they are making fall within their desired warranty option.
> 
> There are reasons why I approach the two differently.



That is pretty much the way I do my pitch as well. I find a lot of times commercial customers already have a pretty good idea of what they want and just need me to explain it to them a bit more.


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## TipTopRoofing

*Tip Top Roofing*

I like them both: The residential customers are more personable and easier to relate to, but you can find that in the commercial jobs as well. I sometimes like the fast pace of commercial jobs and the amount of work that goes into them. Check out the services we provide at http://go2tiptop.com/


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## elite.roofing

very interesting question because the two are both very profitable. Of course you must have more clients to be profitable in residential when comparing it to commercial. The reasoning in roofing philadelphia is quite difficult however because not only are there alot of business here but also alot of residences. And even some business that are residences. Here in Philadelphia I feel it is better to do residential for 2 reasons. By doing online marketing you can get a ton of leads which is not the same with commercial. Second because there are not many new building projects here. 

In conclusion for older cities i vote residential to be a better choice


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## topviewroofing

Good roofers knows how to handle both. Yet, they're still customer.


_______________________
Top View Roofing
http://www.topviewroofing.com


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## LCG

Don't care as long as they pay!


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## SixStreak

*Selling Commerical*

I can sell a residential roof and work for a company who does encourage commercial sales and knows the value in them. Do you usually have success closing commercial sales by going to see place to place in person or calling around for who's interested and possible bid opportunities? I would like to really sale a commercial job a month at least.


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## 1985gt

As stated before, commercial selling and residential selling are two different animals, yet they still can be the same. 

To answer your question if you get a lead on a commercial job 100% go and talk with, both on the initial contact (measure up the roof) and dropping off the proposals. I've waited weeks to get a meeting on some commercial projects just to drop off the proposal. Guess what everyone else mailed theirs. I got the chance to discuss our proposal. We were not the lowest bidder but still got the job, all because I took the hour or two to contact the person.


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## london

Commercial roofing jobs is just a next step from residential customers, on a bigger scale sometimes.


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## Dallas-Roofing

Our company work on both residential and commercial roofs. Commercial roofing is a lot more profitable, but that is because the materials and labor prices are much higher as well. On a commercial job you usually will have more than one or two people to deal and negotiate as apposed to residential roofs. Also, if you do a good job for the property owner on commercial roofs the owners will use you on other properties they own. Mention your name to other commercial property owners. Resedential property owners can always mention your name to their friends and family as well.

Devin Mahdi
Dallas Texas Roofing


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## EcoTech

Billy Luttrell said:


> I just sold a commercial job on Wed. and the customer told me he was going with me based on my explanation of the job process and application of the materials to be used...pretty much all the technical terms and roofer jargon that residential customers to not want to hear.



I disagree with this to a certain extent. I sell based on informing both my residential and commercial clients. I find residential basically comes down to price and there ability to trust you. 

Here in South Florida we have so many crooked contractors that when they trust you will do what you say they don't mind paying a few extra bucks. I am not cheap but I have been doing this many years. I would say I close about 65-70% of all my residential jobs and it is always based on reputation and information.

Commercial on the other hand comes down to warranties, how quick my response times are perceived to being and knowing the tech stuff which here in South Florida is no small feet "wind load calcs, drainage calcs, uplift etc. 

I prefer commercial over residential for the most part. Easier to keep crews working when you have the commercial jobs coming in. Where I would need to sign 5-10 residential re-roofs a week to keep men busy. I do however like residential repairs a little better as allot of commercial takes multiple meetings over a course of months to get a deal done. Especially on condos where the association is involved. 

On second thought those commercial repairs turn into large projects down the road so I like that better as well! :thumbup:


Just my .02


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## Rainguard

I am one of the few roofers that I have spoke with that enjoys the sit down and sale with a homeowner. Granted, some are bad and you can sniff those out pretty quick. I have met and still have friendships with customers for years.


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## Harleydawg

*Commercial vs Residential*

The biggest difference I see between residential and commercial clients is residential customers are emotional about their projects. This is their home, where they live and bring up their families, and probably the largest investment of their lives. They take everything about it personally.

Commercial clients, on the other hand, go home at 5;00pm and forget about work. The business is their work, not their life. 

For this reason, I find commercial clients to be more rational while homeowners will tend to be more emotional.

I prefer commercial clients. This being said, 80% of our clients are homeowners. www.paramountroof.com


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## Max00

I would prefer both residential & commercial roofing customers......


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## taitai

HELP me and tell me the best ways to sell a commercial job. I have been trying for 2 years, spinning my wheels, but barely getting by with my residentials. Granted, I did get lucky enough to close an apt complex the first week I was in roofing training by a tornado, that company didn't pay me, and since then I've worked for some not so supportive helpful companies, but I've had bids on everything BIG in the city, and I have called and made appts with commercial decision makers around town and I have tried to get to know people and use anyone I know who could help me. My dad has always had à commercial elec company and I have always been around big business owners. And I am a professional, smart, customer oriented caring girl. My heart has been on a commercial DEAL ever since that first apt complex and my commission would have been $80,000. I figured by now I could have sold one. I know if I get one, I will get more bc all my customers enjoy working with me, and I don't have problems getting referrals.


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## roofguy4life

Getting commercial clients is harder but once working on their projects there seems to be more consistency. That being said, residential customers are my bread and butter


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## Maxon100

I will take a little of both. Residential is great for future work and building a reputable local company because of all the referrals you will get and commercial is good money when you get them but take a lot more time and effort to get the jobs.

http://stormproofroofing.org/


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## Hardt Roofing

I have run across alot of builders and contractors that make a profit off subs and that does tend to drive down labor cost. I have also run across a lot of homeowners that are all about the bottom dollar. In the end I think it is who your working for, so give me commercial or residential and hopefully I can feel them out to see if it's going to be a good adventure or not. 
David


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