# Residential Roofer



## Danny713

Hi i was wondering where i can get roofing leads from..? i would really appreciate your help..
If anyone is looking for a roofing crew in the houston area i got one that is ready to work.. i got my own tools and trucks :thumbup:


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## SinglePlyGuy

Ya know what.... I am gonna let Grumpy answer this one


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## Danny713

SinglePlyGuy said:


> Ya know what.... I am gonna let Grumpy answer this one


whos grumpy??


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## Grumpy

I be Grumpy.

First off if you are trying to run a legitimate long lasting company a website is just as, if not more, importantt han a phone number. Consider getting one, they are a few hundred bucks. 

Then you can sign up with services like google adwords and yahoo marketing solutions to put your website in the search engines. Also consider reading a book on SEO so you can learn how to get your site top ranked organically (free).

Next, I am losing faith in lead service providers but if you need leads fast, they are a great place to turn to... even if it's temporary. I do not vouch for any of these services but if you have money to spend they can get you leads. www.servicemagic.com www.roofersnetworx.com www.reliableremodeler.com I currently use service magic although I threatened to quit last week and they gave me a bunch of free leads. I also use roofer networx which is pretty cheap so why not. There are a ton others and don't be suprised if they start spamming you.

Craigs list is free. Try there too. Put up a free add. 


If you really want to get serious, you are going to need to put together a marketing campaign. Direct mail works well for commercial and multi family when you work it. You'll have to mail no less than 3 mailings to see optimal results. Expect about a 1% response rate on average. You may get zero response on the first mailing. I have a 1,300 mailing going out JUly 1st. It's my 2nd one to the same list this year and my 5th one to the same list over the last 4 years. 



For me getting leads is not a problem. Finding qualified sales reps who can sell premium roofing is a problem.


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## robert

Try craigslist its free and trident is a wierdo!


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## The Roofing God

You might want to check out "ASPEN ROOFING" in Texas,supposed to be large ,national outfit


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## RemStar

MARY said:


> I would check with an attorney. Most consultations are free. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I really think you need to speak with an attorney on this one.


Uh...Did I miss something? What does he need a lawyer for?





The Roofing God said:


> You might want to check out "ASPEN ROOFING" in Texas,supposed to be large ,national outfit


He needs Leads not a job.....


And WTF are you talking about Trident...This is not a advertising site set up to blow your own horn. Try actually reading the posters question next time....it may help.


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## Grumpy

Hey Rem star these people are just spamming the links in their signatures.


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## The Roofing God

He needs Leads not a job.....

Large outfits hire people with crews,Need any more tips,Let me know,The man is looking to have his crew do work for a roofer,or homeowner


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## Ed the Roofer

Trident, make your answers appropriate instead of just an excuse to spam for your company name please.

I trashed the post that you had in this thread for that very reason.

Ed


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## RemStar

Okay sorry Roof God, I though you were offbase at first but now I understand, If you were hurtin for jobs that would be a source.
I had never really considered that becasue I figured the profit margins would be too low.


This forum is really quiet...what roofing forum are is main for roofing? The painting talk forum I usesd to participate in had a new post ever 5 min, followed by 20 replies.


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## Grumpy

Boards like that are too active for me. 


Umm painting and roofing? If we were the plumbers or electricians your account would already be banned LOL.


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## Ansel

It is easy .... Do your first job and then ask Customer for a couple referrals .... Let your Customer know you have a problem - You had work until you finished their job .... People want to help - Just ask!

If your work is good and prices fair you will get the next job and so on ....


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## RemStar

Ha okay grumpster.. I used to contract painting work... now I contract Roofing work. Both trades have the install instructions printed right on the packaging.


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## daviddeschaine

Great information, and does anyone offer financing to homeowners through a bank?


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## daviddeschaine

You guys are great thank for all the comments, Hey how everyone doing this year!


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## RidgelineRoofing

We use lead generators such as ServiceMagic and QualitySmith. These are, as Grumpy said, sometimes unreliable. However, they are a quick and easy source of lead generation.

Right now with a difficult economy generating leads can be difficult. The main thing is to keep at it. Direct mailings and doorhangers are good, but again, these things typically take time to see results.

As others have said, Craigslist is a good free opportunity for advertising and creating a website. Create a website and get them listed in search engines and Internet directories. All of these things will help generate traffic which is a potential customer.

You may also look at advertising in a local newspaper. The costs are not astronomical and one job should obviously cover the entire advertisement. 

I hope some of this stuff helps.


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## Grumpy

Why pay service magic to advertise for you when you have a website and can do exactly what they do (pay per click) for alot less cost per lead and less compititon too? I used to use them and now never would and wish I got rid of them sooner. Simply put at the end we wern't selling ANY jobs through them. If you're selling jobs then keep with it I guess but I find a larger ROI by advertising the same way they do rather than paying them to do it for me.


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## RidgelineRoofing

We have used Pay-Per-Click methods also through Bing, Yahoo, and Google. We face a lot of competition in Charlotte because roofers do not need any type of licensure for work under $30,000. Getting leads directly through ServiceMagic is beneficial because it gives us leads that are ready for a job and typically with leads through their service we will be competing with companies on an equal footing.

I'm not sure what the market is like in Chicago, but here generating leads is one of the more difficult things. Pay-Per-Click was spending hundreds of dollars and I am not even sure it generated a lead when it was active. We are still experimenting with different marketing techniques that are working.


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## daviddeschaine

*Generating New Roofing Jobs*



RidgelineRoofing said:


> We have used Pay-Per-Click methods also through Bing, Yahoo, and Google. We face a lot of competition in Charlotte because roofers do not need any type of licensure for work under $30,000. Getting leads directly through ServiceMagic is beneficial because it gives us leads that are ready for a job and typically with leads through their service we will be competing with companies on an equal footing.
> 
> I'm not sure what the market is like in Chicago, but here generating leads is one of the more difficult things. Pay-Per-Click was spending hundreds of dollars and I am not even sure it generated a lead when it was active. We are still experimenting with different marketing techniques that are working.


I do have a great way of generating new roofing jobs, and it's low cost & highly effective. The Old Fashioned way it to go out, and knock on doors. Get some free brochures from you vendor, and find a neighborhood you would like to work in. All these home were built at the same time, and need a roof at the same time....*Clean Shirt & jeans, and SMILE*

Canvassing Is One Of The Sure Ways Of getting A Roof Job!
*Before 7:00 am - After 6:00 pm* is the time to work your area!

*I know people will complain, and come-up with every reason not to knock doors,* But I find the real reason is because it's hard work, *and they never had to do this before!*

http://www.roofingbusinessmastermind.org

Times have changed and we all need to become a little more creative... ;-)

We will all be just fine!


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## Grumpy

RidgelineRoofing said:


> We have used Pay-Per-Click methods also through Bing, Yahoo, and Google. We face a lot of competition in Charlotte because roofers do not need any type of licensure for work under $30,000. Getting leads directly through ServiceMagic is beneficial because it gives us leads that are ready for a job and typically with leads through their service we will be competing with companies on an equal footing.
> 
> I'm not sure what the market is like in Chicago, but here generating leads is one of the more difficult things. Pay-Per-Click was spending hundreds of dollars and I am not even sure it generated a lead when it was active. We are still experimenting with different marketing techniques that are working.


 That's the problem, you wern't sure. You should have been tracking how people were finding you. You could check your website logs or PPC campaign logs. 

Service Magic costs hundres too at $65 a lead, I had to pay them $1,300 just to sell one job. Therefore any profit I made on that job went right to SM. Therefore if I wern't getting any referrals or repat business from that customer I worked for practice. I don't like those odds. 

When you say competing with companies on equal footing, in my case I disagree because as with all other lead services I was bidding against people who were bidding below my cost. In other words if i were to d a job at their price I would lose money on each job. Sure my scope of work and specification was far superior to theres but not everyone cares about quality, and I need to target only those who are willing to pay a premium for a job that exceeds minimum code. SM doesn't allow me to differentiate myself. 

The biggest problem I had was just that I could almost never get anyone to call me back. I could seldom get anyone to agree to meet with me, but when SM is buying leads from other companies who are selling them to multiple contractors and then SM is selling the lead to multiple contractors, what sane customer wants 8 estimates? Money down the toilet.

Generating leads has always come easy for me. Infact as of right now I am spending no money on advertising and still getting more leads than I can handle on my own which is why I just hired another sales rep. I am optimistic this one will work out, but I have a terrible terrible track record of hiring and firing sales reps who can not sell.


When you are using Pay Per click the technique I have found to be successful is to avoid the keywords that are expensive and go after the thousands of obscure keywords that cost pennies. Even if you are going after the expensive high traffic keywords there are ways to track your return on investment to ensure it's worth it. For me it's not worth it to go after the high value keywords, but I know some who are very successful with it. 



David, I used to walk door to door selling Chicago Tribune subscriptions. I was their top earner and I hated it so much I quit after 6 or 8 months. You won't catch me walking door to door unless we have a job in the neghborhood.


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## RidgelineRoofing

Well we were tracking PPC conversions. I use Google Analytics and track where the jobs come from and I make sure the calls in-house are tracked as to where they were referenced from. I was getting a better return from Craigslist over PPC. I used PPC on Yahoo, Bing, and Google. Bing, has to be by far the highest cost of all of them. I think the obscure keyboards idea sounds pretty good. I was bidding high to get on the main page and spending a lot per click.

I may investigate that again. Our SEO is not up to where it needs to be. That's bothering the most right now because I have a degree in Software & Information Systems, so I've got to get on the ball with that.


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## Grumpy

Of coarse craigs list will return a better investment since there is zero invetment other than 2 minutes to post the add. I get alot of leads from craigs list but most are toilet leads. Meaning they are good to whipe my butt with, and nothing more. In my area craigs list is the domain of the unlicensed uninsured unemployed doing what ever they can to make a buck. But hey, I still keep my adds going since they are free.


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## roofing for Jesus

Grumpy said:


> If you really want to get serious, you are going to need to put together a marketing campaign. Direct mail works well for commercial and multi family when you work it. You'll have to mail no less than 3 mailings to see optimal results. Expect about a 1% response rate on average. You may get zero response on the first mailing. I have a 1,300 mailing going out JUly 1st. It's my 2nd one to the same list this year and my 5th one to the same list over the last 4 years.


Where do you get your mailing list?


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## Grumpy

infousa


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## Bracciali

Try to consult any roofing contractors in your area.


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## Joyfully

Too many people think that a residential roofer is just someone to call when you have a roof repair that needs to be fixed. But I found out that a residential roofer can actually help people with so many other things besides a simple roof repair.
I called a residential roofer to find out what I need to do to take advantage of the great tax credits the Federal government is offering homeowners that remodel their homes with environmentally friendly materials; he didn't even stop to think about it. He immediately started to list all kinds of options.
I have an old flat roof home in Southern California and I never was able to use the space for much. My wife and kids would hang out up there and lie in the sun or grow a few vegetables in small planting trays, but that was it.
The residential roofer suggested something I had never even heard of: Green roofs. When he said green roofs I knew I had to look completely stupid because I had no idea what he was talking about.
Thanks.

*Roof Ventilator*


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## gtp1003

canvassing is the best my guy in a week his best was 50 leads. pay them per qualified lead and well eliminates bs on paying for garbage normally 25 dollars a lead thats good and off you go if you want my prequalifing way here it is. Now pre qualifying: This is from an actual customer I sold a roof from roofing.com. 

Have you had a professional look at the home yet?
No *This will 90% of the time let them know how many people they called, if its Monday set it up for both husband and wife to be there since there is a lot of info we all need to go over and I would like to make sure nothing is missed and everyone is on the same page with the value, quality and knowledge. Building value is the key this way price is just a number like I was talking about*
 If so what are you look for in a company? 
Competitive price, workmanship, expertise *This tells me 2 things he wants the job done cheap as possible but wants quality, they don’t go together like horsepower and fuel economy, so what I do in this situation you pound on what you know product know how and look around when you walk in the door and don’t look like your casing the joint just look for high priced items, if the house is full of shit then it’s a lost cause for the price you want, I will get more into this later down the email.*
Have you thought of a budget of what you want to spend? 
As I am just starting to get some bids, I just don’t know … I do know I need the inspected, small water stain in ceiling in upstairs bedroom *Again this tells me to see them later at least 4 to 5 days later so you are the last guy through the door and when people do this they want to think about it so the post card they get the following day makes you stand out as long as your price is not 3k more than the middle bid.*
What type of home are we talking about? 
Approx 1100 SQ ft colonial (2 story) with attached double car garage *This gives you several options, one you know what the hell you’re up against when you Google map the home. 2. You can do your home work and get a ballpark on price before you even step in the door. When you Google the house you will get close on pitch this way you can prepare to let them know what is needed to properly do the job and safely, Make damn sure if insurance is required in your state explain to them to well do a bit of research and call the insurance companies to ensure that the insurance is paid up to date and its not a ghost policy it also removes the dipshits that do not provide that in the folder.*
Have you seen any types of shingles and what type are you interested in so I bring samples of the correct type and colors. 
Exterior: first floor, red Brick first - 2 story white siding *This way you bring the proper items you think will go with those colors and bring a couple of different colors and put them on the roof so they can see what it looks like, going the extra mile makes you stand out a lot.*
What is your time frame for this project? 
Now *He is ready but don’t jump to bid the job we already learned he is going to call at least 2 to 3 other companies so having that 4 to 5 day window allows you to prepare and be the last guy oh one more thing it makes him think you’re in high demand and booked up pretty good so it tells him you must be good at what you do as a company in general.*
Lastly do you need financing to help pay for it?
No *This tell me he’s got money without a doubt the question is can you get it out of him at your price and that on you.*
when are you thinking of me to come out and look at what needs to be done?
Some evening next week? *This means he’s not really in a hurry to get the job done. Therefore he is either price shopping and that’s normal with this type of answer or he is getting a ton of leads and then you ask him straight out how many bids are you looking on getting, if he says any more than 4 tell him call me back when you get done playing games and are serious to have a quality job done by a company with 30 years experience with the owner on the roof everyday working like the other guys.*


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## Billy Luttrell

Posts like this are exactly the reason I browse the roofing forums, as far as lead generation and your own ability to sale, I have found this works great...

You do one job in a subdivision, Take several pictures for your website (mine is being built right now, and I am super excited about it.) On one of the full completed pictures of the front of the house from the ground, I take that picture and put it on a flyer, the flyer reads Company Name, address and phone number, followed by.. "We just put the finishing touches on another quality project at your neighbors house on 122 Elm Avenue, and invite you to drive by and take a look at our work. We are members of the Greater City Home Builders Association and maintain an " A " rating with the Better Business Bureau. We are licensed and fully insured for your protection!

Some of the services we offer are :
Full service roofing and repair.
Vinyl and composite siding.
Interior/exterior siding.
Decks, Additions, and privacy fences.
All Home Improvements!!

Estimates are free! We look forward to hearing from you!

something along those lines, I could post an actual one on here if needed, but that works wonders to be honest. I take one of my helpers with me and we go door to door putting the flyers on peoples doors. in a small 50 house subdivision I will get 10-12 calls and 3-4 contracts...on top of that with signs in the yard I will end up getting a few more calls and sales down the road.

Its free for the most part, gas, paper, ink, and a little time, and if youre on a tight budget, do the entire thing yourself instead of paying one of the low men on the totem pole to take a side of the street with you.


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## jimsonburg

Internet is best for getting more roofing jobs at your doorstep by promoting your service in various business directories and classified sites.


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## jimsonburg

If you are a professional contractor.if so there are lot of online portals inviting you to join online community and get more jobs at your doorstep. these type of sites will help you to find suitable jobs for you.




Danny713 said:


> Hi i was wondering where i can get roofing leads from..? i would really appreciate your help..
> If anyone is looking for a roofing crew in the houston area i got one that is ready to work.. i got my own tools and trucks :thumbup:


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## daviddeschaine

*Home Improvement Checklist - Roofing Estimates*

*Home Improvement Checklist *

A home improvement project can add space and value to your home. Any major project will cause some stress. You can minimize that stress with proper planning and preparation. 

*Planning Your Home Improvement *

Make sure you and your spouse agree on the scope of the project. One might value structural solidness, while the other values a certain "look" to the décor. One might equate higher price with higher quality, while the other wants to economize on the project. Resolving these issues in the planning stage will avoid misunderstandings. 

Will you be doing some of the work yourself? You may be able to save on costs by doing part of the work yourself. However, make sure you know what you're doing. It will add more to the cost if the contractor has to fix your mistakes. You also need to make sure you will have time to do the work. 

*Finding a Contractor and Getting Estimates *

Ask friends and family to recommend contractors. Check to make sure there are no unresolved complaints. Choose at least three contractors. Prepare a job description and ask for estimates. Don't limit the estimate to price. You should also get an estimated time schedule, and a listing of necessary permits. 
*
Following these simple tips can help minimize stress and prevent unnecessary problems.*


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## daviddeschaine

*Get the eMaill Address and set them up in your auto responder*

Yes, Jim - The internet is the best for getting roofing leads, and your online phone book offers some good solutions... 




jimsonburg said:


> Internet is best for getting more roofing jobs at your doorstep by promoting your service in various business directories and classified sites.


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## JDillen

Grumpy said:


> First off if you are trying to run a legitimate long lasting company a website is just as, if not more, importantt han a phone number. Consider getting one, they are a few hundred bucks.


Very true, without a good toll free number, even when you follow the recommendations in the thread, people won't remember you well enough to call you.


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## dougger222

Last Fall had a home owner build me a web site. Before this didn't have one for 10+ years in business. She's really good at building web sites as most she builds are $1,000,000-$2,000,000. Most are for huge MN based companies.

It's a really nice site but to date may have only gotten one or two leads on it. It's on the top google links as well.

On the other hand have landed 5 roof jobs from forums like this. Home owners go on doing research find I'm in there area and I guess like what they see in posts and it's basicly a done deal.

A couple years ago quit advertising in the Yellow Book because they ripped me off out of several hundred dollars. Now when they call trying to solicate my business I yell at them. How many would've liked to pay for 15 months of internet advertising at $40 month only to find out you were never online? To rectify things they offered to give me one month or $40 back. Since I couldn't prove prior to a month back not being on it. This company is very shady.

Since I've finaly got that out worldwide, will move on with things...

My leads are all generated from word of mouth which generate from all sorts of customers and people. Have several general contractors that use my services. Most have been burned by roofers in the past so are willing to pay for quality. These g.c.'s are almost all word of mouth contractors as well. Past customers, realtors, insurance agents, insurance adjuster, friends, and family to name a few way leads are generated.

You can't expect word of mouth leads to get you busy with work overnight, these take time. If you do a really good job word will travel and sooner than later your name will keep your bills paid and money in the bank. Of course "cheap" roofers will always have work but paying the bills is easier said than done.

I started out doing new construction and very few tear offs. Now it's very few new construction and almost all tear offs. Quite a few of my new construction jobs and builders have called back for tear offs though over the past 10+ years. The first year I was licensed pulled maybe 5 permits. Now it's 40-50.


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## daviddeschaine

*Website With An - Online Forum*

A website is a great place to show-off your best work, and have some question & answers for homeowners looking for information about your company. It's like being open 24/7 - 365 days a year - I would higly recommend placing videos on your website..

Awesome!



dougger222 said:


> Last Fall had a home owner build me a web site. Before this didn't have one for 10+ years in business. She's really good at building web sites as most she builds are $1,000,000-$2,000,000. Most are for huge MN based companies.
> 
> It's a really nice site but to date may have only gotten one or two leads on it. It's on the top google links as well.
> 
> On the other hand have landed 5 roof jobs from forums like this. Home owners go on doing research find I'm in there area and I guess like what they see in posts and it's basically a done deal.
> 
> A couple years ago quit advertising in the Yellow Book because they ripped me off out of several hundred dollars. Now when they call trying to solicate my business I yell at them. How many would've liked to pay for 15 months of internet advertising at $40 month only to find out you were never online? To rectify things they offered to give me one month or $40 back. Since I couldn't prove prior to a month back not being on it. This company is very shady.
> 
> Since I've finaly got that out worldwide, will move on with things...
> 
> My leads are all generated from word of mouth which generate from all sorts of customers and people. Have several general contractors that use my services. Most have been burned by roofers in the past so are willing to pay for quality. These g.c.'s are almost all word of mouth contractors as well. Past customers, realtors, insurance agents, insurance adjuster, friends, and family to name a few way leads are generated.
> 
> You can't expect word of mouth leads to get you busy with work overnight, these take time. If you do a really good job word will travel and sooner than later your name will keep your bills paid and money in the bank. Of course "cheap" roofers will always have work but paying the bills is easier said than done.
> 
> I started out doing new construction and very few tear offs. Now it's very few new construction and almost all tear offs. Quite a few of my new construction jobs and builders have called back for tear offs though over the past 10+ years. The first year I was licensed pulled maybe 5 permits. Now it's 40-50.


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## The Roofing God

dougger222 said:


> Last Fall had a home owner build me a web site. Before this didn't have one for 10+ years in business. She's really good at building web sites as most she builds are $1,000,000-$2,000,000. Most are for huge MN based companies.
> 
> It's a really nice site but to date may have only gotten one or two leads on it. It's on the top google links as well.
> 
> On the other hand have landed 5 roof jobs from forums like this. Home owners go on doing research find I'm in there area and I guess like what they see in posts and it's basicly a done deal.
> 
> A couple years ago quit advertising in the Yellow Book because they ripped me off out of several hundred dollars. Now when they call trying to solicate my business I yell at them. How many would've liked to pay for 15 months of internet advertising at $40 month only to find out you were never online? To rectify things they offered to give me one month or $40 back. Since I couldn't prove prior to a month back not being on it. This company is very shady.
> 
> Since I've finaly got that out worldwide, will move on with things...
> 
> My leads are all generated from word of mouth which generate from all sorts of customers and people. Have several general contractors that use my services. Most have been burned by roofers in the past so are willing to pay for quality. These g.c.'s are almost all word of mouth contractors as well. Past customers, realtors, insurance agents, insurance adjuster, friends, and family to name a few way leads are generated.
> 
> You can't expect word of mouth leads to get you busy with work overnight, these take time. If you do a really good job word will travel and sooner than later your name will keep your bills paid and money in the bank. Of course "cheap" roofers will always have work but paying the bills is easier said than done.
> 
> I started out doing new construction and very few tear offs. Now it's very few new construction and almost all tear offs. Quite a few of my new construction jobs and builders have called back for tear offs though over the past 10+ years. The first year I was licensed pulled maybe 5 permits. Now it's 40-50.


Dougger,the nicest site can be like a beautiful book,nice but boring and no one reads it--You need to learn about SEO,or search engine optimization---basically tuning your site to google,by what you put in it,Tinner 666,and Grumpy would probably say this as well


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## acc

Truck and trailer decals, website and word of mouth !!!

" Quality Doesn't Cost....It Pays !!!! "


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