As a roofing company owner or manager, you eat important decisions for breakfast. One of those critical calls is deciding to hire a salesperson. Use these roofing sales training tips to help new or current employees sell the right way so you can boost close rates.
Train salespeople to sell benefits.
Your sales team should understand that successful selling is about so much more than telling customers why your team is awesome. Instead, they’ll close more sales by focusing on what your company can do for the homeowner.
For example, if you use an Equipter RB4000 or its compact but just-as-mighty counterpart, the RB2000, the salesperson can’t just tell homeowners you’ve got a fancy piece of roofing equipment. Instead, they need to convey clear benefits. When Aaron Nelson, co-owner of Nelson Contracting LLC in Nebraska, talks with homeowners about how the Equipter helps reduce or eliminate property damage, he says to them, “See that flower bed? You’re still going to see it when we’re done.”
Train salespeople to use the right visual sales aids.
The gift of gab might be one tool in a salesperson’s toolkit—but another is the use of visuals in a presentation. Visual aids can eliminate confusion, educate the homeowner, and help establish trust with them. Empower your sales team to use visuals, including:
- Videos of your roofing process and, if you own or rent one, the Equipter RB4000 or RB2000
- Photos of the homeowner’s roof, specifically those that show problem areas that need to be repaired or replaced
- Apps that depict what a customer’s home will look like with a specific type or color of shingle
- Actual samples of shingles or roofing features showing various qualities, styles, and colors
Train sales pros to educate homeowners about your company's roofing process.
For many clients, the only experience they have with roofing is the mess they’ve seen other roofers leave on a neighbor’s lawn—and that typically doesn’t leave a good impression. Work with your roofing sales team to make sure they understand your company’s specific process so they can then lay out the steps for the homeowner: On the morning we start the project, our crews will do A. Then they’ll do B...and if you have questions or concerns that day, get in touch with your project manager. Their direct phone number is ###-####.
This roofing sales training empowers roofing sales pros to educate the customer—and the better the homeowner understands the process, the more trust you build with them.
Train salespeople to respond to concerns with fact-based information.
One of the most powerful ways to ensure your roofing salespeople are pros at this is to role-play during training. Have someone pretend to be a prospect making objections to cost, timelines, or other concerns, and give the salesperson time to develop practiced, professional answers.
For instance, if a homeowner argues that your roofing business is more expensive than the last contractor they talked to, the salesperson can let them know your team uses an Equipter, which helps your crew finish the job faster and with less risk of property damage—value the customer can see.
Find more tips to pass on to your salespeople in How to Sell Roofs Like a Pro and Tips to Raise Your Sales Presentation Game.