Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
“Because your company is only as STRONG as you are.”
Forward-thinking roofers tune in to get help building STRONG companies, sales teams, leaders, systems, marketing, relationships, culture, and financials.
Whether you own a own a roofing company, manage one, or sell roofs - subscribe to the channel for content that will help you:
1) Close even more roofing sales.
2) Adapt to new roofing industry trends and changes.
3) Take control of your roofing marketing and lead generation.
4) Improve D2D roofing sales.
5) Build the roofing company of tomorrow.
Hosted by Adam Bensman
- Started in D2D roofing sales in 2011
- Former Roofing Company COO (multi-state)
- Creator of the Roof Strategist Sales System (used nationwide for retail + storm)
- Founder of The Roofing STRONG Alliance by TAMKO™ (formerly known as the Roofing & Solar Reform Alliance)
- Author of the #1 Best-Selling Book: The Roofing Sales Survival Guide: Beat the Odds, Overcome Yourself, and Win Big
Content produced on or before 5/13/26 was previously produced by The Roof Strategist, TAMKO makes no representations or warranties regarding the content.
Now a homeowner can buy a roof online,
click get a quote, and click purchase
without having to talk to a single soul.
And if you're in roofing sales,
you might be thinking, oh my
gosh, is my career on the line?
Is my livelihood about to
get cut off at the knees?
What does the future of
roofing sales even look like?
And if you're an owner running a company
and you've got a website, you might be
wondering, should I be using those tools?
Is it a gimmick or is it real?
Is it a threat?
Or is it really gonna help me succeed?
Well, I'm gonna be answering all of
those questions and more, and you'll
notice in this video a few things.
Number one, I'm gonna speak as
objectively as I possibly can, but
I want to air a few things out.
One, uh, I'm biased.
Why?
Because I love a human to human
experience and my entire livelihood is
providing that experience to homeowners,
however, I am already working on ways
to adapt with the time, so I'm not
really actually concerned about this,
but I just want to air out that bias
that many people say, well, Adam's
sharing this because he runs a sales
training platform that's selling sales
training to teams, and if teams don't
need it, then his business is obsolete.
Which in my opinion, is not gonna
be the case because I am going
to be adapting with those times
and I'm already working on that.
The second thing I wanted to, uh, get
outta the way is that I'm not mentioning
any particular product or company names
in this video because there's a couple
of big players right now, and I know that
there will be even more in the future.
I know people are
developing them as we speak.
It's not a secret that people wanna
be able to sell a roof online.
So now that we got the biases outta
the way, let's get into the meat of
this and I'm gonna break this video.
Into, uh, three parts.
Number one is the history of roofing
sales, meaning how customers found us.
Number two, where we are today,
and what that means for you with
your career in roofing sales.
And the third thing we're gonna do
is break down what I believe to be
the future or projecting out numerous
years is to the, what homeowners will
expect when it comes to roofing sales.
So let's rock and roll.
All right.
Um, first, where did roofing sales begin?
Now there were five ways that
people started, like the big ways.
I know you could.
Break this into a million, but I
just want to go like historically in
the last few generations, what the
world of roofing sales look like now.
In the past, the phone book was the
place you needed to be listed in
the phone book to be a legitimate
business in a legitimate business.
In the phone book.
If they had an ad, a print ad in
the phone book, it showed that
they were even more established.
So for many homeowners, you'd go
to the phone book, you'd see all
the companies, you'd assume all the
companies with no ad were smaller
companies and not well equipped.
So you'd usually call the
company with the bigger ad.
Then as time progressed, word of
mouth became even more important,
especially in neighborhoods and
especially in storm damage sales.
Became more common because you
were seeing a higher volume of
roofs in a neighborhood yard.
Signs were going up and people talked.
Then the internet came along and the
next thing we needed was a website.
If you didn't have a website,
your business wasn't legit.
So that old phone book ad was
now replaced with a website.
Fast forward, Google and all the
social media platforms are like, oh
man, we need ratings and reviews.
So the next big push was we need reviews.
So you're not a legit business.
Unless you have a website with reviews,
preferably two things you want, which
is a lot of reviews and a lot of really
good reviews, and that's what would
get you business and your credibility.
Then where we are today.
So that was the history.
Start again with a phone book and an
ad, word of mouth followed by, you
need a website, you need reviews,
and now it's gone one step further.
So that was kind of the high level
of the past, and I know you could
layer in direct mail and s e o
and pay-per-click and all that.
And the evolution of social media
and Facebook ads and YouTube
ads, and Google, uh, excuse me,
I already hit pay-per-click ads.
So all that stuff I get was there,
but I just wanna bring you again,
Through the high level history.
So today where we sit is this new era of
expectation, which is the web experience.
So you have smarter shoppers than
ever before who are tired of the sales
gimmicks and homeowners who just want
their big question answered, which is,
How much is this roof gonna cost me?
And that's one of, if not the
biggest concern that they have.
So the web experience means if a homeowner
can show up on a website, browse the
website, learn what they need to know
about that company to now say, huh.
Are they a company that I want to
even consider, and I'll give this,
I'm for an example, I'm shopping for
a sauna for my house and I was on
these websites just, what was it?
Just yesterday.
And I'm looking to find, there
are a couple of brands I was
looking for for these kits.
And I go on the website and
one of 'em listed everything.
And I'm like, they got the model
number, they got pricing, all of it.
And I was so excited because
they just made it easy.
And then the next one just says,
you know, call us the next one just
doesn't even list what brands they
carry or what they offer, so I ignore
that one despite their good reviews.
And the reason I'm sharing this as an
example is I'm sitting there thinking what
products are available and how much is it?
And then from there, now I'm
looking to make that commitment.
I've reached out to the, to the select
spa companies that I may wanna work
with, and our homeowners and roofing
sales are doing the same thing with
this web experience because, Most
everybody has a website now, and most
everybody has at least a couple reviews.
They're going one step deeper to say,
before I talk to anyone, I just want
to get whatever information I can.
In the information age that we're in,
there's a higher desire and a higher
need for that instant gratification
where people don't want to have to
book a book a an appointment and
wait a week till someone comes out
and go through the sales thing.
They just want answers and they
want 'em now, and they're gonna
use this to decide who to even put.
Whose hat in the running.
So to speaker in the ring of
who they're gonna choose from.
So in today's time, that web experience
is where I see these tools being very,
very effective is it gives a homeowner
an option to scratch that metaphorical
itch and get you the business.
So again, that's where we are today.
Now I wanna paint our,
our, our future cast here.
Today's times if a homeowner sees
that, and I know many people are
like, well, I can't give a price.
Uh, what if there's
rotted decking of plywood?
What if the homeowner
didn't share anything?
This is why it's important to
have the right disclaimers to say
variables beyond our control, or
to give a range on your estimate.
Due to variables be under control.
Your typical range is X to
X for a specific quote, you
know, get your appointment.
Uh, other companies are rolling the dice
and just saying that they're going to
eat those, those costs that come up as
part of margin, uh, excuse me, eat into
their margin and hope that it comes out
in the wash, which I don't really know
if that's a great idea, but, Again,
that's not why we're doing this video.
So this web experience is giving
people what they want and is leading
to, to what I view as the future.
So sales reps, at this point,
you don't need to panic.
Will some customers buy this roof
online without talking to somebody?
Yes, they will.
Is that gonna take a substantial
amount of food outta your mouth?
Not right now.
I'm not worried about it.
Now let's talk future.
There's three, gonna be
three customer segments.
So I want you to think of the
roofing space as this big globe.
Okay?
We've got new tools and tech out
there that will allow for anyone
to use technology to enter an
address and be like, that's my
house and I want a roof on this.
And then my detached garage, they'll
be able to pick their product.
Select their financing options, fill
out the loan app, and then bingo.
They just bought a roof without
having to talk to a single soul.
It's amazing.
Now, segment number one is a sliver
of those people that say, I want that.
They don't want to talk to somebody.
And that is the experience
that they're looking for.
And this.
This segment I do believe will grow.
I do.
Why?
Because in the generations that are
being brought up now, they are having
more and more instant gratification
than, than folks of my generation
and older, where cell phones weren't
really a thing till we were older.
Right.
The people who grew up with a cell phone
in their hand are so used to things
happening now, and the interpersonal
side is kind of a thing of the past.
So again, that that first
segment is the people that
will happily buy a roof online.
Now, the next segment of people is
what I'm gonna call the hybrid people.
So segment one is your online
shoppers and your online buyers.
They don't need to see anything, anybody.
They can make that decision online.
Then there's segment two, which is
what I'll call the hybrid model.
These are the people that will
use those tools online to farm
out their quote to get the quote.
So they're gonna just look at a
few companies and say, Hey, I got
a quote from one, two, and three.
And I, I like, they're
the, the value shoppers.
When, when I say value,
I don't mean price.
Price shoppers are different.
Value shoppers are someone
who truly understands value.
They wanna work with a
local, reputable company.
They also know that the lowest price
doesn't necessarily mean what they
want, so they're gonna use that to say,
okay, I had this whole landscape of the
internet to choose roofing companies.
These f.
Uh, these three look the best
and they gave me a number.
And now I know going into the
appointment about how much it'll cost.
So I'm gonna sit through
that sales appointment and
figure out who to work with.
And then from there, that's the hybrid
model, meaning your website owner
manager with this tool is gonna then
hand those very qualified leads to
your salespeople who are now gonna
run out and run the appointment.
That homeowner already has some price
conditioning cuz they know what to expect
for how much it's gonna cost, and then
the salesperson is gonna do a good job
at winning the sale, knowing that you're
competing now on just a few people.
And that's again, segment number
two, which is the hybrid chopper.
My personal opinion is this is gonna
be the largest segment for the next
foreseeable few years because it
is such a big decision to select
a contractor to work on your home.
There are many homeowners.
Who, despite the fact they can get a
quote, they want to talk with someone,
they are a little apprehensive.
They wanna make sure it's legit,
and it's a lot of money with a
lot of disruption on the home.
Again, segment number
one, online shoppers.
Segment number two is the hybrid shoppers.
This is the segment that
I believe is gonna be the.
Fastest growing in the sh
in the, in the short term.
Okay.
In camp number three.
The third segment is those
that refuse this technology.
And we see this in the roofing community.
Roofers saying, I refuse to use that.
I won't even offer it to my people.
And then we have the homeowners who refuse
to use that because what they want is
to meet with someone who's going to be
working on their home or their castle.
And I do believe that higher net worth
people in bigger homes, nicer communities.
We'll often be the folks that refuse
this or they're gonna land in the hybrid
model, but I don't believe those folks
for the lion's share the market share
are gonna fall into the online system.
These are people who are a bit
more nervous about who's actually
gonna come out to their home.
They want to be able to, again, vet
them, meet them, talk to someone before
moving forward to make sure that that
quality is there, that people are
showing up and going to do a good
job and take care of their property.
So there you have the three segments,
and I'll reiterate segment number
one is the, probably the smallest
sliver right now, which is the online
shopper who is happy to buy a roof
online without talking to anybody.
This segment will grow in, in the
generations that are coming up younger.
The youngest generations, I believe, will
end up in that segment in the future.
Segment number two, I believe, to be
the fastest growing segment right now,
which is the hybrids, the people that
will get a quote online and still want
to talk with somebody to finalize it,
ask questions, and vet the company.
And then segment number
three is the refusal segment.
I refuse to adopt that technology
and that my, my belief will
be the, the, the shrinking.
Category of people that will then
be replaced in lion's share in the
hybrid model, and then in the smaller
segment going into the, I refused it
to then, okay, I'll buy a roof online.
But I think that amount
will be really small.
I think the first transition is gonna
be the people that refuse it, that
then go into the hybrid model saying,
okay, I'll get a quote, but at least
I can still talk to somebody first.
So in summary, what does this mean
to you as a roofing salesperson?
It means that homeowners desire
transparency in rapid information,
so, They want to get their
questions answered quickly.
In your competitive edge as a salesperson
or an owner using one of these tools is to
give people that information more quickly.
Now, in the future, we have those
three segments that we'll adjust,
and I do believe that in time,
that refusal segment entirely.
We'll be pretty much squashed and it
will be replaced by the two segments
of the people who are willing to buy a
roof online without talking to anybody.
And in my opinion, probably
the bigger segment of those
that want the hybrid model.
So there's my views and opinions on the
threat of these tools, but truly the
threat to us comes at a great service
to many, many homeowners, and our
opportunity is to adapt with the times.
Keep a pulse on this hybrid model.
So our sales process in the home
and online reflects everything.
We need it to reflect in order to
win that business and take what
we were doing in person and build
it into a digital experience.
Now, I'd love to hear from you,
what do you think about these tools?
Are they a friend of the industry
or a foe to the industry?
Will you adopt them in your business
or will you leave them behind?
Have you sold a roof online yet?
So I'd love to hear from you.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about
this topic in the comment section below.
It'll help spark a rich discussion
for all of us to learn and adapt.
And again, thank you so much
for joining me in this video.
I hope it helps you get clear about
kinda the future of our industry.
And again, share your comments about this.
Sell a roof online stuff.
It's, uh, a very rich topic and I
believe probably the most significant.
Changes that we're seeing in the
roofing industry to date now, that's
all for this video and just cuz our
time here is about to wrap up, doesn't
mean you're in my time, has to.
So if you haven't done it yet, hop
right here into my Freetraining
center or if you wanna hang with
me, jump right into this video.
I think you're gonna dig it.
We'll see you soon.