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training to teams, and if teams don't need it, then his business is obsolete.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.