How to Sell Roofing Through Telemarketing

Using telemarketing tactics to secure appointments for your roofing estimators starts with a cold call. Cold calling is not for the faint of heart, so you need to set up your callers for success. If your roofing business is too small to hire a salesperson, consider hiring a telemarketing company to make all of the sales calls and feed you the leads as they get them. But if you have cold calling experts on staff, or sales personnel who are willing to learn, a carefully planned telemarketing campaign is likely to lead to lots of bookings.

Before you start making calls, get clear about your target market. For instance, your market likely consists of neighborhoods of older homes with roofs that need replacing or repair. Look for home associations with older residences that need roofing. Another option is to identify areas you’re willing to send your crew to immediately after a storm damages roofs. Once you know your target market, buy a list of names and phone numbers from a reputable database broker. Lists can be bought based on zip code and the age of the home.

Whenever there’s a storm in your area, get your sales staff on the phones immediately or hire a telemarketing firm to start calling residents in hard-hit areas. Telemarketing to find roofing jobs within a month after a storm does damage is key to getting leads and making appointments. Otherwise, all of the other roofing companies will jump on board and the competition gets fierce. When storms are not a reason to call, use each season to your advantage when making a sales pitch. For instance, recommend that the homeowner make an appointment so the roof gets replaced during warm, dry weather, or before winter or rainy weather sets in.

Create a script that makes it easy for the homeowner to say “yes” to make an appointment with your company. For instance, offer a free consultation to come out and provide an estimate for repairing their roof. For storm damage, get an appointment as quickly as possible so your estimator is the first one to met with the homeowner and secure the job. Make the deal even sweeter by offering a freebie if the customer hires your roofing company. For instance, during the call, say “our company has a special going on right now where we’ll offer an extended warranty for all roofs replaced during this month.”

Train your sales staff to have all the knowledge necessary to talk about different types of roofing products, problems and solutions. Develop a sales script, and encourage your telemarketers to practice with each other until it sounds natural. Set up an incentive program that pays your telemarketers for each appointment they succeed in booking for your roofing estimators. Obtain a database and confirm prospects on any lists you buy are not on the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call list.