Learn how this roofing contractor only needs to work 6 months of the year since he set up a lead machine using the Facebook Pixel. Adam shows us his step-by-step blueprint that you can use in your contracting business to get more targeted leads.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Adam’s appearance at the IMG Expo in New Orleans about Facebook ads: “The Power of the Facebook Pixel”
• What is the Facebook Pixel?
• Using the Facebook pixel to gather information and understand trends
• How your character profile and traits represent your shopping habits
• Finding a focused, targeted audience
• Focus on providing value on Facebook (Download Adam’s blueprint for free!)
• How to build a custom audience with Facebook Pixel
• Adam’s services for contractors: The Blueprint, 18-day apprenticeship course, and his 1-year program
• Examples of those who have taken Adam’s courses and found amazing success
• “The power of the Facebook pixel is only getting deeper.”

Resources:

www.roofingbusinesspartner.com (Look for Adam’s FREE Blueprint and other resources!).

Find Adam Sand on Facebook

My salespeople had a favorite “Whine”—"Homeowners only care about the price and we’re too expensive.” When in fact, survey after survey tells us that price is rarely the main reason why homeowners select a particular contractor. In today’s interview, I discuss the sales process you need to get your price, with expert John DeRosa.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• John’s work as director of contractor training and customer experience at SRS Distribution, including travel and seminars
• His 25 years in the building material industry after initially training to be a chef
• The focus on customers’ needs in a consulting role
• Focusing on customer success with their business skills
• Changing the consumer’s perception of contractors and the price-driven sale
• Showing the homeowner the value you bring to the process
• Why you can’t let the decision come down solely to price
• Show the differentiation between you and the competition
• Ask the questions—and then, LISTEN!
• Show the homeowner that all contractors are not created equal
• Closing the sale and making the homeowner feel like they are getting a great deal
• Improving sales skills
• The #1 reason contractors fail? Not charging enough
• The upcoming IRE in New Orleans and John’s topics: Keys to Escape the Price-driven Sale and Priorities that Drive Profitability
• How to overcome the phenomenon of “sales guilt”
• Working with the homeowner in structuring their affordable roof system
• John’s best sales advice: Learn to de-brief after every sales interaction

Resources:

www.bbb.org (Ranks business types with the highest number of inquiries)

Find John’s video on LinkedIn, “Stop Whining and Start Selling”

Email John: [email protected]

Video link to John’s YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjq4Q7TKNhE

The Roofer Show Podcast is all about helping roofing contractors grow more profitable businesses through education. I’ve been impressed with what GAF has been doing to help recruitment to the industry and offering programs to raise the level of professionalism. In today’s episode, I interview trainer Rob Ballard to find out more.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• GAF educational programs: how Rob grew up in the roofing industry
• The State of the Industry report and 2017’s #1 problem: the serious labor shortage in the workforce
• How to get the word out to attract people to the roofing business
• GAF’s efforts to help the labor shortage:
  • Hire a Hero program
  • Videos to help contractors with recruiting laborers
  
  
• The NRCA’s certification program
• The CARE program: teaching best practices in the industry
• Why business skills are lacking on contractors
• Why contractors should want to partner with GAF
• GAF’s Well Roof maintenance program and how it works
• Why a maintenance program is a wise decision for the customer and profitable for the roofing company
• How a maintenance program gives you additional opportunities to keep in contact with your customers on a yearly basis
• GAF’s Road Show, where contractors can see how to grow their business through maintenance and learn how to do maintenance and repair the right way
• “Innovation and forward thinking are goals in our industry.”

Resources:

CARE Find blogs, training videos, webinars, and MORE!

Email Rob: [email protected]

If you think you will just sell your business and retire, think again. Very few roofing businesses will end in a sale or transfer to the next generation. Most will just close their doors. Join us to hear how, with careful planning, you can avoid the dreaded 4 D’s that kill so many businesses.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Setting up corporate structure: why you should avoid sole proprietorship structure
• Why your personal money MUST be separate from the company’s money
• Scott’s tips to avoid “losing the corporate veil”
• The Four D’s that can kill your business, and how to avoid them (or at least minimize the damage):
  • Dissolution—Have policies (like a “Shoot-out Provision”) in place to protect a 50/50 partnership
  • Divorce—Have a written agreement to give notice of a buyout opportunity in case of a divorce
  • Death—Have an agreed valuation every year, have life insurance in place, and have a plan in the event of the owner’s death or retirement
  • Disability—Have disability insurance, talk about the possibility, and put your plan down on paper. Plan ahead!
  
  
• Plan ahead for the 2nd generation of your business and think about your business 10 years from now.
• “What we’re discussing are ways to protect and preserve the business from potential issues that you can avoid if you simply take the direct and up-front approach of doing proper planning, considering the issues, and putting measures in place.”

Resources:

Website: HPSS Law Check out the retainer program offered by Scott’s firm!

Email: [email protected]

The #1 listener requested topic for the podcast is always how to get more leads and sales. That is what we talk about today in my interview with Tim Musch. We aren’t talking about just any leads, but quality leads and how to convert them into profitable sales. Tim’s company MarketSharp is a leader in CRM software designed for contractors. Tim has a system that can grow your business by over 60% while only getting 10% better at what you do. You’ve got to check this out!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why 70-75% of contractors say getting a consistent lead flow is their biggest challenge
• How small improvements can grow your business
• CRM: What is it and why does it matter to you as a roofing contractor?
• Why you need to know and track your numbers
• Six Keys to More Leads, More Sales, and More Thrilled Customers:
  • Generating inquiries: do “micro-marketing” in the same neighborhood, get professional web strategy help, and how to use shows/events
  • The call: setting up appointments, training, and scripting
  • Lead warming: how to warm up your prospect and help closing rates
  • Sales presentation: gear it to today’s consumer, use technology tools, and price-condition your clients
  • Proactive follow-up: for buyers AND future buyers—how to keep in touch with email, calls, and direct mail
  • Proactive repeat and referral activities: survey past customers, find out what they want, collect online reviews, and use newsletters
  
  

Resources:

Free downloads including the USP worksheet:    https://www.marketsharp.com/resources/

Cost vs Value article mentioned:  http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2017/

Visit Tim’s website, email: www.marketsharp.com, [email protected]

A good contract can be a roofer’s best friend because it will contain terms that will assist the roofer in collecting money or defending claims. In today’s interview, we’ll discuss the provisions that every residential roofing contract should include.

What you’ll hear in this episode:   

• Trent’s background in construction and his career, which has been 100% focused on construction law for 20 years
• The purposes of contracts: to protect the roofer and educate the client
• The Five Key Provisions in Residential Roofing Contracts:
  • The scope of work: Say what you ARE and ARE NOT going to do
  • Notice provisions: Address potential problems before they get out of control
  • Payment provisions: Be proactive in limiting liability
  • Roofing-specific provisions: Include damage to other property, color-matching, ponding water, etc.
  • Disclaimers: Address all exclusions
  
  
• The pros and cons of having an arbitration clause in your contract
• The benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution (before arbitration)
• How to construct a useful contract that is roofing-based
• Don’t be a “Frankenstein Contract” user
• Why customer service solves a lot of legal problems
• A KEY for any roofer: managing customer expectations
• “The best way to win an argument is to avoid it!” (Do the work up-front and avoid the argument!)
• Trent’s work with the Black Dagger Military Hunt Club

Resources:

www.trentcotney.com

www.roofinglawyer.com

www.oshalawyer.com

Email Trent: [email protected]

Call Trent: 866-303-5868

Find Trent and Cotney Construction Law on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Facebook marketing and advertising is what’s going to separate you from your competition in 2018 when it comes to marketing your contracting business. In today’s interview, you’ll learn everything you need to know to set up a successful Facebook ad campaign.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why your website has to provide information and fulfill its primary purpose, which is to convert readers into leads
• Why you need a website review
• Common mistakes contractors make:
  • Neglecting your “About” page or using it as a sales page
  • Not giving prospects the confidence factors they need to contact you
  • Not using the “Contact Us” page properly and asking for too much info
  • Not having a mobile-friendly website
  
  
• Benefits of Facebook marketing:
  • Nothing else competes with its cost and effectiveness
  • It casts a “wider net” than other advertising avenues
  • It fills a pipeline with people who need work done down the road
  
  
• Five Steps to Successful Facebook Marketing:
  • The strategy of talking to as many people as possible
  • Clearly, identify your ideal customer
  • Using ad copy and images to get “clicks”
  • Think about where you send them when they click
  • Monitoring the results for success
  
  
• Darren’s three secrets to improve the success of Facebook Ads

Resources:

Visit Darren’s website: www.darrenslaughter.com (Sign up for his weekly newsletter!)

Call or email Darren: 215-740-2713  and [email protected]

Follow Darren on Twitter!

SEO is constantly changing, and what worked well last year may not work at all now. With new technologies and new rules constantly evolving, it’s critical to stay on top of the latest developments. In this podcast, I'll sit down with one of the industry’s top experts to examine what contractors need to know about best practices for SEO in 2018.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• SEO: What it is and what it means
• How to be the “best answer” for Google searches
• How important the map rankings are on Google
• How Google determines the best answers for searches
• How to increase your Google rank
• It all comes down to confidence in how Google decides whose website is the better answer
• Getting more content out there with blogging and pictures
• Best practices that benefit your SEO
  • Mobile-friendly website
  • Regular updates
  • Accurate business listings
  • Getting good backlinks (How? Aaron explains!)
  
  
• Why it’s always essential to get online reviews
• How Google access your business’s social media
• Your expectations and results when you hire an SEO company
• What ROI you can expect in hiring an SEO company
• What you can expect to pay for monthly SEO services
• Pitches and “guarantees” to avoid (Aaron tells you how to look for red flags!)
• Questions to ask before hiring an SEO company
• SEO tools for roofing contractors
• Coming in February: Aaron’s advice on using paid social media ads, at the NRCA Expo in New Orleans, LA

Resources:

www.altavistasp.com

Visit Aaron’s website and look for Five SEO Tools for Roofing Contractors and Seven Great Questions Roofers can ask a Potential SEO Company.

Email or call Aaron: [email protected] and 443-960-4004

Find Aaron on LinkedIn

Our workforce is the #1 asset in our businesses, so it is critical that we protect that investment. In today’s interview with construction labor attorney Philip Siegel, you will learn how to avoid the top 5 employment mistakes made by so many contractors.

Top 5 Employment Mistakes Contractors Make:

• Not knowing when and what to pay for employee travel
  • Compensable and non-compensable situations
  • What the law allows
  • What records to keep
  • What qualifies for overtime pay
  • The liability limits for violations
  
  
• Not understanding what it takes to prevail in an OSHA case regarding “unforeseeable employee misconduct defense”
  • You must have work rules in the employee handbook
  • Provide training on those rules
  • Have self-inspecting job sites
  • Find violations and administer discipline
  
  
• Not understanding controlling employer liability in an OSHA case
  • What the law requires: to “act reasonably to detect and abate violations”
  
  
• Not having sexual harassment and discrimination programs
  • Specific policy addressing harassment and discrimination is necessary
  • The policy should be reasonable to follow
  • The policy should have reasonable reporting mechanisms, with at least two people by name
  
  
• Not knowing how to handle non-compete and non-solicitation clauses
  • They must be in place!
  
  

Philip presents the longer version of this breakdown, including even more common contractor mistakes at the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans in February, 2018.

Resources:

Visit Philip’s website for more information, especially about his highly recommended retainer program!

www.hpsslaw.com

Email Philip: [email protected]

Call Philip: 404-522-1410

Are your website visitors being converted into qualified leads that turn into sales? Most of those visitors are not ready to commit to a click or a call, and if you don’t have a way to capture their email addresses they could be gone forever. In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to set up a sales funnel that converts!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Spencer’s podcast about marketing, especially for contractors (The first four episodes are available now!)
• Spencer’s family connection to builders and his focus on contractors
• Builder Funnel: a digital marketing agency out of Colorado Springs, CO
• Inbound marketing, conversions, and increased traffic
• What is inbound marketing? Attracting people to your business or website who are seeking your service or product
• Growing traffic: content creation, SEO, and social media
• Do I have to write blog posts?
• Where to find blog topics
• Lead funnels: how they work
• How to address those who aren’t ready to buy NOW, but a year or so down the road:
  • Meet them where they are
  • Provide them with value in their research process
  • Turn them into an educated buyer
  
  

Resources:

Website: www.builderfunnel.com

Podcast: www.builderfunnel.com/radio

Email: [email protected]