Roofs — and the workers who build them — are essential to a building's health. But no roof can protect a building on its own. It needs to work hand-in-hand with other structures, from drainage and insulation to windows and waterproofing.
Those other systems can be a source of frustration, because if they fail, the blame for any resulting leaks often rolls back onto the roofer. Rather than live with that status quo, it may be time for you to offer secondary services that can drive business growth, improve customer satisfaction and increase your profitability.
Many roofers decide to dip their toe into additional services by packaging roofing and construction solutions that often go hand-in-hand with a typical roof install, repair or replacement.
Most buildings in need of a replacement roof have battered and clogged gutters as well. These drainage systems aren't able to keep up with water being shed off the new roof. Offer gutter repairs or replacements and you can capture additional income while also protecting the new roof (and reducing warranty calls).
Scheduling a siding installation alongside a re-roof can streamline tear-off and provide an opportunity for better pricing. Since roofing and siding supplies can be obtained from the same vendor, you can cut delivery and organizational costs.
There's often no better time to install new insulation than during a re-roof. And when insulation is difficult or impossible to reach from inside the building, it may be the only choice. New insulation boosts energy savings from the roof install and provides owners an opportunity to upgrade to a more efficient insulation solution, such as sprayed foam.
Many roofers get into window installation by performing skylight maintenance. If you're offering skylight repairs, your crew already has the skills for standard window installation or replacement.
Property owners already view roofers as the experts when it comes to keeping water out of buildings. Making the leap to providing waterproofing services just takes a bit of training for specific waterproofing solutions.
Help a customer extend the life of their roof and increase energy savings by applying a roof coating. Roof coatings are a natural fit for roofing companies familiar with flat roofs, and they're a great way to keep crews busy between bigger jobs.
Customers love these options because they don't have to deal with additional contractors. Remember that for many homeowners and property managers, roofing is intimidating. Customers don't want to spend time interviewing multiple contractors and getting several different quotes. For them, it's often worth paying a little more to have a single contractor handle multiple jobs.
Offering multiple roofing and construction solutions makes project management easier. It can also position your company as a full-service provider, giving you an edge to stand out from the field of competitors.
Chances are your workers already have the key skills for most of these services. To fill in the gaps, ask about vendor-sponsored training sessions. Vendors want their products installed correctly, and your workers can gain new skills at minimal expense to you.
When you're confident in your crews' capabilities, arrange for a small-scale job that can be closely supervised. You may find you need to establish different working routines or jobsite protocols for these new services. The only way to know for sure is to put that training into practice and see what happens.
If you're ready to start marketing, begin by contacting your existing customers. See if they'd be interested in having you come out to do gutters, windows or related services. And always mention these services to potential customers. Introducing options during the sales process is a great way to generate work without spending any marketing money at all.
The next time you're working on a job that needs more than simply a roof, go ahead and ask that customer if you can help them out with those other needs as well. You may be surprised at how happy they are to have the solution to their problems already on the jobsite.
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