6 Best Practices for Running a Profitable Roofing Company

Transcription

1 6 Best Practices for Running a Profitable Roofing Company

2 2 Contents Introduction Management Transparency: It Starts at the Top Encouraging Employee Engagement and Performance Training Your Employees Investing in Business Technology Focusing on the Customer Experience Having a Basic Marketing Strategy

3 Introduction Owning and successfully running a roofing or exterior contracting company can be challenging. In addition to the day to day of managing a business, roofers need to be aware of changing industry trends and keep up with the constant turnover of staff and seasonal crews. Just like every business owner, roofing contractors are always searching for the holy grail of business models when it comes to staying competitive and profitable. How can I bring in the most leads? How can I replace more roofs than the competition? What other services can I offer that my competitors do not? How can I save money and still provide quality workmanship? While there is no silver bullet solution when it comes to running a profitable company, there are many best practices that roofers can take to set their business on the path to success. 3

4 Chapter 1 Management Transparency: It Starts at the Top Transparency between all departments, from top to bottom, is essential to the success of a roofing business. Keeping open lines of communication between all levels inside your company, from owners and managers to crew leaders and office staff is crucial to a healthy work environment. To start, successful roofing business owners should take measurable steps to ensure that there is a fear-free atmosphere in the office. Your mid and lower-level employees should feel comfortable approaching a superior with an issue or concern and know that it will be dealt with accordingly. 4

5 When everyone is on a different page, it hinders performance and satisfaction. Make sure that the communication between departments is clear, concise and direct. Accounting should be talking to sales, sales should be talking to the crews and vice versa. When communication is documented between everyone in your roofing business, you eliminate tasks being performed twice, mix-ups and mistakes, which streamlines the management of the entire business. Roofers who manage the most successful businesses ensure there is communication between all departments. 5

6 Chapter 2 Encouraging Employee Engagement and Performance One of the main benefits of transparency is a demonstrated increase in performance and accountability. When everyone s responsibilities are visible to the entire team, people are motivated to be accountable and exceed in their performance. When everyone is aware of their personal as well as their coworkers contributions, employees are more likely to rise to the occasion and boost their productivity levels. This can, in turn, motivate all of your teams to do their best work. 6

7 Gamification of Performance Gamification of performance can help sales teams stay motivated during low production seasons, as well as provide recognition to employees who are going above and beyond in their efforts. Leaderboards can showcase successes while motivating others to close more sales and up-sell more features. While sales and profits are the cornerstone to a roofing business, it s important to remember that those come from active, happy employees. Simple trust and camaraderie among your staff is a great place to start.

8 Chapter 3 Training Your Employees For roofing business owners, employee retention can be an issue, especially when dealing with talented salesmen and reliable crews. Bringing on new employees any time of year can be stressful and often times frustrating when personnel you invest in churn out quickly. When it comes to the comfort level of your employees, training is critical. Teaching your employees about the aspects of their specific role, how they fit into the organization, how to use your software programs and your expectations as an owner or manager is crucial to ensuring success. Untrained workers are unproductive, inefficient and costly. Make sure that any new employee or crew that you bring on understands their role within the company, the processes that you as an owner put forth when it comes to quality control and your overall expectations for them, both for the short and the longterm. This will help decrease employee turnover and provide a strong base for your new team members to excel. 8

9 Chapter 4 Investing in Business Technology Happy, productive employees are key to increasing your business profits, but it s important to also consider the resources they need to be successful. In order to ignite growth, roofing business owners must commit to investing in their company. Technologies specifically designed to aide contractors are becoming more prevalent. Roofers that are quick to adapt and implement technology to make their company more efficient are seeing massive growth in their local markets in comparison to competitors. Software that combines ERP and CRM capabilities together are taking the market by storm. Platforms that help contractors manage their workflows, give owners data-driven business insights and provide access to electronic documents from the office and the field are making roofers more efficient and ultimately more profitable. 9

10 Don t view technology as an expense; rather, as an investment. Software platforms are revolutionizing the way roofers look at their business. With the ability to track and find important customer information, order material supplies, automatically populate estimates with aerial measurement reports, create, sign and share digital paperwork and track your sales pipeline, there is no limit to how much you can grow your roofing business. CRM s that have a mobile app version let you take your office with you into the field. Cloud-based software gives roofers secure, ubiquitous, lightning-fast access to all of your information, right at your fingertips. With technology, successful roofers can take the office home, out into the field, or directly to the customers house. 10

11 Chapter 5 Focusing on the Customer Experience Roofing businesses should make focusing on the customer a top priority. Providing stellar customer service and committing to follow-up are key to ensuring a positive homeowner experience that is more likely to generate referrals. One way successful roofers enhance the satisfaction of their customers is to leverage technology and professionalism to provide more clarity and understanding between you, the contractor, and them as a homeowner. 11

12 Playing the Role of Educator & Salesman Field reps often need to play the role of educator, as well as salesman. Homeowners look to you as an expert to guide them through the process. One of the most important tactics to be successful is mastering the ability to help homeowners understand the complexities of roofing terminology, insurance processes, timelines and cost. Contractors who present information in a clean, easy to understand way with supporting documentation have a higher likelihood of ensuring a potential customer that the scope of work you suggest is both necessary and cost effective. 12

13 ` Cloud-based technology platforms allow your field reps to access notes, material pricing, estimates, contracts and photos, which can be helpful when closing a sale. By connecting with homeowners through your technology platform, you are able to sign documents, make changes on the fly and ensure accurate documentation throughout the process. This helps set their minds at ease and prove that you are a competent, skilled professional. 5 13

14 Chapter 6 Have a Basic Marketing Strategy Marketing your roofing business has become an essential part of staying ahead of your competition. Your website, social media accounts, outreach and online reviews are how you spread the word about your company. It s not about going viral. Rather, it is smarter to adopt an aggressive marketing approach in order to reach the eyes and ears of your potential customers. Your Company Website: According to Roofing Contractor, Between 80-90% percent of homeowners conduct Internet research before making a major purchase, and nearly 60% are searching from their phones. [source] This means that no matter what avenue a potential customer takes to find you, they are likely to end up on your website at some point. Make sure your website has up to date contact information and is easy to read on a mobile device to ensure that the people who are searching for you can actually reach you. 14

15 Utilizing Social Media: One of the easiest marketing tactics for roofers is to take advantage of social media. These platforms are easy to use and reach thousands of eyes in your local markets every day. The next time your company is running a promotion, post about it on Facebook. Think your crew did a terrific job on their latest remodeling project? Share it on Instagram. Looking to engage your customers? Respond to their tweets on Twitter. By staying on top of your roofing company s virtual presence, you can keep up with the most successful roofing companies. You don t need to post every day to maintain an active social media account. Determine what content is worth being shared and how that content affects your target customers. 15

16 ` When a homeowner is considering doing business with you, one of the first places they might go to check your reputation are online review sites like Yelp, Angie s List or Home Advisor. Pay Attention to Online Reviews: One habit of successful roofers is monitoring their online customer reviews to ensure that they are satisfactory. When you see a negative review, investigate the matter. Then, follow up with the customer and get feedback as to how you could have done a better job. Publicly acknowledging an unsatisfied customer and attempting to make amends shows that you care about your reputation. 5 16

17 Software Designed to Manage & Grow Your Roofing Business 525 Third St Beloit, WI p: +1 (608) e: 17