For years, door-to-door sales was a pillar of many industries, including the roofing industry. It was how roofers and contractors found new business, established their brand, and grew their companies. Today, door-to-door sales is a bit trickier. People in the 21st Century don’t like to be surprised and many times when an unsuspecting knock comes, homeowners will just get really quiet and hope the person on the other end goes away.
With that said, it is easy to assume that door-knocking is dead and not something you should spend your time on. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While door-knocking as we once knew it might be dead, the new millennium has brought changes and updates to a tried and true sales method.
Below, the Summa Media team is going to explore how door-to-door sales has evolved and how it can benefit your roofing company. Keep reading to learn more!
Door Knocking for the 21st Century Roofer
Like most things in this day and age, door-knocking today is most successful when combined with digital outreach first. You’re probably wondering how exactly you can knock on someone’s door digitally, there are a few different ways to go about it and we’ll cover them next.
Trigger events are helpful, but not mandatory
A trigger event is an event that occurs that will increase the likelihood of homeowners needing your services. Trigger events in the roofing industry can include hail storms, snow storms, changes to an HOA, the general resurgence of a neighborhood, and more. Trigger events are always helpful because it is, of course, easier to sell to someone who you know is in need of your services. However, trigger events are not necessary to a successful digital door knocking campaign and you can still run one without an event.
How you digitize it is up to you
There are many different digital mediums you can choose to utilize to make the initial contact with prospects. Options include, using tools to:
- Send text messages to homeowners in a specific geographic region
- Target homeowners in specific zip codes via social media ads
- Email homeowners tied to a specific HOA
When crafting the initial outreach, you need to customize the message to the person you are targeting and if you’re working off of a specific trigger event, you need to reference that in your outreach. Don’t be afraid to use emotion to appeal to homeowners after storms to really capture their attention and concern.
In person follow up is the real key
You’ll likely get a few responses from your digital outreach, which is great, but you can’t stop there. We see so many people stop there, letting fears or discomfort get in the way of them taking the next step. But after you reach out, you must also follow up with in person contact a day or so later. By waiting a couple days, prospects have had time to look at your website and learn more about you, but maybe they forgot to follow up or got busy, this is when the in person follow up comes in handy. By following up in person you’re able to make a positive impression and win the homeowner’s business.
Let the word spread
Even the best door-to-door salesman isn’t going to win every single homeowner on the first go, but if you win enough of them in a specific area, you’re on the right track. When you win multiple projects in the same area, your truck, your team, and most importantly, your logo, are going to be everywhere. Neighbors will see you, they’ll hear positive reviews from the people around them, and this will eventually spiral into more deals via word-of-mouth and referrals for your team.
Benefits of Digital Door Knocking
1. Your brand is now familiar
As we described above, digital door-knocking helps create brand familiarity. Each time someone sees your company’s name, they are more likely to remember you the next time and to think of you when they need help with their own roof.
2. You can reach a wider range of homeowners
Traditional door-to-door sales has its downfalls. When you physically knock, you have no control if someone is out or on an important call or sleeping or just not like answering the door for strangers. By making digital contact as well, you are ensuring that you aren’t missing out on prospects.
3. None of us know what tomorrow will bring
When COVID first hit, door-to-door sales were no longer an option for roofers, but hail storms and other roofing disasters were still occurring. By focusing on digital door-knocking and following up with fliers on doorknobs and a wave from the street, roofers could continue meeting new customers. Having digital door-knocking tactics in place now, will help you should something unexpected ever occur in the future.
Digital marketing strategies have changed the game and will continue to evolve over the next few decades, but that doesn’t mean the in person piece is forever gone. Work on crafting a plan that combines the modern and traditional roofing sales strategies to reach a new level of success.
If you need help with digital door-knocking or any other piece of your marketing strategy, the Summa Media team is here for you. We’ve worked with roofers across the country to help them modernize their marketing practices and grow their businesses and would love to help you next. Give our team a call today to learn more.
