Get Ready

Being confident, courteous and professional.

If you are committed to achieving your sales goals, you must first spend time examining the first step toward those goals – enhancing your sales approach. The first step may be the most important in the entire sales process because it truly sets the stage for your relationship with the homeowners. It is time when the homeowners will form an impression of you and Roofing Giant. This first impression can cast a shadow over all interaction you will have going forward with homeowners, or it will create a positive environment in which you will work together to effectively solve specific problems of the property.

It sounds simple – meet and greet the homeowners with confidence. This demonstrates that you are experienced and skilled and thus more than capable of solving their problems. Next, always remember to be courteous when interacting with the homeowners. People like to do business with others who respect and value their time, are understanding of the situation and demonstrate good manners and business acumen. Always remember you must remain professional in your every dealing with the homeowners. Your manners, especially during this early period, show your professionalism.

If homeowners perceive you as confident, courteous and professional, you will make a very positive first impression that will allow you to be more effective in achieving the sale. When the impression is positive, it sets the stage on which initial resistance and ongoing reluctance are overcome.

The homeowners have a problem. They need help. They have invited you into their home to discuss the problem. What the homeowners are looking for is confidence, courtesy and professionalism. The last thing they want is to be sold something. If homeowners perceive they are being sold or, in many cases, oversold, they will not share with you the information you need to make an assessment of the situation.

The beauty of being a roofing specialist is you are not trying to sell a service that is not needed, or take money directly from the homeowner’s pocket. When representing Roofing Giant, chances are you will be meeting with homeowners who have sustained damage to their property that must be repaired.

The homeowners are already motivated to fix their property and, in many cases, must fix the damages, or it will lead to further deterioration of their major investment – their home. Chances are, the homeowners have insurance to cover the damage to their property and the insurance company, not the homeowners, will pay you. After all, homeowners pay their insurance premiums specifically for the times they need services that Roofing Giant provides.

Thus, you are automatically a breed apart from other salespeople they have encountered in the past who may be selling something that is not needed, and something the homeowners must finance on their own. There’s no greater opportunity to take the time you need to exercise your confidence, courtesy and professional skills. There’s much less danger of you slipping into strong sales tactics.

You will reduce the tension that naturally exists between homeowners and yourself by overriding the stereotype of the typically pushy salesperson. By avoiding the tendency to talk more than listen and pressure your homeowners, you will help alleviate their anxiety about the restoration process.

At the onset of the sales cycles, you will be welcomed by the homeowners if you:

• Dress professionally, your shirt clean and pressed with Roofing Giant logo embroidered on it.
• Do not hide if you are new. Inform the homeowners that if they ask you a question and you’re not sure of the correct answer, you will be calling your manager. Rather than being suspicious of you, they will try to help you.
• Appear genuinely interested in the problem at hand and their specific needs.
• Listen to their concerns and possible solutions.
• Empathize with them in the midst of the situation.
• Educate them about the potential solution that will solve their problem.
• Speak in a conversational, two-way method. Listen as much as you speak, and participate in the conversation in much the same way as a friend or neighbor would.
• Remain enthusiastic and positive about the situation.
• Let your actions speak louder than words. Show them you are keeping their best interests in mind through the completion of their restoration project.

Being Prepared, Punctual and Professional

The correct way to approach homeowners is critical to the entire sales process and project. You’ve heard the adage: There’s never a second chance to make a good first impression. Not only is a good impression a positive reflection on you, it is a positive reflection on Roofing Giant. Many of the homeowners will have already heard of Roofing Giant and of its growing reputation for professionalism and quality. When homeowners meet you, they are seeing more than you, they are seeing Roofing Giant too. They believe they are interacting with Roofing Giant. Thus, it is imperative that you put your best foot forward when approaching homeowners.

Always be prepared. Becoming more organized will help you be more prepared in your approach to pursuing each and every Sales Presentation.

It is easy to overlook the aspect of preparedness when it comes to sales. Yet, being prepared can make all the difference in your prospect’s initial and ongoing impression of you and your work. Homeowners will know you are prepared to meet with them and discuss the issue at hand if you look properly equipped. For example, being prepared means having all of your samples, tools, marketing materials and paperwork organized and categorized. All of these materials should be in good shape not stained, torn or creased. If you are organized, it will naturally lead to you being optimally prepared for your first meeting with the homeowner. You will be more able to concentrate on listening to the homeowner than when searching for materials.

Be punctual. Respect the homeowner’s time – it is as valuable as your own. In a world of poor service being punctual with a prospective customer will immediately set you apart from your competitors.

In today’s busy world, homeowners’ schedules are particularly hectic. When they make an appointment with you, they are carving out precious time from their schedules and have designated a specific day and time because it fits most easily into that schedule. Thus, arriving way too early or too late for your appointed time means you are disrespectful of their time, weren’t listening to them when they set the appointment or weren’t organized enough to correctly record the time in advance. But most importantly, if you arrive too late, you may miss the homeowners altogether and the entire process of setting the appointment starts over – assuming you get a second chance.

The rule of thumb for being on time for an appointment is to allow plenty of time to find the homeowner’s residence. Make sure to take into consideration poor weather or traffic conditions when you set out on the road. Arriving early, and then simply driving by the home and around the neighborhood will give you time to relax before the appointment starts.

You will also be able to garner general information about the area, its houses, your competitors (if work is being done on nearby houses) and the estimated value of the properties surrounding your homeowner’s home. All of this general information will help you provide the appropriate advice to your prospects about their specific problem.

Always be professional. Remember that your first impression with the homeowners is the most important. It will set the tone for the entire selling process, and put you ahead of the game.

Make sure your work vehicle is clean and presentable with the Roofing Giant signs on it. The first thing the homeowners may do when they hear you pull up is look out the window and see your vehicle. Secondly, make sure you park on the street in front of the residence, and not in the driveway, which may cause interruptions to your discussion for moving your vehicle out of the way of others.

Use an old-fashioned knock on the door along with the doorbell so you do not have to stand on the step for several minutes and find out later that the doorbell was broken.

Make sure you have stepped back from the door, two to three steps, so the homeowners can swing open the door to greet you and don’t immediately perceive you as “invading personal space.” If you are too close at the onset, you may be perceived as overly aggressive.

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