How to get sales.

Grumpy

I disagree with your comment about the yellow pages, which simply do not work for the majority of contractors. I also could not disagree more with your comment about internet adds as I can get more leads than I know what to do with via various internet strategies and for about 1/3rd the cost per lead of traditional yellow pages or newspaper adds.

Would I google "lawyer", no I would not. Would I google "chicago construction lawyer"? Yes I damned sure would. I want to know more about the lawyer than what his yellow page add has to offer. When the yellow pages come they immediately go into the trash. Why would anyone use a yellow page book anymore? I don't know.

Furthermore, paid internet strategies aside I am currently getting no less than 3-4 leads each day which cost me nothing and are generated directly through my website(s). That's a cost of $0 per lead.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

DarrenSlaughter

There is no doubt in my mind that YP advertising still works. I watch contractors buy shore houses every year from it. BUT, internet advertising is a much more economical way to promote the business (not taking into consideration the lose of mind share and opportunity by not being represented in the books when people do go to them to buy).

RemStar

okay congrats grumpster, not trashing your Internet lead,and good point on the lawyer BUT I have to say the yellow pages IS the most effective ways to advertise.

You may toss the yellow pages, but that is not the norm. If it didn't work, we wouldn't pay thousands of dollars for it each year. I believe that the majority of people do not search for contractors on the Internet, and if they do they are searching Craig's list for the most part. Do you also order your chinese food of the internet because you dont have the yp?


That being said, I am going to get a website up and running right away, But it just wont be the first place I start when deciding where to spend my marketing budget.

RemStar

Just a though,

You live in chicago, Probibly have a 40 page roofing contractors section in your yp, very hard to stand out in that type of advertising.

I am from a city of 100, 000 people where the roofing section of the yellowpages is still only 4 pages long with about a total of 20 contractos, So it much easier for my company to stand out in, because it is a smaller book. (plus I live in canada where 98.5 percent of people dont yet have access to the net)

Different things work in different areas.

TheBrain

A contractor where i live just goes door to door to people with poor roofs and asks them if they want a free estimate. He makes over 100k a year subbing out jobs to other roofing companies that are short on work.

The con to this would be it eats up a lot of time for a job that is not a for sure sale. But if you're hurting for sales and got time on your hands anything is worth a shot.

Oh and kijiji is also a good place to throw your add.

daviddeschaine

Hello Roofers,

Secret Marketing Tip!

Marketing Your Customers - Asking What They Want, And Narrow Your Roofing Market & Customer!

What works for me, and will work for you!

Questions, and Answers Built Into Your Marketing Is The Emotional Aspects!

Interact With You Potential Customers And Ask Questions Like!

1. What Are Your Biggest Fears With Installation A New Roof?
2. What Is Your Biggest Challenge So Far With Hiring A Roofing Contractor?
3. What Is The Desired Out Come Of This New Roof Installation And What Do You Want?
4. What Are You Afraid Might Happen During This Process?
5. What Worries You About Installing A New Roof?

Fears, Frustrations, Pains, Problems, and Anxieties! - Negative Emotions Are Twice As Powerful And Motivating As Positive Emotions For Human Beings!
They Have To Get Out Of The Pain & Fears, Before They Can Start Looking At The Bigger Picture -Connect On Pain & Connect Where Their Fears Are! - When There Is Anxieties There Is Opportunity - Then Listen For Specific Words & Phrases & Figure Out What Their Hot Buttons Are!

Simple Questions Built Into Your Ads, and Clear Answer In Your Marketing, That No One Has Ever Talked To Them Like This Before!

Television Is The Best Way To Get Your Message Out Quiclky, and branding your business using a Jingle, A Slogan, Ketch Phrase. This will work and you will need to get your checkbook out, and spend more money in smart marketing, offering solutions to your potential customers.

My Favorite Method Is Raise Your Prices, and Make More From What You Have, WITHOUT DOING MORE WORK.... ;-)

You Guys Are Awesome....Great To See Roofing Contractors Working Together!!!

David

__________________
David J. Deschaine
http://www.startmyroofingbusiness.com

http://www.roofingbusinessblueprint.com

Mr Sales

Well we are also doing remodels and flipping homes, so we have 5 crews that work directly for us, so I would like to get to an average of 9 per week consistantly. Because we are not strictly a roofing company, the other crews are often times on our other jobs and working for other companies in our networking group as well. Then if we are selling more, I would like to go higher.

I do like the idea of the mailer. I found a great company locally here that is doing adds for us. It is a large door hanger with 5 company adds on each side. It is $600 for 10,000 hangers AND they hang them for you. So its kind of a no brainer. This may be the price he is giving us only since the owner is a good friend of ours but $600 for 10,000 door hangers is pretty amazing. We are also in the yellow pages.

Grumpy, are you currently using google PPC and Analytics?


Thanks for the tips kind people

Grumpy

Agreed.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

Grumpy

I've never gotten a response from kijiji as a matter of fact.

Plus there are no such thing as sure sales. However for me door to door aint my style. i did that in high school, was good at it, but hated it.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

Grumpy

My adwords is down at the moment for everything but commercial. I get enough leads without it. However it is very effective during the slow times. I do nto use analytics because my server logs are just as good, plus I have a piece of software that sits on my websites which will submit the referring website address when someone requests an estimate so I always know how each person found my site.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing