3 Reasons Roofing Sales Isn’t for You

Roofing sales is NOT right for you IF any of these three things apply to you.

Now, the reason I’m covering this topic is that I have had LOTS of people come up to me who realize that roofing sales wasn’t for them.

In fact, some of these folks who have thought that roofing sales isn’t for them have even:

• Changed their minds, realizing they’ve been thinking about it all wrong
• Decided to go all in, after talking and thinking about it a little more
• Become REALLY successful after shifting gears

And this topic was actually inspired by a gentleman who reached out to me to tell me that he LOVED my program and everything that I’m teaching BUT that he simply realized the roofing sales industry isn’t for him (and I gave him a refund on my training program because he was still within the 30-day refund window — and I honor my NO-BS money-back guarantee).

The point is that roofing sales is most certainly not for everybody.

So, I want to help people who are on the fence, who’ve been lured into the industry by 6-figure opportunities, and who aren’t sure if the industry is right for them. I want to save them time before they go ALL IN.

Now, there are three KEY factors that can determine if:

• You’ll ever be successful in roofing sales.
• Roofing sales is a good fit for you.
• You need to make some changes in order to succeed or do better in this industry.

I’ve figured this out after being inside the back offices of roofing companies all across America. I have my finger on the pulse of this issue, and I’ve met plenty of folks, seeing how they engage, interact, and ask questions.

That’s how I’ve been able to determine what helps reps succeed (or not) in this business.

So, this topic is geared toward two types of people:

1. Those who are brand-new to roofing sales and who’ve been lured into the earning opportunities: You’ve seen other people doing it, and you’re wondering why everyone doesn’t do it if it’s so easy (and, by the way, the reason is that it’s NOT easy; it’s simple, but it’s NOT easy).
2. Industry folks who are questioning it: This DOES come up a lot. Sometimes, hearing these three traits will actually help folks figure out whether to get out of the business OR retool what they’re doing, so they can really make things work.

Before we dive in, I first want to say welcome or welcome back. My name is Adam Bensman, The Roof Strategist. Everything I do here is designed to help you and your team smash your income goals and give every customer an amazing experience.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen about 66% of new roofing sales reps QUIT or get FIRED in their first year because of two factors:

1. That person simply wasn’t a good fit for roofing sales from the start.
2. People quit prematurely. I think this is the MOST common factor because people tend to expect success right out of the gate.

In fact, I’ll never forget a gentleman in our office named Drew. I was so, SO jealous of Drew and how busy he was, racing in and out of the office, with all of these jobs going on. Meanwhile, I felt like:

• I was CLAWING up a mountain, struggling to get traction and make this work.
• I was just in totally over my head, seeing his INCREDIBLE SUCCESS and feeling tempted to quit.

I do NOT want that to happen to you. So, let’s get to it.

Reason #1 Roofing Sales Isn’t Right for You: You MUST have consistency & stability.

You’re probably NOT a good fit in roofing sales if you’re someone who absolutely needs to have consistency and stability.

Now, consistency and stability can happen in time, and entrepreneurs and salespeople CAN earn BIG BUCKs — but:

• We have to put in that grind and that effort.
• We have to work hard.
• We have to do what other people are not willing to do to make that happen.

Now, that does NOT necessarily mean it will take forever because once you’ve been in roofing sales for a while, it’s likely that:

• Your hopper will be full.
• You’ll know how to manage your money once you’re making multi-six figures a year, year after year.
• You don’t really need that consistency and stability because you have some financial cushions.

So, you may have a month where you’re making an incredible commission, like five figures or even more. Then, the next month may be really light. That means that:

• You don’t have that consistency.
• You definitely don’t have stability.
• You write your own paycheck. If you’re not willing to go to work, no one’s going to pay you for that work.

Unfortunately, behind the scenes, this could involve:

• Employees wanting to work the LEAST they can in order to not get fired
• Employers willing to pay the LEAST they can so that the employees don’t quit

That can create this tension, with folks kind of working against each other.

Roofing sales can squash all that because:

• YOU write your own paychecks.
• You’re going to KILL it if you want to earn a lot and if you put in the time to be successful and get better at what you do.

So, if you’re someone who needs consistency and stability, roofing sales is NOT going to be a good fit for you until you get some traction.

Reason #2 Roofing Sales Isn’t Right for You: You just want ease & comfort.

Coasters are folks who seek comfort and the easy street in life. If you are someone who needs to be comfortable ALL of the time:

• Save yourself the headache.
• Don’t take on the financial risks.
• Do NOT get into roofing sales because it will require you to get uncomfortable.

Now, I’m talking REALLY uncomfortable, like facing your inner demon (which is point number three, below). I’m talking about:

1. Dealing with conflict
2. Showing up at people’s houses and having people call you bad names
3. Being associated with this horrible reputation of roofers (By the way, if you Google “roofer news,” you’ll see what most homeowners think when they think about roofers).

So, if you want comfort and stability every day, you’re not going to get that in roofing sales.

Now, when I was a massage therapist, it didn’t really matter what was going on at home or in my home life. I just got to show up at work, be quiet, do my job (give massages), and leave.

In roofing sales, however, we ARE uncomfortable most of the time because:

1. We’re dealing with baggage from our relationship or our partners at home.
2. We may have found out someone is ill or died.
3. We have to deal with customers screaming at us, going from this horrendous place of feeling totally in the dumps and, then, pivoting entirely to say something, like, “Hey, Mrs. Homeowner, I’m so glad to see you. How are you doing today?”

Making that switch and being able to flip like that SO quickly means being able to compartmentalize your work life and personal life.

And that’s not easy. In fact:

• It’s one of the MOST CHALLENGING parts of roofing sales.
• Some people are just not cut out for it.

Those are the folks who:

• Wear their hearts on their sleeves
• Can’t hide their emotions

You NEED to learn to be able to do that. Now, I’m NOT saying you shouldn’t feel things. By the way, you will feel a lot in this business. I promise you that.

Instead, we need to learn how to:

1. Manage our own emotions.
2. Compartmentalize when we’re going to handle certain things.
3. Show up, ready to sell.

If not, ALL of this personal baggage can bleed into your work life, and you’ll end up going broke. That’s NOT fun, and I’ve watched it happen more times than you know.

So, if you’re someone who is focused on having comfort and ease — and if you’re a “coaster” in life who just wants to show up, do your thing, and be done — again, roofing sales isn’t going to be a good fit for you.

Reason #3 Roofing Sales Isn’t Right for You: You are NOT willing to face your inner demons.

What’s your inner demon? For many folks, it’s some type of character flaw.

By the way, I did a video on Conquering Your Inner Demon as part of my three-part video series called The Roofing Sales Success Formula (it’s Part 2 of that series; watch that whole video because I think it’ll really hit close to home and give you some tools to start conquering your inner demon).

This inner demon is often the little negative voice in your head that’s charged with FEAR, and it can POISON your mind.

For many of us, this inner demon is a character flaw that we developed early on in life. In fact:

• Most salespeople have had pretty tumultuous upbringings, with some emotional volatility or traumas.
• These experiences can be key to developing those interpersonal skills and communication skills that are so pivotal to reading people, being good with people, and navigating those trickier situations.

My inner demon was facing conflict. I was conflict-avoidant to the MAX because that’s what I learned. I was the peacekeeper in my household as a child, and that character trait helped me:

1. Keep the peace.
2. Navigate social situations and read people better.
3. Learn the superpowers of body language and tonality.
4. Anticipate when things would happen before they even would.

ALL of that is ALSO what held me back in roofing sales because I had to overcome and face that inner demon that just no longer served me because it made me fearful of going up to people’s houses. In fact:

• I was AFRAID of that rejection.
• I was AFRAID to ask for the business.
• I was NOT good at closing.

Only by conquering that inner demon — facing him head-on, grabbing him by the throat, getting intimate with him, and learning about him — only then was I finally able to get past it and get to that next level of success (and don’t get me wrong — I do still have some stuff to work on, by the way).

Now, some folks are totally unwilling to face their inner demons. That’s OK. If that’s you or someone you know, it simply means that roofing sales is probably not a great fit because roofing sales is personal development in disguise.

Next, I want to share a couple of bonus reasons why roofing sales may not be right for some folks.

Bonus Reason #1: You always play the blame game.

Another factor that can pretty much GUARANTEE that someone isn’t going to do well in roofing sales is always playing the blame game. In other words, these are the folks who always:

• Say it’s someone else’s fault
• Have a reason or an excuse for why things didn’t go their way

Excuse-itis is what Brian Tracy calls it. And these are the folks who will continually say things like:

The lead wasn’t good.

The adjuster was bad.

The insurance company is evil.

It’s not the right neighborhood.

I don’t relate to those folks.

It’s a bad time of year.

Those blame pointers can’t take ownership. These are people who say things like, “Hey, that’s why I can’t do it,” as opposed to the folks who ask, “How can I do it?”

So, if you’re focused on ALL of the reasons why things won’t work, do NOT get into roofing sales because that character trait won’t get you anywhere in this business.

In fact, smart and successful roofing salespeople will always say the H word — HOW. They want to know how to make things happen.

Bonus Reason #2: You can’t afford to go ALL IN.

Now, this is probably the riskiest can of worms to open. And believe me, I was broke when I got into roofing sales. In fact, I’ve shared my story in several videos, but here’s a fast version:

I was earning under $20k/year, and I was living on $4.20/day in groceries. That was a STRICT budget (so no $5-foot-long subs for this guy!).

I was living on pasta and potatoes, as staples (and I was vegetarian at the time) because I was just SO broke. It was a REALLY BIG STRUGGLE.

Then, I went all in, and I took a HUGE risk. I bet on myself and built a metaphorical parachute on the way down.

Many people are NOT in a position to do that. Maybe they’re the sole breadwinner, or they have kids or other financial responsibilities or obligations.

So, if you’re not able to go all in, think twice about roofing sales. I’m NOT saying that you shouldn’t do it or that roofing sales isn’t right for you.

What I AM saying, however, is that the folks who are willing or able to go all in will usually be more successful than those who can’t afford it.

Why?

Because what ends up happening is that:

• Your truck won’t start, and you can’t afford to fix it.
• You can’t get out to the areas you want or need to travel to.
• You end up in a sort of Catch-22 situation, starving yourself before you even get started.
• You end up MORE broke than you would’ve been if you just didn’t give this industry a shot.

That’s why I advise folks who need to get a part-time job while they get started in roofing sales to make sure that the part-time gig is NOT during peak selling time.

Peak selling time is:

• 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the weekdays
• 10:00 a.m. to ~3:00 p.m. on Saturdays

So, if you have another job, structure it so that it does NOT interfere with your day-to-day roofing sales activities.

I took the leap because, as a massage therapist, I was working during those late afternoons and evenings, which is selling time. I knew that I was never going to have the success that I wanted:

• IF I was still trying to juggle both
• UNLESS I could optimize my time to be available to sell during those peak selling times

Recap: 3 Character Traits That Are a Poor Fit for Roofing Sales

Summarizing everything, there are a few character traits that indicate you should NEVER consider roofing sales OR that you need to shift your mindset to improve in this industry. Those traits are:

1. Craving consistency and stability: While consistency and stability may come in time, don’t expect that right out of the gate.
2. Wanting the easy route, so you can just float on through: If you just want comfort, so you can coast down Easy Street, do NOT get into roofing sales.
3. Being unwilling to face your inner demons: You need to be willing to be uncomfortable, so you can grow personally.

By the way, there’s no harm and no foul done by realizing that roofing sales isn’t for you. This is YOUR LIFE and your choice.

And those bonus reasons or traits that can highlight that roofing sales is NOT for you are:

• Playing the blame game: If you’re someone who always needs to point the finger and find fault with someone else, don’t get into roofing sales. Remember, what they say about every finger you point, right? Four more fingers are pointing back at you.
• Not being able to go all in: You need to be available during those peak selling hours to really give yourself the chance to be successful in roofing sales.

Now, you have the information you need to take a critical look at whether this industry is right for you.

And please pass this along to anyone in the business or who’s considering roofing sales if they’re on the fence or if they need a little extra help deciding whether to get into the industry.

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Thanks for joining me, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the next blog.