Do Looks Lose Sales? Tattoos, Long Hair & Piercings in Roofing Sales

Could your appearance be losing you sales if you have tattoos, long hair, or piercings?

You’ve probably heard some chatter from:

• Customers who’ve made comments about professionalism
• Teams or leadership who may be wanting you to show up looking a certain way

So, let’s get into the depths of physical appearance in door-to-door roofing sales, specifically focusing on how to overcome those things we naturally have.

After all, there are two types of people:

1. Those who are PROUD of their long hair, tattoos, and/or piercings: If this is you, this is how you feel comfortable and confident. It’s who you are, and you want to bring this to life. Still, you know that people are going to look at you a certain way. So, you kind of button up a bit during work.
2. Folks with tattoos or piercings that may not serve them anymore: This can be like the gauged ears or tattoos you may not love right now.

No matter how proud you may be or how you carry yourself, you may just happen to fit into one of these boxes. If so, this is for you.

I’m going to help you get to the bottom of what REALLY matters to help you THRIVE in roofing sales. After all, at the end of the day, everything that we do here is designed to help you and your team smash your income goal and give every customer an AMAZING experience.

And that starts with how we feel.

So, I’m so glad to have you here. Welcome or welcome back, by the way. My name is Adam Bensman, The Roof Strategist.

Now, let’s get to it.

Your Looks in Roofing Sales: Background

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel.

― Maya Angelou

I absolutely love this quote, and I want you to think about that difference for a moment.

Yes, people WILL have snap judgments and say mean things to you. Unfortunately, some people might not buy from you based on how you look — but they ARE going to forget about that.

In fact, often, that first impression you make when you interact with a homeowner can leave them feeling really good!

So, let’s take a little trip down memory lane (and if you’ve been following me for a while, you may recognize some of what follows).

Long Hair in Roofing Sales: A Personal Journey

At the office, we have a joke about my ever-evolving hairstyles.

In fact, here’s me doing a video entitled, Canvassing and Prospecting: Making a Strong First Impression When Going Door to Door.

How funny is this?!?

There’s also “professional Adam,” with a short haircut, but here, I was “hippie Adam,” with hair falling out of the sides of my hat — and I always wore a hat.

Later, I grew my hair into a man bun, which you’ll see in other videos. And when I had that man bun, my hair was so frazzled that I had to keep it clipped up. And people would ask me:

Hey, Adam, how did people take it when your hair was longer?

Did that impact your sales at all?

And you know what’s funny? That was the first time in my life that I DOUBLED my income.

So, let me just say that when my hair was at its longest, I had the MOST significant doubling of my income. That means people STILL took me seriously.

At the time, I was also still serving as a direct response copywriter and sales consultant working with some quasi-celebrities and some pretty big players on their marketing and sales initiatives.

No one refused to hire me because of my long hair (that I’m aware of).

Why?

Because I was really good at what I did. I focused on making people feel really good.

So, how does this impact what YOU need to be doing?

What matters and what doesn’t?

Well, let’s bring this back to that early YouTube video I did on Canvassing, Prospecting, and Making a Strong First Impression in D2D Roofing Sales.

Did Long Hair Hold Me Back in Roofing Sales?

Yes, I had long hair. And people may not have done business with me because of it.

In fact, I’ve received a BUNCH of angry comments on past videos, with people making fun of me and saying stuff like:

I’ll NEVER trust any guy with a man bun.

I’d NEVER buy from him. That’s a deal breaker.

How do I reply? What do I say back? I say:

I’m sorry that’s your loss because guess where I am today?

Today, I am running The Roof Strategist channel and my podcast (on Apple and Spotify) and:

• I have many, MANY thousands of customers for both storm and retail in every single state in the U.S.
• I’m working with some of the smallest companies and quite a few of the top roofing companies in America.
• I’m Owens Corning’s latest sales training partner, traveling the U.S. to run the roofing sales trainings.

So, has my hair held me back? NO, it hasn’t.

Now, I don’t share all that to brag. I share that to INSPIRE you and show you that no one can hold you back and tell you what’s good enough and what’s not good enough.

And that, now, brings me to your appearance.

How Your Appearance Matters (& Doesn’t) in Roofing Sales

There are generally two “camps” when it comes to appearance in roofing sales.

One of those camps includes folks who have tattoos and piercings that they’re proud of.

If that’s you, those tattoos and piercings are part of who you are.

So, here are my tips for still showing up and looking professional, even with tattoos, piercing, or whatever (and I know I’ll get some backlash for saying some of this, and that’s OK).

How to Look Professional in Roofing Sales with Tattoos & Piercings: 3 Tips

You can still radiate professionalism in roofing sales if you have tattoos and piercings simply by making yourself look “put together.” To do that:

1. Tuck your shirt in and wear a belt: Looking tidy and “put together” is extremely important.
2. Exude cleanliness: Don’t show up smelling like cigarettes or a bar. Make sure your breath is fresh, you’re bathed, and your hair looks clean (and not like you haven’t washed it in months). A “clean,” well-kept look can go a LONG way to coming across as professional and credible in roofing sales.
3. Dress the part: You want to look like you’re a roofer. Now, some people are anti-jeans, saying you should only wear khakis, a polo, or whatever. Remember, a roofer should be ready to show up and get on the roof. So, you can wear jeans, slacks, or khakis — it really doesn’t matter. But I sure as heck wouldn’t show up at a house wearing dress shoes.

So, putting yourself together — including cleanliness and looking professional — goes a very, very long way toward setting yourself up for success.

Once you have the look down, you simply need to:

• Focus on being kind to people.
• Know that there are some bad people out there who are going to judge you no matter what.
• Remember that life’s too short to try to please everybody.

After all, no matter what you do — even if you shave your face, cut your hair, remove every tattoo, plug all the piercings, or even get your ears surgically put back together — there are STILL people who aren’t going to want to do business with you because:

• They don’t like your haircut.
• They don’t like your accent.
• They don’t like you.
• They simply are NOT your customer.

So, who freaking cares?

Here’s the bottom line:

1. Be yourself.
2. Show up looking like you’re there to do a good job.
3. Make people feel GOOD.

It’s that simple.

Roofing Sales Appearance Tips for Folks Who No Longer Like Their Tattoos

Now, if you have some things with your appearance that you’re no longer fond of, like an older tattoo you’re not so proud of, here are some quick pointers on how to present yourself professionally:

1. Wear sun sleeves: These are used by cyclists, so they’re really lightweight and they’re designed to breathe. In fact, they look like arm “socks” that cover your forearms and upper arms. So, you can pull the sun sleeves up really high, covering your arm tattoos, and have a t-shirt or polo shirt sleeve overlap the top of the sun sleeves. It’ll look like a long sleeve shirt. If it gets hot, you can pour water on them, roll them up, or just take them off. It’s a super simple solution that can be better than just a long sleeve shirt, especially when it gets really hot.
2. Tidy up your hair: Whether you have long hair, a man bun, or whatever, make your hair as tidy as possible with your haircut. When I had long hair (which I donated to locks of love for a child going through chemo), I’d wear a hat, and people still judged me. And that’s OK because people are all different. The point is to just make your hair as tidy as you can. Tuck it up into a hat if you can or tie it back, so it looks professional, instead of messy or distracting.
3. Take out piercings or rock your gauges: If you can remove piercings, like facial piercings, then you probably want to take them out during work hours. But if you have gauges, just rock them! We live in a modern world, and some things you can’t hide (and, again some people will judge you no matter what). So, feel free to do what makes you comfortable — rock it proudly or find an alternative that makes you feel more comfortable and buttoned up.

To be honest, there’s really NO wrong answer here. Don’t do or not do something just for work because life’s A LOT more than this.

In fact, what I love about the roofing industry is that:

• Anyone can come in, from any walk of life, and be AMAZING.
• You can earn an incredible income just by changing what you say or how you interact with customers.
• You can be who you are and still be really successful in roofing sales.

At the end of the day, you can either be:

• A chameleon who just fits a mold
• YOURSELF

And if you go through my past videos,  you can see how I’ve evolved:

• I was chunkier and heavier at one point
• I’ve had a shaved head and awkward hair. I’ve had a man bun and SUPER long hair in the heat. Then, I cut it all off.
• I have tattoos on my inner wrist, and that hasn’t held me back. If I think those tattoos will get in my way, I’ll just put on a long sleeve shirt.

Bonus Roofing Sales Tip: Consider Tailoring Your Appearance to Your Market

I have one final piece of advice for you— your appearance should fit your market.

That means that if you’re in a rural, conservative market, you’re going to stand out like a sore thumb if you show up looking some type of way.

At the same time, that look could fit another market perfectly — like long hair, tattoos, and piercings are everywhere in some places (Denver, CO, for one).

So, do what feels right to you when it comes to your appearance AND:

• Focus on making customers feel good.
• Do not let your appearance hold you back.
• Keep in mind that long hair comes across differently in California and Colorado versus more rural areas.

I hope this helps you — and please feel free to share this with anyone who could use some advice about appearing professional or tailoring their appearance in roofing sales.

After all, my mission is to help you:

1. Feel confident in who you are.
2. Focus on what matters most, which is how you make your customers feel.
3. Be an even stronger salesperson.

Get More Roofing Sales Strategies, Scripts, Tips & Videos

If you want more on any roofing sales topic, you’ll find it in my all-in-one sales training, sales strategy, and sales system, the Roofing Sales Success Formula & Complete Sales Strategy.

This exclusive program covers everything from knock to close, with packages for individual roofing sales reps and entire teams. Many roofing sales companies LOVE this program because it’s a consistent process to train everybody on a relatable sales system that WORKS and that’s a lightning-fast way to get results.

If you have questions, just call or text (303) 222-7133 for more info or a private demo.

You can also subscribe for the latest roofing sales training videos and/or get a copy of my Pitch Like a Pro roofing sales training video library. It includes every roofing sales video I’ve ever done, organized by category, along with a bunch of tips, tricks, and more. It’s great for new people and seasoned veterans, and it’s updated all the time to help you and your team smash your income goals and give every customer an amazing experience.

And don’t forget to check out my Marketing Battle Pack for instant access to 70+ pieces of my proven, turnkey roofing sales and marketing materials. It’s an entire suite, specially designed for sales teams, managers, and owners, providing:

It’s affordably priced and comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. There’s also a playlist of instructional videos in there, explaining every single thing. So, you can watch the videos, and you’ll know exactly what to do.

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