Selling Hail-Damaged Roofs: The Hail Sales Process From Start to Finish

Hey, Adam, here at The Roof Strategist. Today, we’re talking about the hail process.

This is specifically for salesmen and roofing companies who are new to the hail process. I’m going to explain how it all works and how you can go from selling retail to hail sales.

So, if you’re a new salesperson — or maybe you didn’t get all the training you need and you don’t really understand the process from start to finish — this is for you.

What Happens When It Hails?

This is where it all starts. When it hails, suddenly, we’ve got homeowners and entire neighborhoods who need a roof. That’s different from when homeowners need a roof because I’m driving through and saying, “Hey, that roof’s old” or “there are crumbling shingles.”

If it just hailed, boom — we have all these people who need a roof.

And all they need to pay is their deductible — no more, no less. Right?

Now, I want to walk through the hail roofing sales from start to finish.

Also, just to plant the seed now, I have videos on Breaking Your Emotional Attachment to Money When You’re Making the Sale and the Different Phases of the Hail Claims Process on How You Approach a Sale. So, check those out later for more.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #1: Your Pitch

What happens if it hails today? You’ll go out to the homeowner’s house, and the first thing you need to do is a free inspection to help them identify whether there’s damage.

Here’s my pitch.

I knock on the door and introduce myself. I say:

Hey, I’m Adam. I’m sure you noticed the storm the other day. My job is to help you identify whether or not your house was even damaged in the storm. So, what I’m going to do is hop up on your roof to do a quick inspection and take some photos.

When I get down. We’ll go inside, and I’ll show you everything and walk you through the next steps.

The good news is if there’s no damage, or I don’t see any damage, I’ll let you know, and you’ll know that you’re good to go.

Sound good? Great. Cool.

With this, we talk assumptively, meaning we say things like “I am going to” not “I can.”

A Hail Roofing Sales Pitch That Turns ‘No’ Into ‘Yes’

Another little trick is to get that inspection is to ask this question:

Hey, do you have any objection if I hop up on your roof, take a look, do that inspection, and take some photos for you?

Notice how I phrased it? Do you have any objection?

Now, if I asked you a yes-or-no question and you don’t know me, you’re inclined to say “no.”

But when I say, “Do you have any objection?” and you say “no,” you’re agreeing to let me get on the roof. This is a great way to soften the dialogue with homeowners and help them let down their guard. It’s also a great way to get in the door without being pushy.

So, try that out to get more inspections.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #2: The Contingency Agreement

If you find hail damage during the inspection, we move on to the contingency agreement.

The contingency will do three things:

1. It makes sure that the insurance company sets the price for the claim. Okay, if they say that’s a $15,000 roof, then it’s a $15,000 roof. That’s it.
2. It allows you to go to bat with the insurance company.
3. It allows you to use what I call the “price-lock guarantee.” This can ensure you become the contractor of choice, that you’re actually going to do the work if it’s approved, and that all the homeowner pays their deductible.

Feel free to check out my video, How to Use the Contingency Agreement to Make the Sale, for some winning strategies on getting those contingencies signed.

Alright, so we signed the contingency. On to the next step.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #3: The Insurance Adjuster Inspection

Once the contingency agreement has been signed, the next thing that happens is the adjuster comes out. The adjuster is the guy from the insurance company. They’re either paid by the insurance company directly or by a third-party claims company.

When these guys come out to do their inspection, they write estimates. Sometimes, the insurance adjuster will pay, and they’ll do all their paperwork, right on site. And, more often than not, they’ll let the homeowner know when they’re going to be there (usually it’s within a week or two).

You need to be there for this appointment.

I’ll usually say to the homeowner, “Hey, let me know when the adjuster is going to be out, so I can show up.” Keep in mind that, in some states, this is not allowed. So, check your local laws first. Whenever it’s not against the law, though, you’ll want to show up for this adjuster appointment.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #4: The Scope Review

Next is the meeting with the homeowner to review the scope. Now, the insurance adjuster on site will prepare paperwork called a Scope of Loss. We will want to sit down with the homeowner and review the Scope of Loss.

At this point, our job is to do a quick calculation to figure out whether this will be a profitable job. We need to answer this one question — Can we build it or not?

Example: Let’s say it’s 30 ft², and they’re only paying $190/square. We know it’s not within the numbers we need to hit. Depending on your market, that might be between $250 and $450. So, we want to review this with the homeowner.

If the job meets your minimum profitability requirements, you can proceed to building the job and worry about any supplementing later.

If it’s not profitable, we need to go back to the drawing board and move on to the next step.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #5: Supplement Preparation

There are third-party resources that can help you with preparing a supplement. If you need a recommendation, shoot me an email. These supplements are just paperwork pointing out things like:

• Missed pieces of gutters
• Not enough shingle allowance
• No ice and water shield

As you prepare that supplement, make sure the proper assessment is completed for the job.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #6: The Build Order

Next, we put together our build order. This involves the homeowner picking out the shingles. It’s the fun appointment. You go through and put everything you’re going to do on there, and you collect your deposit.

Everyone has a different way of handling this. Personally, I like to collect 50% or the actual cash value settlement, whichever one doesn’t leave the homeowner paying out of pocket.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #7: Production

When it’s time for production, you show up. Now, whether or not your company has a team that’s handling production, it’s really important for you to show up on production day because it is the best time to make more sales.

That’s where the marketing material in my Marketing Battle Pack really shines. Because you show up, and you go to all the homes within earshot. You hang those letters on the door, and you go knock on doors. Since this isn’t cold, you can say something like:

Hey, I’m doing Peggy’s house across the street. If any shingles blow this way or any debris comes in, you call me personally, and I’ll take care of it.

And, by the way, have you had your roof looked at? I’d be happy to do it while I’m here.

This is the most valuable opportunity to generate more sales. If you want the fast track to it, check out my Marketing Battle Pack.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #8: Cleanup & Walkthrough

Next, we have a step that most people don’t touch on — the cleanup and walkthrough

This is what will make or break your ability to get referrals. Because if you leave a job and assume your crew picked up properly, you’re missing out. Here’s why.

Example: When I was the CEO of a company, running around to 25 job sites, I was the guy on the ground because I knew that my crew was up there sweating their freaking asses off in 102˚F heat, with shingle bags flying around. When they do their best, I start cleaning up.

That goes a long way to building rapport with your crew. When they see you picking up and not nagging on them, they just assume to get the job site cleaner.

Most importantly, the neighbor sees it. You have more eyes on you than you could ever imagine when that build is going on. It is a giant production — 10 guys on a roof, with lots of activity.

So, do the cleanup, and make sure the homeowner comes out. Some companies will use a checklist and do a walkthrough with the homeowner to make sure every punch list item was done. That can prevent callbacks later that may hold up the final payment.

When the job’s done, walk around with the homeowner to show them everything looks good and get their final signature. When everything is good and done, it’s payday.

Hail Roofing Sales Step #9: Pay Day

This is when you pick up the final payment from the homeowner. Either you hand that in your company, or if you’re an owner, that’s when you collect final payment, and the commission structure is done and paid out.

Recap: The Hail Roofing Sales Process

To recap, here’s a quick overview of the hail roofing sales process:

1. Share your pitch and get the inspection.
2. Sign the contingency agreement. By the way, even if the roof is already approved, you want to sign that contingency because you may go to bat with the insurance company and supplement.
3. Meet with the adjuster. You may skip this step if this was already done.
4. Review the scope. You’re going to do this no matter what because we’re not doing bids.
5. Prepare a supplement, if needed, either in-house or with another party.
6. Complete the build order and collect the deposit. We do the build referrals, so remember to ask for those referrals on build day. I have a video all about my Referral Process, which works incredibly well. Definitely check that out.
7. Show up for production.
8. Do the cleanup and walkthrough with the homeowner.
9. Get paid.

That’s the process, from start to finish, of selling in the hail game. I hope this helps you make some sales. Again, if you want my marketing material to help you out, check out my Marketing Battle Pack. It’ll be delivered to you instantly.

I also have an eBook, The 3 Tricks to Get to the Kitchen Table. This shows you three really cool ways to get off the roof on those inspection days and actually get invited inside because when you are at the kitchen table, your chance of closing that sale goes up tenfold.

Want More Roofing Sales Strategies, Tips & Videos?

Subscribe for the latest roofing sales training videos. Also, don’t forget to check out my Marketing Battle Pack for instant access to lots of great downloadable material, as well as a playlist of videos to support every single thing that’s in there. So, you can watch it, and you’ll know exactly what to do. All you got to do is enter your information and then click Print.

This will help you develop the skills you need in hail roofing sales — whether it’s canvassing, pitching, getting more inspections, or learning how to overcome rejection. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the next blog.