Targeting the BEST Doors to Knock: Best Practices for D2D Roofing Sales

What doors should you be knocking on?

How do you cherry pick the roofs to focus on?

I get these questions A LOT.

And they are really important because, without a clear approach to door knocking, you run the risk of wasting your time.

So, I’m going to teach you a clear strategy that helps you figure out what doors to knock on when you’re in door-to-door roofing sales.

Welcome or welcome back, by the way. My name is Adam Bensman, The Roof Strategist. Everything I do here — and on my YouTube channel and my podcast (on Apple and Spotify) — is designed to give you and your team powerful strategies you can use to make a KILLER INCOME in roofing sales.

Now, let’s jump in.

What doors do you knock on and how do you make the most of your door knocking efforts?

There are really only two situations when you should not knock on the door. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Door-to-Door Roofing Sales Strategy #1: Avoid Yard Signs

If you see a yard sign placed in the yard, do NOT knock on the door. Why?

Because I believe in business with integrity.

Stealing someone else’s job is poor salesmanship. It represents the company poorly, and it creates animals. Among the team, competition is okay. It’s healthy — may the best man win.

But It is NOT appropriate to go knock on the door and:

• Badmouth the other company
• Promise to eat the homeowner’s deductible
• Do any of that slimy crap

That is NOT sales. It’s DESPERATION, and you’re buying business. Plus, it SUCKS when it happens to you.

And if it is happening to you, check out my video on How to Stop Losing Roofing Sales Jobs.

So, rule number one — do NOT knock on the door if there’s a yard sign.

Door-to-Door Roofing Sales Strategy #2: Look for Signs the Roof Was Just Done

If you see a roof was recently installed, don’t waste your time knocking. Some signs of recent roof installation can be:

• Fresh paint
• Spray paint on pipe jacks
• Debris in the yard or in the trees

Don’t waste your time knocking when the roof was just done. But when you notice that there’s NO yard sign and the roof was not done:

1. It IS fair game. 
2. You should knock on those doors.

Now, if you’re thinking, I don’t want to waste my time on smaller hail damage or when I can see it’s a dimensional shingle. I’ve only had good luck with retail.

Well, guess what? There’s an exception to every rule. But I want to plead a case as to why you should knock on that door. And here’s the reason why — if you knock on the door:

• You get the inspection. 
• You have no idea what you’re going to find.

In fact, what if you find:

• Wind damage that was only visible when you’re up there because those shingles weren’t sealed or creased?
• There’s hail damage, the roof actually is older than you expected, and the soft metals are destroyed?
• Very marginal hail damage on soft metal that’s on a practically new roof?

Even with marginal damage, the lifespan of the roof can be compromised. That’s why the insurance company covers it.

Plus, even though it can be a roll of the dice, the homeowner has everything to gain — and nothing to lose — by going down this route.

Why Knock on Every Door in Roofing Sales?

There’s a VERY good reason why you should knock on EVERY door when there’s no yard sign and the roof hasn’t been done recently. And I’m going to explain that with a story.

So, I’m out in Virginia training a roofing company, and we get up on a roof to do an inspection. The minute we get down and start walking back towards the truck, the neighbor walks right out because neighbors have eagle eyes. They watch exactly what’s going on with their neighbors.

And most of the time, people who like their neighbors or at least get along with them have some semblance of trust.

So, if one neighbor trusted us to get up on their roof, what do you think this next neighbor thinks?

Well, guess what? She walked right over to us and said, “Hey, I just saw you up on my neighbor Peggy’s roof.”

That started the conversation, which led to us getting up on her roof. And while we were up there, I realized:

• It’s the middle of summer.
• We have all the eyes in the neighborhood on us because we were opening up this area with marginal hail damage.
• Everyone’s curious, especially when they see a roofer on their neighbor’s roof. They want to know what’s going on.

So, we spent a little extra time up there being really thorough and making sure that people could see us. Then, we started to get names, and suddenly, we went 10 for 10 on EVERY door we approached. We got up on the roof because of the credibility and the trust.

Because that one neighbor trusted us, the next neighbor trusted us too. That’s just how people think.

And even though we didn’t get claims called on every single roof — because we didn’t find damage on every single roof — we DID discover this great lesson:

Through the inspection, you’re literally building relationships, even if you don’t see it because the neighbors see you. They see your truck.

That can build credibility.

That’s why I now go up to the neighbors after I get off a roof, even if I don’t see damage. Because my job is to make door knocking not suck.

And door knocking sucks when it’s cold, right?

What if you could go from cold door knocking —meaning you’re opening up a neighborhood, no one knows you, and no one has seen you — to warm or even hot door knocking, meaning there’s some familiarity there?

That’s what I teach in my program, the Roofing Sales Success Formula & Complete Sales Strategy. I teach roofing sales reps how to start that conversation.

Roofing Sales Script: What to Say When You Knock on the Neighbor’s Door

So, when you get off the roof and knock on the neighbors’ doors, here’s what you can say:

Hey, I’m sure he saw me up on Peggy’s roof. I just finished doing an inspection up there.

And I don’t know if you were aware of that recent storm that came through, but it actually has done some relatively significant damage to homes in the neighborhood.

I found some damage on Peggy’s roof, and the reason I’m stopping by is simply to ask you this — how has the insurance process been for you?

There’s your open-ended question in the SLAP Formula, which can take your canvassing to the next level. So, you ask that open-ended question, and they may say:

• What insurance process?
• We were denied.
• We had partial payment.
• We have a check, and we’re ready to pick a roofer.

No matter what they say, you can now present to their answer. So, by using the opportunities to be up on these other roofs, you are:

• Building credibility
• Developing trust
• Building brand recognition
• Creating opportunities to make door knocking not suck — This may be the most important benefit.

You’re not stopping by cold. You’re stopping by to start a conversation.

When you can make that mental shift from, “I’m a cold door-to-door salesperson” to, “I’m in home services, and I drive business by starting conversations with people,” it becomes A LOT easier to talk to anybody.

And a lot in folks in roofing sales tell me they got into this business because they’re conversational and they have no problem talking to people. But when you put them in door-to-door roofing sales, they freeze up and freak out.

So, change the dialogue in your own mind. You’re there to have a conversation. When we use these opportunities, it can go really great.

Door-to-Door Roofing Sales Strategy #3: Catch People Outside

I love catching people who are outside. In fact, one of my tactics in neighborhoods I didn’t want to go into, especially the ones where I was the 26^th roofer there, is try to catch people when they’re outside because I can deal with that discomfort.

I will stand next to that lawnmower while they have their headphones on, and I will wait politely for them to take those off and turn off the lawnmower. I smile and simply wait to have the conversation.

Yes, that can be a little uncomfortable, but he who speaks first is the loser (for more on that, check out my video called, Shut Up & Listen).

The point is that there’s power in silence and just waiting.

And for me, I LOVE catching people mowing the lawn, washing their boat, washing the car, or gardening because:

• They are in their element.
• It’s less of a disruption than meeting them at the door.

So, occasionally, I would drive through neighborhoods, and I would cherry pick these deals.

Recap: How to Target the Best Doors to Knock on in D2D Roofing Sales

Summing everything up, here are three very effective strategies for targeting which doors to knock on versus which ones to avoid in door-to-door roofing sales:

1. Do NOT knock on the door if there’s a yard sign.
2. Do NOT knock on the door if the roof was just done and you can see evidence of it, like debris, fresh paint, cylinders in the yard, or whatever.
3. Find people outside if you’re the 20^th or 30^th roofer that’s already been in the neighborhood. I know this is more difficult in the winter, but people may still be out getting Christmas decorations up or doing yard work or vehicle maintenance. If you can catch people while they’re outside, it’s usually a great way to start a conversation.

So, going back to the question we asked at the start of this blog — which doors are the right ones to hit and should you cherry pick?

The answer, generally speaking, is this — hit EVERY door.

Why?

For a few reasons:

1. You don’t know what you’re going to find.
2. You are building a reputation in the neighborhood.
3. You can use that opportunity to make door-knocking not suck. You’re there to start a conversation.

And you can start that conversation with a simple 3-line roofing sales script like this:

Hey, my name is _________________ . I just hopped up on your neighbor Peggy’s roof.

I don’t know if you saw me up there, BUT the reason I’m stopping by is….

BOOM. Now, you’re there to start the conversation.

And, remember, the only times to NOT knock are when:

1. There’s a yard sign.
2. The roof was recently done.
3. You’re totally getting your teeth kicked in time after time, and it’s time to switch your approach.

That’s when you want to try to catch people when they’re outside.

So, I hope this helps you make the MOST of your time knocking on doors.

If you’re looking to go deeper into this topic, check out my playlist on ACING in Your Pitch at the Door, where I break down the SLAP Formula for canvassing in greater detail while sharing other ways to open up that conversation during your door knocking efforts.

Get More Roofing Sales Strategies, Scripts, Tips & Videos

If you want more on any topic in roofing sales, 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.