PAIN: The “Missing Link” to Overcoming 5 Common Objections in Roofing Sales

Do you know the missing link in roofing sales? It’s the number one piece of the selling process that helps a high performer stand apart from mediocre performers.

It’s pain.

If you’re a seasoned salesperson, you know that no sale ever occurs unless there’s pain. Some people might call it a problem. But problems don’t drive sales. Painful problems drive sales.

Pain is the missing link that most door-to-door salespeople overlook. We sell the benefits. So, homeowners hear things like:

Hey, working with us, we’ll handle everything for you!

Hey, working with us, you just pay your deductible!

Hey, working with us, we’re going to give you free upgrades!

Hey, working with us is going to be so amazing!

What happens is the homeowner hears this over and over again, and they think, If I have all of these amazing options out there, I really need anybody.

Why Is Pain the Missing Link in Roofing Sales?

It took me a really long time to pinpoint this in the roofing sales process. By the way, this pain inspired the first part of my Car Park Closing Formula, which is included in the Roofing Sales Success Formula, with packages available for reps and teams.

The pain drives decisions NOW versus later.

Now, I know you may be looking at this and thinking, Adam, I’ve really liked your sales approach because it’s conversational, it’s educational, and it’s not pushy. And now you’re talking about using pain.

Is this manipulative?

Absolutely not.

What we’re doing is showcasing the matter-of-fact problems or the pain that the homeowner may experience if they don’t choose the right contractor.

So, I’m going to do deep dive into WHY and HOW pain is the number one missing link. I’m going to explain:

1. Why you probably need more pain in your sales process to earn more customers
2. How to clearly communicate the truth of the matter, instead of using false manipulation, to educate customers on the true consequences, the bad things that can happen to them, should they not work with the right company

Welcome and welcome back. 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 help you and your team smash your income goals and give every customer an amazing experience.

Why Mirroring Pain Can Win in Roofing Sales

In roofing sales, I always felt like the Savior, scooping up that homeowner and saving them from the greedy company that may take advantage of them, do something shady, or be out of business next week. I was the one who got to serve them.

And, sometimes, saving them from a bad experience and earning the business requires shedding this mirror of pain back on them by saying:

I know what you’re thinking and what you want to do.

But unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the best decision. Here’s why.

Before we get into it, I want to share a free opportunity to get a copy of my Pitch Like a Pro roofing sales training video library. It includes over 260 videos, all organized by category, and I’ll send it right to your inbox.

This is a really phenomenal training tool for new sales reps and owners. It’s like a starter track of roofing sales basics. It covers acing your pitch at the door, overcoming objections, canvassing, closing, goals, motivation, body language, sales, psychology, and more.

Now, let’s dive in and see why pain is the missing link in roofing sales.

What Do We Mean by Pain in Roofing Sales?

Pain is a problem. It’s uncomfortable. So, let me ask you this.

Do most people who are replacing their roofs know they have a problem?

Often, we have to convince them. Again, this is not manipulative. It’s convincing and educating people that they do, in fact, have roof damage. For:

• Storm damage claims: Homeowners may not be aware of the severity of their roof damage.
• Retail: Property owners may want to extend the life of the roof and wait years before doing anything about it. We know that can be a really bad decision.

So, are they aware of the problem? Maybe, maybe not.

Remember, if there’s not an active leak, they don’t believe that they’re uncomfortable. But there are the consequences. Most homeowners don’t realize the consequences of waiting to do their roof.

Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions related to consequences:

1. What happens on a storm claim if a homeowner decides to wait another 3 or 4 months? Do you know the consequences?
2. In retail, what happens if they want to wait until next season to their roof? Do you know the consequences?
3. What happens if they choose the lowest estimate? What could those consequences look like? Do you know them?

I just asked you three very powerful questions.

The problem is that most salespeople are not bringing up these consequences to homeowners to help guide them in the process. And this can be a purely education-based sale, not pushy at all. I am a firm believer in non-pushy but persistent, education-based sales.

So, our job is to educate the homeowner about the consequences. The sole purpose is to help them experience the pain of what will happen if they decide to make a poor choice.

Let’s highlight what these consequences are in a couple of common scenarios and roofing sales objections.

5 Roofing Sales Objections You Can Overcome by Highlighting the Pain         

I’m going to hit these on a high level (if you join the Pitch Pro movement, these are the kinds of things we really dive deep into during the live sales training calls and our Q&A calls):

1. The lower estimate: What if they say, “I want to go with the lowest estimate”? What could happen?
2. Waiting: What if they tell you, “I don’t want to do my roof right now”? What are the consequences of waiting too long?
3. Not taking action: Similar to waiting, what if they say, “I don’t want to file the claim” or “I don’t want to do anything about it”? What happens if they just ignore it?
4. Working only with the insurance company: What if they say, “I want to work with the insurance alone”?
5. The deductible: What if they tell you, “I can’t afford my deductible” or “I don’t want to pay my deductible”? What could happen then?

These are common scenarios that we face in roofing sales.

The point?

You need to outline the main objections you’re coming up against that result in someone not taking action. And, fundamentally, the main reason for their objections is that they didn’t experience enough pain to feel like they needed to seek a solution to that pain. What we want to sell is a painkiller, which is the right solution to get rid of that pain.

Now, let’s look at how to use pain to overcome each of these common roofing sales objections.

Roofing Sales Objection #1: How to Point Out the Pain with Lower Estimates

When you hear a homeowner say they’re looking for lower estimates, here’s how to respond and highlight the pain of this mistake:

Mr. Homeowner, I understand that. It makes sense to want to look at the lower estimate.

But what you may not realize is that many roofers dupe homeowners by showcasing a lower number because a homeowner doesn’t realize that there’s no accountability of what comes on and off the roof.

Then, ask them some powerful questions they cannot answer.

Do you know what type of pipe jacks are being used? What type of value installation?

What type of ridge cap? Are they using ice and water? How many rows of ice and water?

Are they reusing or replacing the step flashing and roof to wall flashing?

Do you know all of these technical details?

When a homeowner hears that and says something like “Oh, no,” in response, you can follow up with:

Well, do know all that?

Now, should you choose the lower estimate, you’re saying you’re willing to write a check for $12,000 to $20,000 without knowing what they’re going to be doing?

And without any accountability on that contractor should things go wrong?

You can’t go back and say, “You should have done this.”

Are you still comfortable writing that check?

See how much pain I just highlighted for them? By the way, this is not manipulation. This is fact, and it’s how a lot of people get taken advantage of. By sharing this, you’re helping a homeowner make a more informed choice.

Roofing Sales Objection #2: How to Point Out the Pain with Waiting

When a homeowner objects and says, “I’m not ready yet. I want to wait,” showcase the pain of this mistake by saying:

Hey, Mr. Homeowner, should you decide not to do your roof today, what’s going to happen?

If issues arise later, we’re in trouble. It’s much cheaper to do it now.

By the way, that may be not enough pain. But the pain really comes in when you follow up with:

Did you know that, this year alone, we got four price increases from our supplier?

Those were 7% to 15%.

That means that the price of roofing has compounded at a higher rate than the stock market.

In 7 to 10 years, the price of roofing will double. So, by not doing this now, you must be comfortable in 5 to 10 years writing a check for 30 to 50% more for the exact same product.

Now, the good news is should you decide to do it now, you get our warranty for X number of years, with brand new roofing and the shingle manufacturer’s warranty. And you get to have it done cheaper and take advantage of today’s financing rates.

Roofing Sales Objection #3: How to Point Out the Pain of Inaction

When a homeowner tells you they don’t want to take any action for a claim, here’s how to educate them about the pain they could be setting themselves up for:

Did you know that if you decide not to do something, if anything comes up and I’ve already been here to show you the damage, it’s your responsibility as the homeowner to mitigate or prohibit future loss from occurring?

That’s leaks or anything, and that could fall on you.

It also means that if you don’t take action now and your roof is getting older, you lose the window of opportunity to file a claim for this damage.

And you will likely end up paying 30 to 50% more for your roof later, with that money coming out of pocket.

Roofing Sales Objection #4: How to Point Out the Pain of Working with Insurers Alone

When you hear, “Hey, I want just want to work with the insurance company,” it’s your opportunity to share stories. Here’s how you can respond and highlight the pain of working directly with the insurance company alone:

I understand that. But maybe you don’t you want to do that. I know you don’t trust me yet. You don’t know who I am, I just showed up.

But the risk you run comes when the adjuster shows up. It may not be ill will. He’s got his eyes on your roof once. I’m going to be here now, before the inspection, during the inspection, during the install, and after — that’s 5 other visits.

If you only have one set of eyes looking at your roof, what happens is that things can get missed. And you only get two opportunities to get the roof on your home restored.

Trying to go at bat alone without someone there to support you is not necessarily working in your favor.

And the risks you run are a claim denial, an underpaid claim, and things getting overlooked or missed. Without the right education, you can get a higher bid from a contractor, and you’re going to be stuck paying for that out of pocket.

That’s the truth. And partial payments? You can mention those too because we all know the insurance companies don’t play nice these days.

Roofing Sales Objection #5: How to Point Out the Pain of No Deductible

I’ve done a ton of videos on deductibles, including a recent one on Beating Deductible Eaters (this video tells the scary truth about deductibles).

The idea is to highlight the fact that a contractor who waives the deductible is falsifying information to the insurance company and putting the homeowner at risk. Here’s how to explain that:

Mr. Homeowner, contractors who eat the deductible are committing insurance fraud. They have to falsify information to the insurance company to do this.

And, as much as I love you, I don’t want to become your cellmate to earn your business.

Again, highlight the pain by educating them about the ethical and legal issues of eating the deductible, along with the lower estimate points.

Recap: Education Wins in Roofing Sales

Now, you know the top five ways to showcase the pain to a homeowner, the problems they weren’t aware of but that will get deeper and deeper if they make the wrong decision.

Too many of us are trying to sell the benefits and the thrill or the excitement of working with us versus educating the homeowner on the consequences — the real-life costs and consequences — of making one of these five mistakes.

You can use this to educate homeowners because, again, everything is about education. That’s how you earn their trust and likely earn the sale. And earning the sale is very different from waiting for the sale.

Also, you’ll notice how I never once talked about you or the company while overcoming these objections and highlighting the pain points. That’s fun part. You get to act as an advisor, highlighting their pain from a matter-of-fact standpoint to develop trust and, later, showcasing why you may be the best solution for them.

Remember, it’s your obligation to be a strong educator and highlight the pain to a homeowner to win the business and save them from making a very unpleasant mistake. I hope this helps you close even more, smash your income goals, and give your customers an amazing experience.

Want More Roofing Sales Strategies, Tips & Videos?

If you want to learn more about my closing process, check out my Car Park Closing Formula, which is included in the Roofing Sales Success Formula for reps and owners. That video goes into a high level of detail about closing and how it works.

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

Also, 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.