The “SLAP” Pitching Formula for Door-to-Door Roofing Sales & Canvassing

Hey, Adam, here at The Roof Strategist. Today, we’re going to talk about my SLAP Formula.

This is an easy 4-letter acronym that gives you 4 simple ways to ace your pitch in door-to-door roofing sales, your canvassing, retail, and more.

I’m revealing this formula for the first time ever because I’ve been getting inundated with questions about how to approach canvassing at the door — how to approach it for wind damage, hail damage, and discontinued shingles. I’ve also been asked a lot about the best way to land sales at the door.

Everyone has these questions. That’s why I want to teach you this 4-letter method, the SLAP Method.

Why Learn the SLAP Method?

The truth is scripts are really powerful. They can help you learn a new approach, but they only take you so far. And certain scripts work for some people and not others.

I’ve had people reach out to me and say, “Hey, man, the way you do things in Colorado and Wisconsin just doesn’t work here in the south.” So, they have to adjust their language and speak differently or use different words.

When you’re following a formula, it’s really easy to do that. It’s really simple and fast. So, by using this SLAP Method, you’re going to get more inspections, and you’re going to get more appointments. It’s awesome.

And this will work for everything — no matter what situation, whether it’s retail, storm, old damage, fresh damage, wind damage, hail, damage, hurricanes, it doesn’t matter.

You’re going to notice that, when you learn this process, you’re never going to get stuck on your heels again. Of course, we all know that’s kind of a bummer when you go to the door, you don’t even know what to say, and you fumble your words.

Proof the SLAP Method Works: Real-World Wins

Before we jump in, I want to share some wins here to make this make sense. And so you can really see that this stuff works. Here’s some of the feedback I’ve gotten from people on the SLAP Method.

SLAP more roofs on, SLAP more money in your pocket. – David

You’ve helped me go from the guy who can’t close a deal to save his life [to] the guy who can close 8 out of 10 deals. – Elijah

I started roofing sales three days ago, and I’ve been going through your training and watch your videos. And thanks to you, the first door I ever knocked, I signed a contingency. – Stephen

Not only do I use your stuff for me, but I’m actually using it to train other people as well. I’ve only been doing this since August. I just got one Wednesday, Thursday, close four deals Friday too. I closed one Saturday, and even on Sunday. – Elijah

I’m using your stuff to train a team. How can I be paid as a sales manager? – Anonymous

I’ve been diving into your Marketing Battle Pack, which I recommend to anyone in the industry to separate themselves from the competition. I’m packing my envelopes today as we speak. – Anonymous

I hired two people. So, after training videos for three days, green bean number one sold over $25,000 job, one roof and one gutter. The second person I hired, a green bean, has 18 condos to look at and a 60 square job tomorrow! – Mark

So, I’m not just spewing fluff. This stuff works, and people are putting it to use.

Now, let’s rock and roll.

This is a 4-four step process to ace your pitch — every single time. We’re going to go through this letter by letter.

“S” in the SLAP Formula: Say ‘Hi’

Say hi and break the ice. This is the easiest step and the most obvious one because you’re going to introduce yourself. It is not that important to use your company name. You can but don’t need to.

Hey, my name is Adam.

Just an introduction. Then, you can break the ice.

When I was working in an area with a lot of lakes, I’d ask homeowners with boats where they went boating because I went boating a lot. It was just a great way to break the ice.

So, this is your simple intro. Say hi and break the ice.

“L” in the SLAP Formula: Let Them Know Why You’re There

Let them know why you’re there, and most importantly, make it familiar. What do I mean by that?

Cold door knocking sucks. No one likes to show up and be like, “Hey, I’m at your doorstep. You don’t know why.” So, let them know out of the gate.

Hey, my name is Adam. I’m here because I’m in the neighborhood. I’m just leaving Peggy’s house, and I just helped her overturn her denied storm damage claim into a fully paid.

I’m letting them know why I’m there. I’m in the neighborhood. You could say something like:

I just left Peggy’s house. They just got it approved.

Hey, I’m in the neighborhood. I just left Sally’s house. We just decided to work together to help her with her roof.

Hey, I just got off Ryan’s roof. There, we identified some damage.

Hey, I just finished speaking with this neighbor over here, and we found out that the wind damage on their shingles is probably going to be fully replaced because they have discontinued shingles.

Hey, I’m over here on this person’s roof. They had a 25-year roof that should have lasted 30 years. It’s starting to fail. I was able to find a really agreeable rate to replace the roof.

So, there’s retail, right? It doesn’t matter. Let them know. Make it familiar.

If you are brand new to the neighborhood or you’re opening up a new neighborhood, here’s another way to do it.

Hey, I’m in the neighborhood [name the subdivision]. I’m in the Willow Creek Subdivision today helping homeowners do this right. Now’s the time to get old damage fix — before the end of the season.

You can also find out if a recent storm damaged their home. So, making it familiar to the street name, the subdivision, the city — the more specific the better.

If you don’t have a neighbor’s name to drop yet, it’s okay. Just make it specific.

If you’re brand new in the neighborhood, say, “I’m in the ‘so and so’ neighborhood.” Again, cities are the last ones you want because you want to go as specific as possible here.

Quick Recap

So far, we’ve covered:

1. S -> Say hi, break the ice, and introduce yourself.
2. L -> Let them know why you’re there and make it familiar.

Super, super simple. Now, here’s where it starts getting juicy.

“A” in the SLAP Formula: Ask an Open-Ended Question

This is where it gets good — when you ask an open-ended question.

Now, I want to say first that my Pitch Like a Pro roofing sales training includes a 240+ video library with literally everything you need to be a million-dollar closer. It’s free. You can instantly get access to those here, along with an entire section dedicated to pitching and open-ended questions.

Here’s why you want to ask an open-ended question.

You want your customer to have to think this — Have I had my roof looked at yet?

And what do we say in sales? Get people to “Yes.” So, why are we going to ask a question with a “No”? “No, I haven’t”? Or, “no, I’m not interested”?

The easy answer for them is, “Yes, I already did. We’re taken care of.”

We don’t want either of those. We want to force them to think so that we can start a conversation. We ask an open-ended question.

Hey, I wanted to stop by and ask, how has the insurance process been for you?

It’s open-ended. They have to answer and think about it.

Hey, where are you in the insurance process?

Again, open-ended question.

Hey, when was the last time your roof was inspected?

When was the last time your roof underwent routine maintenance or gutter cleaning?

When?

Open-ended questions. This will force a conversation. It will make them reply.

“P” in the SLAP Formula: Present to Their Answer

So much of the training in the roofing sales industry is very, very canned. It’s like you’re going to show up and you say, “Hey, I’m going to offer you a free inspection.”

But that’s not what everybody needs. And there are so many aspects of our pitch that new guys want to just word vomit out. We want to get it all out there — but we don’t need to.

We only need to deliver the information that is relevant to where they’re at.

You wouldn’t try to sell someone a lifted F-250 with mud tires when they’re looking for an economical grocery-getter for their family of three. They’d be looking for a Prius. Right?

So, answering what someone needs with specific answers is the fastest path to “Yes.” And the fastest path to “Yes” is to:

1. Ask an open-ended question.
2. Listen to the response.
3. Deliver your pitch to exactly where they’re at.

Let’s say a homeowner tells you this after you ask your open-ended question:

Hey, Adam, I’m glad you’re here. Our insurance came out. They actually said that we don’t have any damage.

Boom. Pitch, plug, and play.

Guess what? I can help. I’ve helped people overcome this, where they’ve been denied by the insurance company and think that they don’t have damage.

Well, guess what? They DO. And we can call for a reinspection.

Bingo. There’s how you’re presenting to their answer. Now, let’s say you hear a homeowner say this:

You know what? I don’t remember when the last time I had my roof looked at for routine maintenance or gutter cleaning.

You can present to that response by saying something like:

Well, you have to maintain a roof. You know that. Now, it’s not like we’re doing an oil change or anything, but you definitely want to get up there and take a look to see if any nails pop up, any caulk is failing, if any flashing is starting to go because sometimes those have a tendency to fail.

I’m happy to hop up there, blah, blah, blah…

There’s your pitch. So, again, this stupid, simple formula, the SLAP Method, becomes the backbone for every single type of pitch that you do at the door, when you’re out in the field, and when you want to spruce it up.

Of course, some things work in certain neighborhoods. The seasonality of a storm changes or selling retail changes.

On that note, my Battle Pack for Retail is available now. I’ve also updated and expanded a ton on my Marketing Battle Pack, so be sure to check those resources out. And, remember, I back everything with my 100% money-back guarantee.

Walking Through the SLAP Method

Let’s walk through this to button it all up. Here’s how you can use the SLAP Formula:

1. Say hi and break the ice.

Stupid simple. “Hey, guys, my name is Adam.” Done.

2. Let them know why you’re there & make it familiar.

Reference something in their neighborhood, their community, about their neighbors, about a friend —whatever.

I’m here in the Cobble Wood community, and I just left Peggy’s house. I helped her. We actually just met with her adjuster and got her roof fully covered. It was only partially paid before.

3. Ask an open-ended question.

You can say something like:

I’m here just to stop by while I’m in the neighborhood and ask how has the insurance process been for you?

Then, they say:

You know what? Our insurance company was actually already out. We have a check in hand. We’re just looking to find a roofer.

4. Present to their specific answer.

Now, you can present to their response and their exact situation:

Great! Well, I’m glad I stopped by. I can help you with that.

You just think SLAP:

1. Say hi.
2. Let them know why you’re there.
3. Ask an open-ended question.
4. Present only to their answer.

It’s a stupid, simple approach for highly, highly effective canvassing.

How to Make the SLAP Formula Second Nature

Make a little cheat sheet for yourself and go over everything in order before you go knocking on doors. I put a sticky note in my truck and notes on everything as reminders.

If you put notes on your rearview mirror, your passenger’s seat, or your dashboard, you think SLAP, SLAP, SLAP when you’re driving up to go canvassing. Anyone can remember it. It’s stupid, simple.

So, use this approach. I guarantee you will get more appointments and more inspections, and you’ll have a much higher conversion rate from slamming doors to getting a “yes.”

Also, check out my Marketing Battle Pack if you haven’t already. All of the concepts in this go into my call scripts, my canvassing scripts, and the direct mail letters, all of which I’m super excited to share with you.

Bonus: How to Adjust When COVID Keeps You from Getting to the Kitchen Table

Along with questions about pitching at the door, I’ve recently gotten a lot of questions about COVID — and how to adjust when COVID is hindering you from getting to the kitchen table. You can check out my COVID-19-specific materials, talking about no-contact inspections and more, by subscribing to my videos.

Here’s what you can do to adjust when COVID is getting in the way of your roofing sales:

1. Use direct mail letters: I have some you can use in my Marketing Battle Pack. You can literally SLAP a piece of tape on them, and then SLAP them on the front door. I had a guy tell me that he put these up, and 5 minutes later, he signed a deal from someone calling from a letter.
2. Offer no-contact inspections: I talked to a couple of people who have done already almost $500k to $1 million in sales for the season using no-contact inspections. These are individual sales reps. It works.

In fact, when it comes to pitching, canvassing, and roofing sales during COVID, there are two camps:

1. Salespeople are adapting: They’re growing. They’re crushing it, and they’re driving sales.
2. Others aren’t willing to adapt: These salespeople don’t want to try new things. They’re drowning and having money problems.

So, adapt. Use direct mail, cold calling, taping letters on doors, door working, and canvassing (in some areas, it’s still working). Some people are doing it in masks, and some people aren’t canvassing (they’re only catching people outside).

Remember, even with COVID, you can still:

• Email homeowners your agreement.
• Show them photos and videos virtually.
• Sign them up over the phone.
• Email them e-sign documents to get the deal brought in – there are a ton of programs (like DocuSign, PDF Expert, and Adobe Sign) that you can use for this. If you Google “electronic contract,” there are literally hundreds of software options. Whatever option you choose, make sure it’s mobile-friendly.

With all this, getting to kitchen tables shouldn’t be an issue right now. Some places are more sensitive than others, of course, but the industry is adapting. And when you adapt, you will be just fine. Luckily, we are in a recession-proof business. When it hails, it doesn’t matter what the economy looks like.

How to Use the SLAP Method for Cold Calling

The beautiful thing with the SLAP Method is that it works for cold calling too. It works for commercial and residential. It’s very simple.

Say hi. Let them know why you’re calling and make it familiar. And so on. Here’s how that can work.

Example: This is a legit cold call sample of how I sold my first commercial job, covered in sweat leaving the gym. I said:

Hey, my name is Adam. And I just drove by. Is this the owner or manager of [and then I named the unit]? Because I saw a “For Rent” sign near [somewhere down the street].

“Yeah,” he says. So, I say:

Hey, when was the last time you had the roof looked at? It looks like your roof is aging quite a bit.

He replies, “Actually we’re having problems with it.” Then, I present myself as someone who can find some hail damage. I say:

I might be able to help you get your roof replaced by your insurance company, so you don’t have to pay out of pocket

He said that would be great. The next day, I’m over there, and I sign him up. The first job I ever sold was by accident, using the SLAP Method — before I even really knew the SLAP Formula.

So, it works. I also recommend grabbing a copy of my Marketing Battle Pack. Inside, you’ll get instant access to all my:

• Direct mail letters
• Emails
• Door letter lead behinds
• Canvassing scripts
• Call scripts
• Insurance agent program COVID-19-specific materials — This is material that I’ve adjusted for the no-contact pitch, as well as getting jobs from real estate agents for homes for sales.

All you do is literally print out the materials in your home or office computer, plug in your stuff, and start using it. It comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.

This industry changed my life, and it will change yours when you’re equipped with the right knowledge and the right approach to do it. So, SLAP some more roofs on, and SLAP some more money in your pocket — and start using that SLAP Method.

The fun part is that when you apply yourself and you learn these little breakthroughs, amazing things happen. One little tweak at the door could take you from getting a deal every 20 doors to every 15 doors. And if you can close one more person from every three, it’s A LOT more money.

So, get back at it. Go make some sales.

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