Top 3 Objections I Get When Selling a Roof: How to Close the Sale!

Hey, the roof strategist, here! Today, I’m covering the top three objections standing between you and closing a sale.

These are the three big ones that homeowners bring up—the three questions that make them uncomfortable. These questions throw up a roadblock. You think you’re going to get that deal. Then, all of the sudden, a homeowner drops one big question. You get caught on your heels, and you leave the house without anchoring it.

Now, I want to arm you with the knowledge you need to overcome those objections with confidence and clarity so that homeowners will confidently sign with you and give you more referrals.

Roofing Sales Objection 1: The Deductible

Homeowners are always questioning that deductible. They think, for some reason, they don’t have to pay it. Or they have heard that one roofer will “eat the deductible.” That language can lead to a price war, which destroys job profitability.

Whether you’re an owner or a salesman, jobs need to be profitable so you can earn a living and provide the quality product that your customers deserve. And that gives you the commission that you need from selling the job.

So, let’s say you give out a $1,000 or $5000 deductible on this job to John. Then, John gives you a referral. He’s going to tell his friend, “Oh, this girl will eat your deductible.” Boom. There’s $10,000 out of the gate that you just lost Commission on, which could be $500, $1,000 or $1,500, depending on how your company pays commissions. So, don’t give away anything.

How to Overcome the Deductible Objection

Now, my job in overcoming the deductible question objection is to flip the switch in their mind to go from, “Oh my gosh, I have to pay my deductible!” to “Oh, thank heavens, I only have to pay my deductible!” Here’s how I do that.

I coined this phrase that has worked really, really well. It’s called the price lock guarantee.

The price lock guarantee is built into the Marketing Battle Pack. It’s some turnkey, fill-in-the-blank, click-to-print marketing material that can help you get more sales.

So, back to the price lock guarantee. Again, my job is to change that conversation in the prospect’s mind. To do that, I want to say:

Listen, when you work with me, I ensure that you don’t pay a dime more than your deductible, unless there are elective upgrades that you choose to make, which we can chat about. Or if there’s anything hidden in the project, it’s not covered by the insurance. And, on rare occasion, we might find some rotted decking. And that’s usually $50 a sheet (or whatever your company charges).

We want to put them at ease on what they can expect. We don’t set false expectations. So, I’ll then continue with:

So, what that means, Mr. Homeowner, is when I go to bat for you with the insurance company, we’re going to assess all the damage and get your roof approved properly. And all you have is your deductible, no more, no less. That’s my price lock guarantee. That means that I can’t get your roof approved for say $15,00. Then, I come back to you and say, “Sorry, buddy, I’m charging $20,000 now.”

Now, you and I both know, that would never happen. But, that’s how you switch that dialogue in the prospect’s mind to go from, “Crap, I have to pay my deductible!” to “Thank heavens, that’s all I have to pay!”

I use this in my marketing material, advertising that we have a price lock guarantee. It piques people’s interest. What does that mean? It makes Mr. Homeowner think they’re going to save money. It gives them a sense of security. Truthfully, that’s how that contingency works.

So, next time you face the deductible objection:

Bring up that price lock guarantee.
Educate the homeowner that all they owe is their deductible—no more, no less—unless there are elective upgrades or any rotted decking is found.

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Roofing Sales Objection 2: More Expensive Insurance Rates

My insurance rates will go up!

We’ve all heard this objection.

The homeowner thinks, “I don’t want to file a claim because my rates are going to skyrocket!” And they’re freaking out. They’re sad, right? It means money.

What we don’t want is to let that stand between us and closing a deal.

How to Overcome the Insurance Rate Objection

A quick explanation can overcome this objection, and here’s what you need to tell a reluctant homeowner. An act of God claim cannot impact their insurance rates. This article, from an insurance regulatory board, explains that more.

The issue is that people often anchor their homeowners’ insurance to their auto insurance. They think, I got in an accident, I filed the claim, and my rates went up when that happened.

But, when an act of God—meaning rain, rainstorms, windstorms, hailstorms, or anything that’s beyond your control—happens to your home, the insurance company cannot raise your rates because of that.

That’s different than if your home got burglarized or you were a dummy, left the stove on, and your house burned down. That’s negligence. But, for acts of God—that’s insurance language—your insurance rates cannot be raised.

It’s very, very powerful to educate people on the difference between a negligence claim versus an act of God. And acts of God should not raise the rates (of course, however, insurance rates can naturally go up each year). That’s how we overcome the objection of “my rates will go up.”

Roofing Sales Objection 3: Not Ready to Sign

We’ve all heard this one. This is when you think you had the sale. But the homeowner objects to signing something.

They’ll say…

Hey, I don’t want to sign anything yet.

Let’s see what the insurance company says.

I don’t know you, I’m not comfortable signing this contingency.

How to Overcome the Signature Objection

We need to let homeowners know that:

Our contingency agreement is just that—it is contingent upon the outcome that we get the entire roof settled for them.
If we don’t get the outcome that we all agreed upon, whether it’s a full roof replacement, or partial, that this contingency agreement is dust in the wind. They don’t owe us a dime. Rip it up, you don’t know anything.

So, it is in their best interest. They literally have everything to gain by having a professional there on-site, helping them and speaking with the insurance adjuster on their behalf to properly assess their damage. It’d be like going into court and trying to represent yourself without a lawyer. No one would do that.

By signing this contingency, the homeowner is authorizing you to represent them. That means you’re representing their best interests because the outcome is in your best interest—and because the only way that you get paid is by doing the work.

We offer this front-end service to work with the insurance company, to represent the homeowner, and to supplement the claim, if needed, for any missed coverage, all for the best interest of the homeowner.

And, obviously, we wouldn’t put ourselves out there yet. Because we would waste our time and not get paid. I’ve said this straight to the homeowners, and they understand it. I’m not hiding anything. Everyone’s in business to get paid. They know they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. And I always do that dramatic thing—like if this doesn’t work out, I rip the contingency. It’s dust in the wind, and you don’t owe us a dime.

So, those are the top three objections:

The deductible
Insurance rates going up
They don’t want to sign anything.

Now, you are armed with the knowledge to confidently overcome those.

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