For a commercial roofing contractor, it can be easy to be swept off your feet when the opportunity to snag a big roofing project comes along—but there are some things you should know before going after a large roof.
Keep Things in Perspective
To begin with, don’t lose your head over the prospect of a big job. Make sure you can handle the scope of the work. If you feel that you can, apportion your resources appropriately. In your quest for a big fish, don’t forget or neglect the “little guys” (your residential customers) who give you small but steady work. You may need them again later.
Weigh the Risks
When you take on a large roofing job, the monetary payback is proportionately large, yes—but a big job also means greater opportunity for error with bigger consequences as a result. If you are relatively inexperienced, take every detail of a big project into consideration before you agree to take the project on.
Be Prepared
The Boy Scout motto is a great maxim for roofers, too. Be prepared and organized every day. Keep tabs on weather forecasts and plan accordingly; check and double-check your equipment and materials lists to make sure nothing is forgotten before you head out to the job site; and make sure you have enough materials for the job.
Prioritize Your Repeat Customers
Don’t let big dollar signs dictate your priorities. Repeat customers aren’t easy to come by in the roofing business, so when you have them, make sure you put them at the top of your list and cultivate those relationships. Bigger contracts and their big paychecks will come and go, but ongoing/residual business is priceless.
Put Service Above Dollars & Cents
Whatever other goals you may have, always keep your eye on giving customers good value. Focus on providing top quality at the best possible price and satisfied clients and a good reputation will follow – along with valuable referrals.
Do Everything It Takes to Develop—and Deserve—a Good Name
If you want a good reputation, be a good contractor. That may sound simple, but it requires always being on top of things. Word-of-mouth advertising is the best there is, and when customers have a good experience they’ll spread the word about it. In everything you do, be trustworthy, be dependable and be honest. Go the extra mile for your customers and start creating a long line of clients who have had a good experience working with you.
Tap into a Nationwide Network of Resources
Whether you’re a veteran roofing contractor or new to commercial roofing, joining forces with a nationwide network of professionals can enhance your business in countless ways.
The advantages of belonging to the group are many and varied and include:
- Off-site and on-site assistance from veteran roofing contractors
- Commercial roofing marketing strategies
- Help with bidding and job completion
- Enhanced credibility our nationwide reputation for excellence
- Access to the group’s popular roofing lead generation program after qualification
- Helpful support from strategic partners and suppliers
- Professional commercial roofing training
- Discounted pricing on energy-efficient, long-lasting roofing products
- Job referral opportunities through network connections
- And much more!
To learn more about Choice Roof Contractor Group, membership benefits and how to become an endorsed member, call (800) 670-5583 or visit our Contact Page. We look forward to helping you grow your commercial roofing business and achieve your professional goals!
Rufus began working for various residential-focused contractors at the young age of 14. Later he started his own business and eventually landed his first commercial job, which was a 14,000-square-foot metal roof. After seeing how much better everything was, he began moving from residential to commercial roofing work.
For Rufus, the benefits of belonging to a professional network like Choice Roof Contractor Group have been manifold, including:
With the help of Choice Roof Contractor Group, Rufus has been able to build a very successful roofing business in a relatively short amount of time, experiencing success that many roofing contractors only dream of. He attributes a great deal of that success to his membership in Choice Roof Contractor Group.
Just as any roof will, a flat roof will eventually develop problems that need the attention of a professional roofing contractor. Drainage is a common issue with flat roofs, for instance, as they do not drain as efficiently as pitched roofs do. This can lead to the problem of standing water remaining on a roof for longer periods of time, which can contribute to the accelerated breakdown of roofing materials and eventually lead to leaks, particularly along the roof’s seams and protrusions. If standing water is remaining on your flat roof for more than 48 hours following a rainstorm, you need to schedule a 
When your flat roof develops problems, it is important to call on an experienced professional to address the issues using high-quality roofing products. When it comes to your roof, there are no cheap band-aids that last long term—it’s important to have the job done right the first time. Hiring an inexperienced person to do shortcut work on your roof can actually lead to much bigger problems down the road.
The following are some common contributors to metal roof problems that necessitate the immediate services of a knowledgeable roofing contractor:
Let’s face it—most people aren’t professional interviewers, and they aren’t professional contractor recruiters, either. So it may seem intimidating to choose a roofing professional to attend to your commercial building. But it absolutely, unequivocally matters whom you select to repair your roof—and the research you do before hiring a contractor matters a lot.
When you’re in need of commercial roof services, do you feel confident hiring a contractor? Many commercial building owners don’t, so if you feel at a loss when it comes time to engage a roofing professional, just know you’re not alone.
Hiring the wrong contractor can mean much more than shoddy workmanship—it can mean legal battles, the need to bring in other contractors, and ongoing roof repair expenses in the coming years to address the problems resulting from the initial poor workmanship.
Whether you’re a veteran roofing contractor or a new hand looking to break into the business, it can be difficult to find the right fit as you search among commercial roofing companies hiring new recruits. As with any job market, the available positions can be few while the applicants are plentiful. Also, keep in mind that there are many different kinds of commercial roofing skills for different systems. As you venture forth in search of the right job with the right company, keep some of these tips in mind to bolster your efforts.
When you’re job searching, the last thing you want to be is passive. Turn passivity into proactivity and make sure you stand out from the other applicants who are vying for the same jobs as you. For instance, don’t just mail in your resume—hand-deliver it to the companies you’re interested in, and, while you’re there, ask to meet with the hiring manager. Make the most of every opportunity to leave potential employers with a positive impression of who you are and what you could offer them as an employee.
The Internet has greatly changed the world of marketing, but there’s still much to be said for direct mail advertising rather than merely sending out literature. Research has indicated that direct mail can more effectively connect contractors with potential customers and prompt a higher response rate than many other forms of advertisement.
Search engine optimization (more commonly known as “SEO”) is key for driving traffic to your website and getting your message in front of the right potential clients when they need service most.
Yes, door knocking works in commercial and it definitely deserves to be on this list. It doesn’t cost much more than your time and can work extremely well when done right. With the right approach, literature, clothing (hint: NOT dress pants and a button-down shirt), and smile you can walk plenty of roofs.
Belonging to a reputable nationwide contractors association like the Choice Roof Contractor Group will also greatly help you get quality sales leads.
If you’re looking for help to generate and close commercial roofing leads, the experts at Choice Roof Contractor Group are here to help you! Becoming an endorsed member includes many valuable advantages, such as:
A warranty can sound great coming from the lips of a good salesman, and it’s easy to be lured into choosing one company or product over another because of long-term warranty claims. However, when you examine the fine print, you’ll find that, far more often than not, a warranty is crafted to protect the company, not the consumer.
Companies like to seduce consumers with flashy promises like “lifetime warranty” or “30-year warranty.” That language makes it sound like your roofing product is going to be guaranteed for a lifetime or for 40+ years, respectively—but is that really what it means?
Another thing to watch for in a warranty is whether it’s prorated or non-prorated.
Far too many roofing products are warrantied for much longer than they have existed. Be wary of a product that has only been on the market for two years, for example, but promises a 30-year warranty (even if the manufacturer has been around for decades). When you compare the results of a product being tested in a laboratory and a product being tried and proven on actual roofs, there is no comparison.
It is also crucial to check out consumer reviews for both the roofing systems and roofing contractors you’re considering. These days, the Internet is jam-packed with reviews that are easy to access, and they enable would-be consumers to learn from what others have already experienced with a certain product or contractor. It is simply unwise to blindly purchase a product or enter into a work agreement without digging into some background information first.
Some companies’ standards are also not up to par with the standards of other companies. Many roofing product manufacturers hold only brief, and certainly not intensive, training workshops before setting contractors loose on the world with their manufacturer’s stamp of approval. Reputable companies, on the other hand, hold in-depth, hands-on trainings for contractors that last three days to ensure those installing the company’s roofing products are knowledgeable and will install the products correctly.
The phrase “there is safety in numbers” has definite application to the world of commercial roofing. When you choose a private contractor, it can be a little bit like playing Russian roulette—you just never know if you’re going to get quality workmanship or reliable products. In contrast, when you hire a contractor who belongs to a nationwide association, there are myriad benefits and reassurances, such as the availability of a national pool of experts, group accountability, set service standards and a long track record of dependability.
Built up roofing is currently the most commonly used type of flat roof. BUR systems typically consist of alternating layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics that form a finished membrane. This bitumen is generally asphalt, coal tar or cold-applied adhesive. The surfacings used for BUR systems include aggregate, such as gravel, mineral granules or slag; glass-fiber or mineral surfaced cap sheets; or hot asphalt mopped over the whole surface. The most commonly used type of flat roof is asphalt BUR, which is composed of multiple layers of reinforcing plies and asphalt, which forms a redundancy of waterproofing layers.
Single-ply membranes are sheet membranes that are manufactured in factories and are typically classified as thermoset (EDPM) or thermoplastic (TPO or PVC), the key difference being that thermoset materials are irreversibly solidified after heating, and thermoplastic materials can be softened and hardened repeatedly when heated and cooled.
Polymer-modified membranes are made up of reinforcing fabrics, which act as carriers for hot polymer-modified bitumen as it is made into a roll material. Like BUR membranes, modified bitumen roof system membranes are made up of multiple layers. They are usually installed as a two-ply system and are almost always fully adhered. The surfacings of these membranes include aggregate surfacing, metal foil-laminate surfacing, mineral surfacing and smooth liquid-applied surfacing.
For servicing commercial flat roofs, the members of Choice Roof Contractor Group prefer high-quality Conklin roof coating systems and have since day one.
Along the same lines, there are risks and disadvantages when you’re working with an independent local contractor without association, including reduced accountability, a lack of dependable guarantees, and limited access to expertise. Many of the local options available to building owners are residential-focused contractors who only occasionally do commercial jobs and don’t have the experience needed for all the scenarios encountered on a commercial building.