The easiest way to generate more revenue is to increase your close rate. In today’s interview with contractor business coach Kyle Hunt we discuss tips in each area of your sales process: The Initial Phone Call: What you must do to make a great first impression, 5 Powerful Words When Talking With A Roofing Prospect, The In-Person Meeting: How to prepare, what to bring, and the approach you should take, and No Project Left Behind: Your lead tracking, sales pipeline, and follow-up system. Get ready...
Jun 28, 2019•56 min•Ep. 117
As contractors, we’re always on the go, sometimes hitting four or five locations per day — which makes communication even more crucial. Luke Hanson’s roofing company found that taking photos helped them when writing bids, coordinating with their crews, and handling customer disputes, but getting them organized created a huge headache. He created CompanyCam to solve that problem. What you’ll hear in this episode: Luke’s background in his family roofing company Why he knew there was a better way t...
Jun 21, 2019•54 min•Ep. 116
Why is it that the last 20% of a roofing job takes 80% of the time? Sometimes you just can’t get it closed out. The punch list that gets longer with every inspection. Materials are on back order. A sick employee slows things down. Whatever it is, it means you’re not getting your final payment and your customer is getting impatient. Today I talk about the 13 step process we used at my company to get in and out of a project and maximize our profits. You’ll learn about the checklist we used to have...
Jun 14, 2019•26 min•Ep. 115
With the lack of qualified labor in the construction industry employee poaching has become commonplace. Your team is being contacted by your competitors every day with offers of more money and higher benefits. In today’s interview with labor attorney Philip Seigel you’ll learn what you can do to prevent it. Show Highlights: What Philip does in his practice and the benefits of the retainer program they use Ways to prevent competitors from poaching your employees Creating an employment agreement a...
Jun 07, 2019•46 min•Ep. 114
If you want a consistent flow of qualified leads you need to listen to my interview with Marc Levesque and learn how a professional PPC campaign can get your company’s name in front of new prospects ready to buy your services. Once you have their attention Marc gives you the secrets to converting those clicks into qualified leads using the right landing pages. What you’ll hear in this episode: Dave met Marc at the Contractor Success Summit in May. The Summit will be held again in 2019, so watch ...
May 31, 2019•54 min•Ep. 113
Most contractors are leaving money on the table because they are not using their true labor burden before mark up. They mistakenly think they are making money on their jobs but have nothing left over at the end of the month. In today’s interview with financial expert Diane Gilson, we’ll use her free tool to determine all the hidden costs that you need to include in your true labor cost to make your expected profit. What you’ll hear in this episode: The biggest problem for contractors today is no...
May 24, 2019•50 min•Ep. 112
With the year half over it’s time for a mid-year checkup of your business. It’s halftime. Get your team together and review what went right and what went wrong. It’s a time to take a step back, look at the score, and be sure you are on track for a strong finish. In today’s podcast, I make it easy with an 8 step process to evaluate your business performance and give you a free download from my website with a fillable PDF that you can use to lead your team to success. Would you like your business ...
May 17, 2019•26 min•Ep. 111
There are so many mistakes to be made in the area of markup and profit, and there are plenty of contractors out there making those mistakes--and those are the ones who can’t keep their businesses afloat. If your business isn’t as profitable as it needs to be, then you need to hear what Michael Stone has to say. He’s been with us in Episode 14 and Episode 66, and now he’s here to talk about the specifics that can keep you profitable. What you’ll hear in this episode: Michael’s background: almost ...
May 10, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 110
When it comes to increasing your roofing sales, a professional proposal will separate you from the pack. Today I talk with Ryan Shantz from SumoQuote about their new software program that has everything you need to quickly put together a clear scope of work that will dazzle your prospect, build trust, and tee up that next sale. What you’ll hear in this episode: How Ryan learned to sell, got his MBA, owned a company, and then landed his position as Sales Manager at Epic Roofing in Alberta, Canada...
May 03, 2019•37 min•Ep. 109
On today’s show, you will learn how to set up a dashboard that will help you grow your business by putting the management information you need at your fingertips. The potential problem with all that data is information overload, which can be overwhelming---but it doesn’t have to be! Lynn Foster is here from Acculynx to explain how he can help you set up and customize the vital reports to keep all the information you need in one central location. What you’ll hear in this episode: A CRM program ca...
Apr 26, 2019•36 min•Ep. 108
Controlling your labor costs should be one of the top goals of running a profitable business. For most of us, Labor is our #1 job cost and the one variable that can take a profitable job and turn it into a loser. In today’s interview with Dean Logan, you will learn how, by using electronic timekeeping, you can be sure that you're paying for the “true" time worked on the job. Dean formerly ran his family roofing business and developed a time keeping an app that saved his company over $100,000 in ...
Apr 19, 2019•30 min•Ep. 107
I recently heard about a new product in the roofing business at the NRCA Roofing Expo in Nashville. In today’s show, Richard Nelson of Roofr is here to explain how his company makes it easier for customers to receive a free online quote in seconds, and be matched with a reputable roofing contractor in their area. Join us to learn about this innovative tool and see how it can work wonders for YOU! What you’ll hear in this episode: How Richard began in the family roofing business at age 12, then w...
Apr 12, 2019•34 min•Ep. 106
So many business owners just aren’t making the profits they should! The failure rate is shocking, but what’s even worse are the people who are working their lives away and earning so much less than what they should. On today’s episode, you’ll learn which jobs are making money, which jobs are losing money, and what to do about it. What you’ll hear in this episode: How we can make more money: either sell more jobs or sell them for more money Why good job costing is essential for your business Dian...
Apr 05, 2019•48 min•Ep. 105
If you want to sell more jobs, for more profit, in less time, you’ll want to listen to Part 4 of our series: “Have Your Best Year Ever.” Learn how to set up a sales process that can be followed with every lead to increase your close rates with the type of customers you want for your business. What you’ll hear in this episode: A recap of our first three parts of “Have Your Best Year Ever:” Part 1: How to design a website that converts visitors into leads that convert into sales, with Darren Slaug...
Mar 29, 2019•38 min•Ep. 104
If you want a consistent flow of qualified leads, you need to listen to my interview with Marc Levesque in Part 3 of our series, “Have Your Best Year Ever.” In our, you will conversation, learn how a professional PPC campaign can get your company’s name in front of new prospects who are ready to buy your services. Once you have their attention, Marc gives you the secrets to converting those clicks into qualified leads using the right landing pages. What you’ll hear in this episode: Marc’s elevat...
Mar 22, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 103
We know we need all elements of a good website to convert leads into sales, but how can installing a CRM system help? Can it really be a key part in turning website visitors into satisfied customers? Adam Sand is a marketing expert who is here to help. He’s been on the podcast before, in Episodes 27 and 44, but he’s here today to help us focus on the basics of CRM systems. What you’ll hear in this episode: Adam’s background: the techy nerd who started a roofing company with his best friend How A...
Mar 15, 2019•1 hr 5 min
In today’s show, we visit again with previous guest Darren Slaughter of Livermint Media. Darren was featured way back in Episode 4, but in today’s conversation, we talk about everything that’s new in contractor websites, and the most important aspect of any contracting business----how to convert website visitors into leads. What you’ll hear in this episode: How Darren is making website design more affordable for small businesses The “leased” website idea, with very little money up front, which g...
Mar 08, 2019•1 hr 12 min
This is Episode 100! Today I discuss my top 10 takeaways for contractors from 99 interviews from The Roofer Show Podcast. What you’ll hear in this episode: How to prepare for the growth to take your business to the next level Top Ten Takeaways: Get a plan Start with the end in mind Look out for the four business killers: divorce, death, disability, and dissolution Be able to take a two-week vacation Put systems and processes in place Have good people that can do their job, whether you are there ...
Mar 01, 2019•1 hr 16 min
On today’s podcast, I talk with marketing expert David Chism about the most common mistakes contractors make when it comes to their marketing. The Roofer Show is about learning from the mistakes of other contractors so you can avoid the same pitfalls and take the short cuts to grow your contracting business. What you’ll hear in this episode: David’s background: from a long line of painting contractors, then on to estimating and marketing How Brazilian Jujitsu has helped his focus and discipline ...
Feb 22, 2019•44 min
In today’s interview, you will learn how to maximize the profit on that big backlog of work we all have on the books. As we take on more work, most contractors experience “slippage” in their profit margins and lose control over what started out as a profitable job but have now turned into a loser that we’re just trying to close out. You're making the same amount of profit you were before, but now with lower margins, more risk, more stress, and more headaches. Only with good Job Costing are you a...
Feb 15, 2019•59 min
You spend a lot driving online prospects to your website. In today’s interview, you’ll learn how to convert those visitors into qualified leads using live chat. Most websites convert less than 3-5% of their visitors to sales. Don’t let yours be one of them. What you’ll hear in this episode: How Live Chat works to convert website visitors to leads, which is THE BOTTOM LINE Dave’s background is 5+ years with Apex, which celebrated its 10th anniversary recently and works with over 4000 contractors ...
Feb 08, 2019•35 min
Today I interview best selling author and expert contractor business coach Vicki Suiter about her latest book The Profit Bleed. We pinpoint the reasons that contractors are not making the money they should and how they can fix the holes in their businesses to make more profit. What you’ll hear in this episode: How to deliver a good elevator pitch The benefits of a Mastermind group, for clarity, ideas, and camaraderie Vicki’s elevator pitch: what she does, who she serves, and what action she want...
Feb 01, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Spray and Pray. Is that your marketing strategy? If your marketing is not laser focused on that ONE ideal customer that big wide net is going to drag in all those crappy leads that just want to beat you down on your price. Don’t you have enough of those? Today I’m in the hot seat when I get interviewed by Tony Booth on The Contractor Coachcast Podcast. We talk about my new eBook: 7 Simple Steps To Get More Quality Leads For Your Roofing Business and we focus in on How To Identify Your Ideal Cust...
Jan 25, 2019•41 min
With over 165,000 neighborhoods covering 80% of the country, Nextdoor presents a great opportunity for contractors to get new local leads. Referral leads. The best type of leads! Next door is a social networking service where you can ask your trusted neighbors for referrals for all types of services. Can anyone recommend a piano teacher? Does anyone know a great roofer? Today I interview marketing expert Aaron Hockel with AltaVista Strategic Partners and he takes us through the step-by-step proc...
Jan 18, 2019•47 min
I get asked that question all the time. If I were to do it again what would I do differently? To start a new roofing business I wouldn’t do it the hard way. I already did that! There is no easy way but there is an easier way. On today’s podcast, I go through the steps to set up a new business or update an existing one. I talk about taking on a partner and how to avoid the pitfalls that can often sour a partnership. Then I let you know how I would niche down to only one product and service. I get...
Jan 11, 2019•24 min
Did you meet and exceed your goals for 2018? Or are you saying “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda”? If you haven’t downloaded my free 1 Page Business Plan, go to my website, download the fillable template, and get the year started off right! To help you grow a more profitable business in 2019, today I talk about the best episodes of the past year. What you’ll hear in this episode: My goal for the podcast: to help contractors run better businesses, with less stress and more free time My goal for my busines...
Jan 04, 2019•40 min
With the year over and coming into 2019, it’s time for a year-end checkup of your business. It’s a new ballgame. It’s a time to take a step back, look at the score, and be sure you are on track for a strong finish. In today’s podcast, I make it easy with an 8 step process to evaluate your business performance and give you a free download from my website with a fillable PDF that you can use to lead your team to success. Would you like your business to keep growing? And would you like to retain th...
Dec 28, 2018•28 min
There will be another recession that can destroy your business. It may be down the road but it will come. Now is the time to recession-proof your contracting business by setting up a sales process and building a quality sales team for the long haul. Today I interview sales team builder Ryan Groth and learn his 5 step process that will get you started on recession-proofing your business today. What you’ll hear in this episode: Ryan’s background as a pro baseball player and how he connected with a...
Dec 21, 2018•45 min
Today I’m in the hot seat when I’m interviewed by fellow podcaster Dr. Sabrina Starling on her podcast, Profit by Design. Sabrina is the author of How To Hire the Best for the Construction Industry and helps construction business owners with work/life balance and hiring challenges. We have a conversation about hiring the best people so you can have free time to spend with your family and get away from the chaos of the day-to-day running of your business. What you’ll hear in this episode: A shout...
Dec 14, 2018•53 min
If you are going to grow a profitable contracting business you’re going to need to know some basic sales numbers. I’m not talking about advanced math or accounting. In today’s Quick Tip I’ll show you many times you need the phone to ring, how many presentations you need to make, how many jobs you need to sell to hit the numbers you need to make the money that you want.
Dec 10, 2018•14 min
