The Out of Towners

 

For whatever reason, several areas around the country have gone a long time without any significant hail damage. Work is getting sparse and it's been a scramble for them to sell retail jobs. They're tired of the fight and ready to work some good, solid hail damage. You can't blame them for being interested in this storm.

 

My mentor had a rule about working hail storms: "Never work the first big storm of the year." I think it's a pretty good rule, but when you've gone a few years without a good hail storm, it's hard to be patient because all your bills are due and you're hungry.

 

I've had several dozen salespeople reach out to me and ask about coming down or sending their salespeople down to work. My advice is consistent. Here it is, "If you can hold out a little longer, do it. There's going to be another storm soon. We are in storm season."

 

My experience has always been, about the time you pack up and get settled somewhere, that's when it hails in your own backyard. And when it doesn't hail at home, it always helps when all your local competition packs up and goes somewhere else. 

 

 

 

I'm not one of these guys that goes around warning people about out-of-town roofers.

 

I've been an out-of-town roofer. There's a lot of good, solid people out there trying to do the best they can to make a living. Yes, there's always few creeps, too, but creeps have to be from somewhere; not just from out-of-town. Sometimes the creepiest creeps in the roofing business are from your own back yard.

 

What I'm about to say, I'm not saying it for the benefit of the creeps in this world...

 

I'm only talking to good, solid roofing companies and salespeople who care about their honor, integrity, and long-term reputation. 

 

Sure, a local roofer is good if you have a leak 5 years down the road, but most roofs that leak from workmanship issues do so within the first few months -- after a big rain or a heavy snow. It doesn't take years to discover you have a workmanship problem...in most cases, you'll know pretty quickly.

 

Unless your warranty covers 60+ MPH winds, earth movement, or any other number of situations specifically excluded by the manufacturer's warranty, a homeowner may need to file another insurance claim when they have a roof problem a few years later.

 

Of course, why would the homeowner file another claim when they believe the roofing company should do the work for free? Obviously, the whole warranty issue could be a moot point when the roofing company offering a 10 year warranty has only been in business for 3 years. According to government statistics, 80% of small businesses fail within the first 2 years of business -- that number includes roofing companies.

 

Ask the average homeowner, "When was the last time you had a roofer out?" They'll tell you, "Never," or "Not since the last time I had my roof replaced." Very seldom will you hear a different story. If they're going to have a problem, it will usually happen early; not late.

 

 

 

I'm just saying being from out-of-town isn't nearly as big a deal as the local media and local roofing companies would like to make the public believe. If you're a good roofer with a good reputation to protect, you'll have a plan or an agreement in place, before you leave town, to honor the warranties you leave behind.

 

You better have a good idea of what you're going to tell homeowners who ask if you're local. If you don't know what you'll say, or how you'll handle this question, you'll get dismissed quickly when there's so many other roofing companies bidding for the same business.

 

The internet has made the world a lot smaller place. An upset homeowner can just as easily ruin your reputation online from another state as they can in your own home town. A few bad reviews, a negative report with the BBB, or a call to your local news station is all they need to shift the power back in their favor.

 

 

However, if you're coming from out of town, you already know you've got two strikes against you immediately.

 

The local news likes to tell all the bad stories about the bad roofers from out of town, right?

 

Funny how they never tell any of the bad stories about the local homeowners who take advantage of the good roofers, both locally and those from out-of-town.

 

I'll bet you a dozen donuts there's more roofers getting ripped off, shorted, run around, or waiting to get paid because the homeowner spent some of the money, or any other number of goofy reasons, than there are homeowners getting the short end of the stick after a big hail storm.

 

I clearly remember my mentor had to file many more liens for non-payment than the few complaints he had to address in the aftermath of what was once the biggest hail storm in U.S. history back in '95.

 

There weren't any news cameras waiting outside to talk to him about the terrible homeowners who never paid.

 

There weren't any front page newspaper articles talking about the injustice of it all.

 

Nobody lost any sleep, marched in the streets, or tried to pass new legislation to protect his interests.

 

✌ Mike