This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Roofing Contractor logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Roofing Contractor logo
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Issue
    • Archives
  • Topics
    • Cool Roofing
    • Low Slope
    • Metal
    • News
    • Products
    • Product of the Month
    • Project Profiles
    • Safety
    • Steep Slope
    • Sustainability
    • Trade Shows
    • Technology
  • Exclusives
    • Best of Success
    • Contractor Profile
    • IRE Show Daily
    • Made in the USA
    • Roofing Contractor of the Year
      • Enter Roofing Contractor of the Year
    • Top 100
      • Enter the Top 100
    • Young Guns
    • Web Exclusives
    • Editor's Choice
    • State of the Industry
    • Century Club
  • Columns
    • Editor's Note
    • Measuring Up
    • Legally Speaking
    • Safety Advice
    • Technical Details
    • Guest Column
    • High-Tech Roofing
    • Sustainable Roofing
    • Marketing Makeover
    • Leadership Selling
  • Blog
    • Damato of the Day
  • Multimedia
    • Roofing Quiz
    • Videos
    • IRE 2019 Videos
    • Webinars
    • Photo Galleries
    • Interactive Spotlights
  • More
    • Classified Ads
    • Roofing Contractor eNews
    • RC Store
    • Directory: Roofing Resource
    • Market Research
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • Sponsor Insights
  • Events
    • International Roofing Expo
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Best of Success Conference
  • Contact
    • Advertise
  • Directory
    • Associations
    • Distributors
    • Manufacturer/Supplier
    • Get Listed
    • Business Services
  • Subscribe
    • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
    • Sign Up for the eNewsletter
    • Online Registration
    • Subscription Customer Service
Home » Selling Value Along With a New Roof

Selling Value Along With a New Roof

February 14, 2008
Shawn Holiday
Reprints
No Comments
In a tight construction market, the ability to sell quality-roofing solutions is more important than ever. It is the hard times that separate the order takers from the record breakers. If past economic lulls are any indicator, in the current slowdown experience and marketing savvy will prevail over racing competitors to the lowest price.



Ninety percent of Kearns Brothers’ work is on residential homes, like this one featuring GAF-Elk Grand Sequoia® shingles in Sage Green.

In a tight construction market, the ability to sell quality-roofing solutions is more important than ever. It is the hard times that separate the order takers from the record breakers. If past economic lulls are any indicator, in the current slowdown experience and marketing savvy will prevail over racing competitors to the lowest price.

“We run a business. That’s the bottom line,” says Gary Kearns, director of sales and marketing for Kearns Brothers of Dearborn, Mich. “It just so happens that we sell and installing roofing and siding and everything else.”

Founded in 1985 as a masonry and roofing specialist, the company offers services for just about any kind of residential project homeowners can think of. From windows to insulation to kitchens, it’s hard for Kearns to walk away from any kind of job. There’s even a special section on gables on the company’s Web site (www.kearnsbrothers.com) showing how a small investment can greatly increasing curb appeal for homeowners.

With about 90 percent of the company’s business coming from residential construction, the company is heavily invested in homeowners wanting to make repairs and improvements. Even though the mortgage industry is in a nationwide crisis, Kearns says that 2007 was a good year and this year is looking up. The commitment to professionalism and quality service is company-wide, and Kearns Brothers focuses on the company’s employees as well as its customers.

“I have 10 salespeople who are experienced, knowledgeable and customer-oriented,” Kearns says. “They make sure every single crew’s working every single day. That is their calling.”

Diversification of services has always been a hallmark of the company. One example is the lucrative gutter fabrication business Kearns Brothers started about 10 years ago. At that time, the company was waiting on subcontractors to get around to their projects, leading to costly delays because the company couldn’t bill homeowners until the job was complete. There are now two machines working full time, all using Flo-Free leaf guard.

As a Master Elite contractor with GAF Materials Corp., Kearns Brothers offers integrated warranties on the entire roof system, something that savvy homeowners are responding to. More and more consumers are doing research online and come to the bid proposals with a list of appropriate questions.

Gary Kearns loves turning satisfied customers into an extended sales force by offering $100 for referrals that lead to a sold project. A roofing job can often lead to a kitchen remodel or chimney repair on the same house, and it’s not just the $100 incentive that does it.

“We built up our business with trust and value,” says Kearns. “When somebody recommends us, it’s because they trust you.”

Asphalt shingles offer a multitude of options that allow them to achieve the look of competitive products for a lower price. Pictured here are roofs installed by Kearns Brothers in the Detroit area featuring GAF-Elk shingles in Camelot® Aged Oak and Slateline® Victorian Red.

Asphalt Shingles, Quality and Service

Customer service and the art of selling value are surefire ways to weather the upcoming financial storms. According to the Freedonia Group, a market research firm in Cleveland, sales for asphalt shingles will grow at one half of one percent (in square footage) through 2010. The Freedonia Group says that asphalt shingles, which account for more than one-third of all demand for roofing materials by surface area, will continue to face stiff competition from premium products like tile and metal.

It’s an old saw that quality roofing means fewer replacements, but the success of laminated shingles with warranties exceeding 30 years is bound to have an effect. Yet many homeowners include a new roof with home improvements, especially when realtors emphasize curb appeal. There might not be leaks, but maybe there’s an algae problem or sagging gutters that leads to action. Certainly the mortgage companies aren’t throwing money around anymore, but people will still need repairs, and even a small flashing leak still gets their attention.

Malarkey’s Legacy® shingles feature the company’s patented Zone technology, which offers an expanded two-layer nailing area and double rain seals. This photo shows the Legacy shingle on a Texas house. The color is Natural Wood.

Hung Up on Price?

Malarkey Roofing, a super-regional producer based in Portland, Ore., has kept busy without the benefits and burdens of new construction. “We’re not a big player in the new construction market,” says Greg Malarkey, vice president. “As a rule, new construction is hyper price sensitive. They really aren’t looking for performance, even when you get to the higher end housing.”

In the rugged, rainy climate of the Northwest, Malarkey has developed a number of performance attributes for its products. Its trademark design, The Zone, made application easier with larger nailing areas and the products provide increased wind uplift resistance. The company was among the first to embrace algae-resistant granules, and there are choices for hail resistance. The number of options modern asphalt shingles can offer helps the product outpace its competitors for a lower price.

“That’s where we think there’s a real opportunity for value enhancement,” says Malarkey about asphalt shingles. “You’ve got a ton of different options, and it’s a pretty good bang for the consumer.”

Malarkey still sees a lot of sales focusing on price or warranties, but his experience shows that consumers aren’t that hung up on price. Some are being proactive and just making sure the new kitchen isn’t rained upon. Some are concerned about appearance. All of them want to be able to trust the company, which is why Malarkey feels that a roofing contractor should be able to explain his bid in person without apologizing for paying workers’ compensation and permit fees. “Your close ratios will be dramatically higher than the one who offers the lowest price,” he says.

Of all the components in the delivery chain, he thinks that distributors are the most price-sensitive and homeowners are the least. With better access to knowledge through magazines and the Internet, the questions on the customers’ minds usually have more to do with what separates competing bids. Once a roofing contractor shows how he is the best one to address all of their concerns and put together a roofing system that meets their needs, then the hardest part for customers may be picking out the perfect color.

“The people who are in business bring value to the customer,” says Malarkey. “In this market, the guy who survives is the one who recognizes that what he’s selling is his expertise and his service.”

In leaner times, experience and patience can be a contractor’s greatest assets. Kearns Brothers’ relentless attention to the consumer is a formula that can succeed in any climate.

“We’ve been dealing with this for quite a while,” says Kearns. “We’ve found our place in the market where people want great customer service. I agree with the analogy that shaking the industry makes the cream rise to the top.”
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to Roofing Contractor Magazine.

Recent Articles by Shawn Holiday

Roof Repair: Hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria may Bring Tidal Waves of Changes to Building Codes

Underneath it All: Roof Deck Replacement Can Be the Most Crucial Part of a Re-Roofing Project

Raising the Bar: Innovation, Science and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic Is a Functional Work of Art

Favorite Tools Keep on Swinging

RRCI Meeting Caps Off Studies on the Tiniest Creatures

Shawn Holiday is a contributing editor to Roofing Contractor.

Related Articles

Going the Distance: Reaching a New Level of Service in the Commercial Sector

Out with the New, in with the Old

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • Sign Up for the eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

operation-freelancer-viii

16 Unlicensed Florida Contractors Arrested in ‘Operation Freelancer VIII’

ABC logo

ABC Supply Launches myABCsupply to Help Roofing Contractors Manage Business on the Go

ice-river-roofers-save-woman

Roofers Rescue Woman from Drowning in Icy River

Tesla-solar-glass-roof-v3

Tesla Hiring Roofers for Solarglass Roof Installations

Lon-Smith-Roofing-Veteran

Roofing Contractors Thank Veterans with New Roof Donations

roofing quiz
Roofing Resource

Roofing Contractor Magazine

Roofing Contractor Cover 2019 November

2019 November

The November issue features our Residential and Commercial Contractors of the Year for 2019! Check out our interviews with these outstanding contractors, including video from Best of Success.
View More Create Account
  • Resources
    • Construction Group
    • Partners
    • List Rental
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Survey And Sample
  • Videos
  • Want More
    • Connect
  • Advertise

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing