Recently, I asked a very successful roofing contractor in his region about what he has done that was unique. His answer seemed counter-intuitive: he offers gutter cleaning services to older people in the neighborhood at cost.
This roofer knows that most of these customers won’t go on to buy new roofs, they’re at a stage of life where they’re thinking about paring down housing costs. However, they often have adult children with young families living in fixer-upper houses that do need roofs. When the roofer shows up in a crisp, clean uniform, makes time for friendly chit chat, and throws in a small odd job or two, they often tell their children about how nice the roofer was at the next Sunday dinner. When the time comes for these adult-aged children to replace their roofs, they remember the nice story their parents shared about the roofer.