How to sell a SPF Roof

It has been over 45 years since I saw the magic of an A side being combined with a B side become a solid piece of insulation within seconds. Since that time I have sold multi millions of square feet of Urethane Foam as a seamless, insulated Roof System. During the 40 years I have lived through it being hailed as the greatest roofing system ever to a moon crater roof that birds eat.

Most of the general reasons for people to buy something I have found price and quality to be the biggest motivators in the decision. Let’s look at each separately starting with price.If you consider “low” to be the true definition of price you do not belong in sales but I will go over a very simple means for you to be low, make money and sell without compromising or cutting corners.

You need do nothing more then look up in the air. How high up? Over 5 stories in the air. The reason for this is quite simple. Your competition that applies BUR, Single Ply or Modified Bitumen has to start elevating their materials. On a 10 story building it is not unusual to see prices of $1000.00 and more a roofing square for conventional roofing. As an SPF Roof Contractor you merely have to get your dual heated hose to the top (we never had a truck and machine with less than 400 continuous feet of hose on it.

Yes, there are customers where price alone is the only objective. Qualifying a potential customer on the phone can save you a lot of time and money. Through questioning you may find they own a one story strip mall, do not use any of it themselves and plan to sell it in about 5 years. I am going to advise them that we only offer premium roof systems designed to last the life of the building and we are usually, if not always the highest price. If they are the owner chances are you will be thanking each other for your time and get on with life. If it’s a property manager or secretary they may have been instructed to get 10 contractors to get 10 prices and want you to come so it lessens the list of contractors they need to bid. Now if you take this same scenario with the one story strip mall and the owner plans on keeping it for his Grandchildren and runs a major printing or metal fab business out of it then I’m going on this appointment but insist on a meeting so I can show and explain my price and what they are truly getting for the money. I never went on slide the proposal under the door appointments. To be continued……………………………………………………………

We always broadcast Shasta #9 granules in our coating for our foam roofs. 3 gallons per square in two passes. Even the parapet tops had granules embedded in the caulking to keep the damage from birds down and it prevented cracking. It makes for a real attractive roof.

Tim: I was referring to the Aniston job being undercut :)

I've never heard anybody running fiberglass emulsions around here. After seeing your posts & videos for a couple years now, I'm rather intrigued. It gets incentive knowing how much money it is to do a flat roof properly w/ a membrane. The foam roofs I've seen around here SUCK, and I tell people that.

We are putting GacoRoof over our lumberyards 9 year old SPF roof right now. It's my first coating job, other than my mobile home. The owner requested we do it for an hourly rate, rather than a re-roof. GacoRoof seems pretty decent but O M GEE expensive. What are your thoughts?

This is roofing. Somebody will undercut you for her installation then cut a few corners!

Tom, I asked her if she knew who you were? She denied it.

Roofguy Said: Im really not kicking myself. I can still make more profit in 2 days of installing chopped glass than I can in 5 of foaming. The advantage is adding both systems together.

One advantage with the foam is that people know what it is and they want it. They dont usually know what chopped glass emulsion is until we tell them. Plus, the foams R-value gives them another reason to buy a new roof other than just to fix leaks.

The systems compliment each other well.

Tim, I understand and agree 100%. I could make more myself charging Jenifer Aniston per day for sex but for some reason she just isn't calling. :)

Roofguy Said: Well Tom this may come as a complete shock to you, but weve been doing SPF roofing for 1.5 years now and like the heck out of it. We have an Intech rig wiht an E-30 reactor, 40kw genset, 410 heated hose, etc.

Tried interior insulation for awhile - margins too low. Strictly roofing, mostly Permax 3.0 closed cell and either Permax 120 acrylic elastomeric, or chopped glass emulsion over 1 foam.

Were kicking butts and taking names.

LOL, I am not surprised, just wondering how hard you are kicking yourself in the butt for each year you waited.

Your machine is a little small for my liking, I like 80 Lbs per minute but than again my old company is not selling bigger than 40 Lbs Per Minute.

Yep, to me interior always was "How Cheap can you go"

Are we allowed to post FaceBook URL's?

And I might add they are putting down some of the smoothest puff roofs I've ever seen! You should check out their roofs on Facebook, they are quality puff applicators! :blink: