The Roofing Industry Needs A Publicist

I was watching a show called 'The Middle' last night and the lowly neighbor kid said he wanted to work to become something in his life "like a roofer or a landscapers assistant". I first thought 'Hey, cool he wants to be a roofer', then I realized 'Hey, he is comparing a roofer to a guy works a wheelbarrow!'. No offense to the wheelbarrow guy (you are only an assistant) roofing requires skill and a lot of common sense and you have to do it 11 stories up or at a 45 degree angle.

This is just another example of Hollywood's assault on skilled labor, to steal a point from Mike Rowe's Ted talk speech, (GKRFG posted it a few weeks ago).

Why do we portray manual labor as something to be made fun of? How did it come to this? How did the public lose respect for people that like to get their hands dirty for a living? Why aren't roofers feared and respected!

Irritated me. What do you think?

It took me a while. I found pix of the larger company's pride and joy.

:woohoo:

At least they corrected the BIG so water would flow to the downspouts on each corner.

:woohoo: It doesn't hold much water now. As it fills, it tilts and the water flows over the outer edge. :ohmy: This roof now has a real scary BIG to be walking around in.

Created another happy referring client today! When I finished the job he wrote me a check and asked for another business card even though I had already given him one the day before. He said "My sister has a roof issue too and needs a specialist like you to look at it and not just some roofing company! ;)

Well, talk of the devil. I have a regular client of 8 years now. I gave them a bid 9 years ago and didn't hear back for a year. :unsure: Seems they went with a much larger company. They quit doing their call-backs ad walked away after 12 months and said the warranty period was over. Since then, I've bee there several times trying to alleviate numerous issues. I can only do as much each time as his budget allows since it's hard and expesive to pay for a slate roof once, much less twice.

Looks like the chimney flashing has to be redone again now.

natty Said:

Roofguy Said: When people finally find one who does a good job and wont screw them, they tend to want to use him over and over.

The last thing property owners want from their roofer is to use him over and over. That means there is a problem. When I put a roof on, they get the full life expectancy out of it. They may refer me to friends or relatives if it is fresh on their minds, but that is it.

Even on repairs, I remind them to call me when they need a new roof, but they usually get sucked in by the stormers even when they dont need it replaced.

Roofguy Said: When people finally find one who does a good job and wont screw them, they tend to want to use him over and over.

The last thing property owners want from their roofer is to "use him over and over". That means there is a problem. When I put a roof on, they get the full life expectancy out of it. They may refer me to friends or relatives if it is fresh on their minds, but that is it.

Even on repairs, I remind them to call me when they need a new roof, but they usually get sucked in by the stormers even when they don't need it replaced.

OLE Willie Said: Over the years, Ive had several people in white collar type jobs revert to explaining something to me using roofing terms, as if they thought thats the only way I might be able to understand since Im just a dumb ole roofer. Ironically, they dont understand the roofing terms very well.

Recently this happened with a website designer who was trying to sell me a New and improved website design.Only problem with that is Ive had the top spot on the first page in my area for over a year and customers tell me all the time quote I wouldnt change a thing about your website and I dont want it changed.

In her example she said my web design was old and outdated and said now you wouldnt use old shingles on a clients roof would you and tell them thats the best quality you can provide? She was very confident that this would persuade me. However, I replied back, Yes I Would because I do not do new installations but only repair work and the clients often have OLD shingles left over from when the roof was put on and that is always the best possible match. The same brand, color and batch numbers. :laugh:

Funny, I get the same calls daily for some reason. Clients to be call nearly as often too.

Over the years, I've had several people in white collar type jobs revert to explaining something to me using roofing terms, as if they thought that's the only way I might be able to understand since I'm just a dumb ole roofer. Ironically, they don't understand the roofing terms very well.

Recently this happened with a website designer who was trying to sell me a "New and improved website design."Only problem with that is I've had the top spot on the first page in my area for over a year and customers tell me all the time quote "I wouldn't change a thing about your website" and I don't want it changed.

In her example she said my web design was old and outdated and said now you wouldn't use old shingles on a clients roof would you and tell them that's the best quality you can provide? She was very confident that this would persuade me. However, I replied back, "Yes I Would" because I do not do new installations but only repair work and the clients often have "OLD" shingles left over from when the roof was put on and that is always the best possible match. The same brand, color and batch numbers. :laugh:

Vickie the Boss Said:

Why do we portray manual labor as something to be made fun of? How did it come to this? How did the public lose respect for people that like to get their hands dirty for a living? Why arent roofers feared and respected!

Because the corporate/business mentality considers labor as a commodity- use it up then throw it away. Ship the factory work overseas. We are now seeing that a pension system is not sustainable.

Everybody knows that you don't get ahead by working for a living. You get other people to do the work for you. Most roofing companies in North Texas are nothing but marketeers that sub out the work to immigrant hustlers who put a bunch of day laborers on the job. Your roofing crews aren't any more skilled than your lawn mower pushers.

We actually have a caste society. As long as there are immigrants to fill the roles of labor, it will remain so.

I think that becoming a roofer entails a high degree of risk taking. Some of us were able to channel that and as a result have been able to start our own businesses and as a result hire others. A great number of people with addictions also have this same risk taking "gene" and as a result often find themselves employed as a roofer.

I don't know how many times I have heard on the news about someone committing a murder, killing their children, rapists, pedophiles and the list goes on and they say the guy was employed as a roofer. I'm not just talking nation wide here, this is close to home in an area with a population of under 5 million.

Don't often hear the news say the guy was a farmer, carpenter, cement layer or a cell phone salesman. The media kind of associates roofer with "scum" type of people, be it dealing with criminal acts or consumer fraud.

It is what it is. I've experienced it personally in social situations. My wife works in the school system and I've went to few Christmas parties and had a hard time having a conversation with most of the dickwads that were there who had no concept of physical work other than mowing the lawn which most of us probably try to squeeze into the day before it gets too dark.

Woody, that is too funny! :laugh:

I've known a couple roofers that were also preachers!

So did our industry do it to ourselves?

The people with leaky roofs find my ads that read "Roofing Repair Specialist since 1985."

They aren't looking for labor. They already had that and this is why the roof is leaking. Now they want someone with experience who knows what they are doing. A professional is in order. Any labor involved is just a necessary evil.

On the smaller jobs, I often tell the client that I will do the actual work on the roof for free but to help cover my cost to stay in business, making the trip to and from the site in metro traffic, detective work of finding out what the issue is, the problem solving involved with coming up with the proper solution, rounding up the proper quality materials and giving a guarantee that the problem will be solved for good will be $ xxxx Amount. ;)

That's odd you should say that Vickie, because my brother and I, both roofers, make fun of everybody that doesn't do manual labor. all the time. but then everybody knows we own an MMA gym too. so they just sit there and take it.

Its fun at Becky's get work togethers or parties, I get to make fun of all the guys...that have women jobs !!

My generation was constantly preached at by everybody saying that without a college education, you were basically worthless in the world. I think it's horse crap. The people that didn't go to college instantly felt like they were going to be at Taco Bell forever unless they could go to college on the side. They've been taught the only way to make a decent living is by going to college.

I think that all kids shouldn't be pushed to go to college. Mainly it's a waste of mommy & daddy's money, the kids time, and a waste of our government resources. More kids should come out of high school with the yearn to get a job PUSHING A WHEELBARROW for a year or two and then moving up in the organization to actually learn a craft. Some kids will never benefit from college, and those that get a degree but still don't know sh*t only lessen the value of the degree of those who did well.

Don't get me wrong, college helps a lot of kids but a lot of that schoolin' should be completed in high school.

Whoops, end rant before I really get going.