Customers Want to Be Educated

RCS Influencer Jon Stantz says this his customers want to know when, how, and why now more than ever.

At Pell Roofing and Siding our approach is pretty simple. We make sure that we have the correct brochures, products for demonstration, warranty information, building code requirements, possible recycling issues, disposal info readily available for every job. We have found that our customers want to know when, how and why more now than ever.

With everyone’s accessibility to the Internet, customers are collecting lots of information ahead of time and are armed with questions. The only problem they have is that they aren’t sure how the entire project goes together with what product. I recently did a presentation on flat roofs for the facilities manager of our state highway department. He had never dealt with single-ply roofs before (old BUR guy) so I had EPDM, PVC and TPO roof membranes and literature for all three systems. Now he can make a much more educated decision as to what membrane works the best for certain applications.

The same approach also works well with residential customers. Installing a new roof is a big decision for most people and our job is to help them feel secure with the proper information, understanding and timing of the project. I guess that the time issue is a little problematic for some installers but EVERY customer desires to feel like they are first and foremost in the contractor’s mind.

Now with that being said, I feel that our roofing organizations (NRCA, MRCA, etc.) need to do more demonstrations/applications at home shows, trade shows, county fairs, wherever we can interact with the general public. When customers can see a demonstration, touch the products and ask questions they will be more informed and more at ease when it comes time for them to repair or replace their roofs.

Jon Stantz is a supervisor, salesperson and repairman for Pell Roofing and Siding in Brazil, Indiana. See his full bio here.