Greater margins, greater possibilities

By Jenny Yu.  

Explore how incorporating metal can take your business to the next level. 

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Karen Edwards spoke with Sherwin-Williams’ MetalVue OEM Program Manager, Brendan McGinnis and Sherwin Williams’ Contractor Sales Representative for the MetalVue program, Heather McGinnis, about consumer trends and why roofing contractors should incorporate metal into their offerings.  

First, property owners are choosing metal because of its long-term performance and durability. “We're seeing a shift from the consumer perspective, where they're tired of dealing with the replacement of an asphalt roof,” Brendan explained. “Realistically, an asphalt roof is going to last 12 to 15 years, while a metal roof is going to last 40 years. You're going to have to replace that asphalt roof three to four times within the life of a metal roof — that's just not something that homeowners have a lot of appetite for when they're buying a forever home.” 

Along with performance, customers enjoy the aesthetic properties and customization that metal provides. Sherwin-Williams's Sher-Color™ program expands asphalt shingle offerings beyond the typical colors of greys, browns and beiges. “There are so many color options available within the metal space; if somebody can dream it, we can create it,” Heather stated. “There are pigments of every color of the rainbow, and the combination of those makes all the customization in the world possible.” 

In fact, Brendan shared a unique story that speaks to Sherwin-Williams' customization and customer collaboration: “I think the weirdest thing that I ever matched was when someone sent me a purple spoon. I created a paint system in the color of that purple spoon in our Weather Excel product, and I think they ended up purchasing it.” 

Finally, beyond performance and endless customization possibilities, metal offers what all contractors want: margins. “Margin is great in metal, and it has to be because it is a product that is not designed to be replaced over and over again,” Brendan said. “This is an opportunity for you to make a margin on one job, service that customer and make a name for yourself.”  With Sherwin-Williams' Roofing Passport program, contractors can take advantage of this opportunity and become leaders in their areas. 

Read the first article in this series or Listen to the podcast to learn more about how Sherwin-Williams is helping roofing contractors add metal to their services.