It’s time to rethink referrals – and scale them

By Dani Sheehan.

With the right tools and strategies, growing your roofing business through referrals is a no-brainer.

Referrals have long been considered the golden ticket for business growth, and for good reason – referred customers are proven to be more loyal and more valuable. In a recent episode of Coffee Conversations®, sponsored by gFour Marketing, industry leaders shared why roofing contractors should take referrals more seriously, and how to scale the process with support from modern tools.

Why referrals still matter

Referrals may be one of the oldest forms of lead generation, but they remain one of the most effective, especially in our industry. Anissa Westfall of Westfall Roofing has seen the results firsthand: “Word of mouth is just extremely powerful – and it remains powerful in the roofing space. Last year, combining word-of-mouth referrals and specifically gFour Marketing – what we’ve categorized as one of our lead sources – we did roughly $10 million just from that.”

Aside from improving your bottom line, referrals are a reflection of how well a company serves its customers. As Patrick Readyhough from Redmond Roofing explained, “Referrals help keep your lead costs lower... But more importantly, they force you to be referrable. You have to ask, what’s our customer journey like? Are we giving people a reason to refer us?”

The shift to scalable systems

In the early days of the roofing business, referrals were as simple as a handshake and a mailed gift card. But as companies and businesses continue to grow in size and complexity, the model becomes hard to manage – and nearly impossible to track.

“We used to run to CVS and buy a bunch of gift cards, physically mailing them out,” Anissa shared. “But as your company grows, you have to scale. Programs like gFour or CRMs let you build a referral program that’s robust, trackable and digital.”

Patrick echoed this evolution, reflecting on his own company: “My referral program used to be, ‘I’ll give you $100 if you bring me a signed contract.’ We had no program for the longest time, but then we found a way to automate it, and ultimately, made it work for our business.”

How gFour Marketing makes it easier

Rebecca Mayo, director of partnerships at gFour Marketing, explained that gFour acts like an extension of your business. They help contractors build a customized referral system that fits their size, goals and customer base. “Consistency is key,” Rebecca shared. “You don’t have to do everything at once. Even sending a simple email once a quarter to say, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about you,’ can go a long way.”

And the results speak for themselves. “82% of referrals convert within three months,” Rebecca noted. “If you’re getting consistent referrals, you’ll see those numbers directly impact your bottom line.”

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to further unlock your referral growth potential.