Roofing through a changing market

By The Coffee Shops®.

Contractors are responding to rising costs and delayed projects by strengthening relationships and emphasizing maintenance.

Roofing contractors are navigating a market where projects are taking longer to move forward, and customers are thinking carefully about major investments.

During a Read Listen Watch® webinar, industry professionals Wendy Marvin, CEO and founder of Matrix Roofing and Home Solutions, Dean Jagusch, owner and CEO of Wagner Roofing Company and Fred Castonguay, co-founder of Reworked.ai, discussed how contractors can respond without losing sight of the relationships at the center of their businesses.

For Wendy, the shift is visible in customer demand. She shared, “Calls are down and things and I think because we've always focused on building relationships and trust and earning business in the community by helping, I think that that has really helped our company.”

Dean has similarly seen customers hesitate before committing to larger projects. “What we're seeing is a lot more of a delay in terms of commitment to a large capital expenditure,” he said. That hesitation is pushing contractors to think beyond an all-or-nothing approach. Wendy said her company is considering partial roofing work, coatings and other options when customers cannot immediately move forward with a full replacement. Education remains an important part of those conversations, particularly when delaying maintenance can create additional problems.

Dean sees an opportunity for contractors to become a continuing resource rather than someone customers call only when replacement becomes unavoidable. “Being the knowledge base for, for these customers,” he said.

The mindset of being a resource for homeowners leads to trust developing before the homeowner is in a position to make a difficult decision. According to Fred, “We're getting to that customer before the insurance company has reached out to them. Before the water comes through the ceiling. We're helping roofers identify and have a conversation.

That long-term approach also creates a bridge to service and maintenance. Instead of focusing solely on the immediate sale, contractors can help customers understand their roofs, address problems as circumstances allow and maintain the relationship through future needs.

As conditions change, the panel's message was clear: relationships, education and adaptability remain valuable foundations for roofing businesses.

Listen to the recording or Watch the webinar to learn more about navigating a changing roofing market.