Successfully selling maintenance services

By Dani Sheehan. 

With strong manufacturer backing and clearly educating building owners, contractors can position maintenance as a key driver of their business growth. 

In a recent episode of CoatingsTalk, Megan Ellsworth sat down with Chris Huettig and John McDermott from KARNAK to talk about one of the most reliable, profitable and often overlooked parts of the roofing business: repair and maintenance. These services can deliver steady work, build stronger customer relationships and set you apart in a competitive market. 

Chris stressed that success in maintenance starts with having the right support behind you. He recommends “partnering with manufacturers to ensure that you have a consistent, high-quality product so that the work you’re doing is going to be beneficial and last.” 

KARNAK invests in training and education for their partners to help contractors feel confident in the work they’re doing with their products. Chris continued, “We have a certification program, the KARNAK Qualified Applicator Program. We do that to help contractors understand from beginning to end what repair and coatings restoration looks like and feels like.” By leaning on manufacturer support, you can deliver quality results and give building owners added confidence in the value of your maintenance services. 

Making the case for preventive maintenance 

One of the biggest challenges contractors come across is convincing building owners to invest in maintenance when there aren’t obvious problems. As John pointed out, many owners use the same line, arguing, “My roof’s been on for three years and we’ve never had a leak. Why am I going to pay you now when I don’t have any problems yet?” 

You have to be able to prove to them that proactive solutions will actually be less costly than reacting when something does go wrong. He provided evidence to use in support of your case: “The Roofing Alliance has done two studies that effectively show that it costs less to proactively maintain commercial roofs versus reactive.”  

He also stressed that this approach builds a stronger return on investment over time, saying, “Maybe that roof lasts 20 or 30 years, or even more, and our life cycle cost of that roof changes dramatically if we can do that.” 

Most preventive maintenance programs involve at least two scheduled inspections per year – one in the spring after winter weather and one in the fall before harsher conditions set in. Chris provided a framework for common services he sees during these inspections: “Those areas will be walked and inspected – they'll have tools and probes to check edge metal, rooftop units, vents, termination bars. They’ll remove debris, reseal key points and make sure the roof is tight going into the next season.” You can add value to your program by adding extra services when needed like light roof washing to keep a roof white and energy efficient, reapplying sealant at vulnerable details or documenting storm damage after severe weather events. 

The real message to building owners is that maintenance is an investment that lowers expenses, reduces risk and ensures peak performance to extend the life of the roof. 

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to learn additional tips to offering consistent, profitable work that strengthens customer relationships.