Getting Back to Business: Paving an Online Path To Purchase for Today and Beyond

In this Back to Business Guide, you’ll find the resources and recommendations you need to continue business throughout this difficult time. “Zero contact” processes require flexibility and creativity; allow us to help you craft a safe, frictionless sales experience that works for you.

Before we dig in, it’s important to set these overarching business goals as a priority:

1. Keep yourself safe. Your business cannot thrive if your health is compromised. Make your well-being and that of your employees your top priority by staying informed on the latest developments from official sources, like the World Health Organization or your region’s health department. Other sources of information include:
   • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standards and directives for COVID-19.
   • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coronavirus coverage and recommendations.
   • Health Canada’s COVID-19 coverage and recommendations.
   • The National Roofing Contractors Association COVID-19 Resources for Roofing Contractors.
   • The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association’s Back to Work Plan.
2. Be accommodating. Your networks may be experiencing significant personal and financial challenges. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to practice empathy and patience. Much like your business’s survival, your customers are facing similar unforeseen challenges in their day-to-day lives.
3. Give timely customer service support. Are previous customers reaching out for advice? Are potential customers looking for a quote? Today’s consumers expect a near-immediate response, and these times are a key factor affecting closing ratios. In fact, responses under five minutes can quadruple the number of leads that progress to real business prospects. If you don’t answer within 24 hours or less, they’ll likely move forward with someone who did — so catch ‘em while you can!
4. Overcommunicate. Not only is transparent communication around estimates and timelines essential, it’s also important to set clear expectations on what your customers can anticipate when work is completed. How will you assess and estimate the job? How many workers will be on the job site? What is the protocol for food and lavatory breaks? Don’t forget to maintain contact with your distributors to ensure that the materials you need are available when you need them.

Step One: Fill Your Pipeline.

New leads may find you through pay-per-click campaigns, local citations or other online means. To help you expand in your local market, we’ve compiled a number of valuable tools and tactics to help you secure more projects today.

Step Two: Make Connections.

While your expertise is on the job site, the rest of your business was built face-to-face at the kitchen table. When in-person consultations are not an option, there are a number of creative solutions available that leverage technology. It’s important to note that tech fluency can vary from customer to customer. By meeting your customers where they are, you can remove obstacles and move projects forward.

Try these:

• Lean on communication methods that your customer already uses, like phone calls, text messages and email.
• Keep your staff safe, without sacrificing style, by sharing PDFs — not paper. Visit our document library to get started.
• Set on sharing the real thing? Consider standard delivery of samples and brochures.

Step Three: Build Your Proposal.

Are you still climbing on roofs as part of your sales process? Lean into virtual tools to deliver imagery and measurements remotely, so you and your team can stay off the job site as often as possible.

Try these:

• Permitted to pilot a drone in your region? Visit the home site and conduct your own inspection of the roof. This makes an impactful segment during your sales presentation.
• Proposify: Create, send and track proposals/contracts.
• Roofgraf: Get aerial 3D measurements and create quotes.
• Company Cam: Get an organized newsfeed for every project and detail.

Step Four: Present to Homeowners.

While most of the process can be done through traditional correspondence, your final consultation will be more effective through virtual conferencing. These tools make it possible to “read the room” using face-to-face video technology, with the option to screen-share your digital proposal directly from any device.

Try these:

• GoToMeeting: Host consultations for free. This service doesn’t require your customers to create an account when they join your call.
• Skype: Call landlines and mobiles from anywhere in the world. Skype is the most prevalent face-to-face software in the market.
• Google Meet: Schedule meetings for the whole crew. This service is great for teams.
• WhatsApp: Easily connect with your customers. WhatsApp is ideal for keeping documents and conversations centralized.

Step Eight: Request Feedback & Referrals.

The final inspection is complete, and your invoices have been paid. With more than 90% of users reading online reviews before making the first contact with a business, it pays to reach back out to your happy customers. Their testimonials can build trust for new leads, while also influencing their own networks indirectly.

Try collecting reviews here:

• Yelp.
• Google My Business.
• Houzz.

Step Nine: Level Up Your Team.

Downtime between jobs doesn’t have to be unproductive. In fact, it’s the lulls of our seasonal livelihood that give our teams the opportunities to grow.

Try these:

• Join Certified Contractors Network
  CCN offers their members the resources, training and networking opportunities they need to improve productivity and profitability.
• Become a ROOFPRO
  Our ROOFPROs are already accessing a number of business-building tools, from rebates and co-op dollars to the e-learning curriculum of IKO University. Elevate your business by signing up now.