So, Who Buys Metal Roofs, Anyway?
There is something interesting I have noted over the years. If I am driving down a street, approaching an address where a home has a metal roof I have been told about, I can often pick out the home long before I can see the street address or the roof. How do I do that?
It’s very easy, actually. Folks who choose metal roofs for their homes, especially the more decorative metal roofs, care passionately about their home’s exterior beauty. If I am driving down the street looking for the metal roofed home, and I see a home and yard where everything is meticulously well maintained and cared for, I can make a pretty safe assumption that that is the house with the metal roof, and usually I will be correct.
Likewise, if you’re going out to visit with homeowners about possibly buying a metal roof, and you see that they take great care of their home and yard, that’s an awfully good prospect. They care about aesthetics and will pay to accomplish what they want. And, along these lines, I have two words for you …
LAWN STATUARY
Whether it’s the Greek goddess, the little boy standing in the fountain, a gazing ball, or a simple sun dial … if you see lawn statuary, that’s a great prospect as well!
Seriously … think about it and check it out … well maintained landscaping complete with ornamentation … often adds up to a decorative metal roof on the home. This is something that you might even want to consider in your marketing efforts. Try to attract these homeowners at the places they visit. And use homes with beautiful landscaping in your marketing pictures.
SO, WHAT ELSE IS A GOOD INDICATOR OF A METAL ROOF CUSTOMER?
Several years ago, the Metal Roofing Alliance did some research into this and found that, oftentimes, metal roofing customers are “big fish in small ponds.” They are community leaders, often in smaller and moderate sized communities.
At our own retail operation in Kentucky, we have noted that, if the homeowners’ last name matches the name of their road, that’s a great sign. It may indicate “old money” but it also often indicates that “big fish in a small pond” concept.
So, targeting business and community leaders in smaller and mid-sized communities can be very helpful.
ANYTHING ELSE?
If a homeowner says they intend to stay in their home until they are “carried out,” that’s a good sign as well. Those folks are often very willing to invest in their homes in a way that saves them future costs and worries. And, sad as it may sometimes be, even if they are a bit “long in the tooth,” they can still be great candidates for metal roofs. It’s very common over the years for elderly couples to invest in better roofs because, should the husband die first, he does not want his wife to have to worry about their roof. Additionally, folks who intend to leave their home to a loved one will also be very interested in gifting that loved one with a worry-free and beautiful roof.
AND?
There are all kinds of “ands” … homeowners who care about the environment, homeowners who live in areas where other roofs keep blowing off or get all streaked, homeowners with older homes who want a low weight roofing system. This is where your NEEDS ANALYSIS both during APPOINTMENT SETTING and near the start of your APPOINTMENT is so critical. You use that time to discover what might drive that homeowner to buy a metal roof. And, above all, you want to get them to be EMOTIONAL about their new roof.
WHAT SORT OF PROFESSIONS BUY METAL ROOFS?
We have noted over the years that certain types of professions really gravitate toward metal roofs. This information can be used to guide your targeted and guerilla marketing efforts. Here are some of the professions that we have noted are held by people who buy metal roofs:
Commercial Pilots. They trust their lives to metal every day and are also often away from home for long periods of time.
Teachers and Professors. They tend to be great researchers and make careful, wise decisions.
Engineers. They immediately want to start analyzing how the product is made.
People who work with metal. This could be people in manufacturing, metallurgists, auto body repair people … anyone who works with metal tends to appreciate its usefulness and value.
Anyone on a pension. A guaranteed, steady source of income makes it a little more palatable for older folks to invest in metal roofs.
SUMMARY
Knowing who typically buys metal roofs can help you with your target marketing. Knowing why they buy, and being able to pull that out of them, helps you tremendously in your presentations to them. Please contact me anytime you’d like to discuss how you can put this sort of information to use helping you generate more and better homeowner leads for quality metal roofs. I can be reached at 1-800-543-8938, ext. 201.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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