I have a friend that works for a top realtor that sells high dollar homes. Let's call the realtor Tom. Tom knows all the details about the top 100 most expensive homes in his market. He researches the owners, reaches out to them and even takes them to dinner. He does it because he knows that eventually, they will sell. So he starts with the follow up.

If you're a roofing sales manager, you're usually on top of your team to follow up on proposals. How can we take a more proactive approach like Tom?

5 Mile Famous (for starters)

Here is one way to get started emulating how Tom runs his business: Start with an excel spreadsheet and list the addresses of the top 10 homes needng a roof that are closest to home. The size of the home or the potential roof cost doesn't really matter. Starting building a profile for each homeowner:

• Get the owner info from your local permit municipality
• Send them a letter with a business card and then mail to them on a 60 day cycle.
• Could be something as simple as a magnet or even just a simple business card with some scribble on the back
• Send them a Christmas Card
• Try to meet them at community events
• If possible research permit records to see when the last roof was installed

The idea is to look at each of these as inevitably needing a roof replacement and to view yourself as the best saleperson to run that roofing project. Two things I can tell you first hand about running your business this way: First: When the customer finally reaches out to you, they will probably say it's something they've been meaning to do; Second: You might begin to feel territorial about your list of homes and if another roofer ends up getting the job, you might feel offended :-). Go get'em!