Marketing metal

• Photo courtesy of Classic Products Inc., Piqua, Ohio.
• Photo courtesy of Classic Products Inc., Piqua, Ohio.
• Photo courtesy of Classic Products Inc., Piqua, Ohio.

As the metal roofing industry continues to eclipse expectations for growth—so much so that saying so is almost cliché—many contractors are examining how they can retool their businesses to reap the benefits of an exploding industry and sell metal roof systems to those who may not understand the system's benefits—homeowners.

The reason for some contractors' switch in focus from selling and installing commercial nonmetal roof systems to selling and installing metal roof systems for homeowners is the remarkable number of similarities in the sales and marketing methods used by successful contractors in the residential and commercial sectors.

When comparing marketing techniques used by commercial and residential contractors, the benefit that commands the most emphasis is the length of time a product will last without any problems. Building owners and homeowners, for obvious reasons, are extremely concerned about how long their selected roof systems will last. Contractors selling to homeowners should take this concern one step further. Many products exhibit long functional lives, but for how long do they actually maintain aesthetic appeal?

For example, when facilities managers at Universal Studios Florida,® Orlando, recently began researching roofing materials to replace worn-out wood shakes, they considered metal because of the availability of products that have long functional lives and appealing aesthetics.

"It's like [it was] a temporary park," says George "Smitty" Smith, coordinator of technical services for Universal Studios Florida, about his frustration with the short lives of existing wood shakes on the theme park's roof systems. Because a lot of moisture and water constantly were in contact with the wood shake roof systems, the systems only lasted about 12 years and began looking bad even before that time. With metal roofing, Smith recognized a long-term roofing solution.

Another selling point for metal roof systems is that they can be energy-efficient. If contractors are well-versed in concepts like reflectivity, emissivity and ENERGY STAR® criteria, it's a lot easier to convey this technical information to homeowners.

Therefore, because of metal's durability and energy efficiency, metal roof systems may build inherent value into buildings—another benefit contractors may stress when selling roof systems for commercial and residential buildings.

Currently, it is difficult to find specific industry data confirming the appraised value of buildings before and after roof systems are installed. Many metal roof system manufacturers and contractors have been expounding that the addition of metal roof systems builds equity into buildings. Commercial contractors know and appreciate this benefit when selling to building owners or facilities managers, and, therefore, it's easy to mention it when selling to homeowners.

Of course, many sharp-thinking homeowners or metal roofing competitors will suggest the only reason for the value addition to a house is the difference in price between a metal roof system and traditional roof system.

Contractors will be aware that metal roofing generally is two times to three times the cost of traditional asphalt shingles. Although it is true metal roofing materials initially are more expensive than asphalt shingles, it is by no means the only reason for added value. Long-time residential metal roofing contractors know the real value of metal roof systems to homeowners is the systems actually are complete with preformed flashings, trim, fasteners, etc. In fact, many metal contractors never will advertise or even talk about per-square prices for metal roof systems and only will quote jobs based on the entire roof configuration, not a per-square fee. Commercial contractors also may be familiar with this technique when bidding huge projects.

The fact that metal roof systems are complete systems also affects the level of craftsmanship required to correctly install them. An installer's skill and reputation usually are weighed heavily by a homeowner who has selected a metal roof system. A homeowner can research an installer's ability through the Better Business Bureau, references, checking other jobs, etc. Skill generally is more important in installing metal roof systems because with metal—despite the fact that manufacturers usually offer a full-line of preformed flashing accessories—there often are several ways to fabricate details. Most metal roof systems require specific training because of the interwork of the shingles and flashings and other practices contractors use that are unique to their businesses. For example, training is needed for using sealant at the eave on each seam of a standing-seam metal roof system, forming a unique cricket for large protrusions or designing a different type of foam backer to be placed under shingles.

A manufacturer's warranty—that goes above and beyond any warranty offered by a contractor—also is a comfort to many homeowners. When a contractor has a solid relationship with a manufacturer, it usually means the contractor is getting much more from the manufacturer than just picking up materials at a local lumber yard. This relationship may include technical support for installation to help ensure the roof system is watertight and weathertight. Metal roof systems, whether standing-seam or shake, shingle, tile or slate profiles, are weathertight systems by product design. For example, many modular metal shake products interlock on all four sides and fasten with a clip system, preventing uplift and intrusion by wind-driven rain. This obviously is an advantage that should be mentioned to homeowners.

Many issues, such as watertightness and uplift resistance, also specifically are covered by code requirements, such as UL 580, "Tests for Uplift Resistance for Roof Assemblies," and UL 2218, "Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Covering Materials." When a contractor meets with homeowners and intelligently speaks about these test protocols in a way that makes sense to homeowners, he again creates credibility for himself and the roof system he is selling. Sometimes, these test protocols even can be worth some positive shock value to average homeowners.

For instance, the fact that a UL 2218 Class IV rating means a roof system won't crack when a 2-inch- (51-mm-) diameter steel ball is dropped from a height of 20 feet (6 m) proves to a homeowner that his roof system is all but impervious to leaks even after the fiercest hail storms. Being able to speak about test protocols should be second nature to contractors no matter what roofing materials they sell.

One difference between selling to commercial building owners and homeowners is that homeowners are much more concerned with products' overall aesthetics. For a reroofing situation, metal dramatically changes the exterior look of houses, something of which homeowners usually are proud. When selling, metal roofing contractors sometimes will talk facetiously about how homeowners should be aware of the fact that if they don't want to talk to people about their new roof systems, they shouldn't choose metal. This reverse psychology can appeal to homeowners' egos and make them care about the roof systems.

As is the case with any sales pitch, a professional sales presentation is a technique that usually is a necessity when selling metal roof systems to homeowners, complete with a PowerPoint slide show or other sales book, large photo boards of previous jobs and an estimate printed on company letterhead. When presenting to homeowners, education is an important part of a sale. Most homeowners already know what they're getting when they buy asphalt shingles. However, with metal, more education is required because everyone is not familiar with its use residentially, as well as of the variety of products available and relative infancy of the metal roofing industry.

It is worth mentioning that some contractors will have to sell roof systems to architects who design custom-built homes. With architects, "selling," as it typically is understood, takes on a different dimension. Most architects who design custom houses already will be familiar with metal roofing—at least at a cursory level. It often is difficult to meet with architects on a typical sales call, so many metal contractors and manufacturers will register with The American Institute of Architects' Continuing Education System (AIA/CES).

Because AIA members need 16 learning units (LUs) of continuing education per year, it's much easier to get appointments to deliver presentations that offer LUs versus typical sales call appointments. Because of AIA regulations, presentations must be strictly educational and, therefore, not product-specific. The real advantage of AIA/CES presentations is that roofing contractors immediately become technical resources for architects. Even if a roofing contractor doesn't join AIA/CES, the most important aspect of marketing and "selling" to architects is to not act like a traditional pushy salesman. Architects appreciate the lack of pressure and trust someone who shows them how metal fits into their designs much more than someone who displays cases of products, tells them about the "evils" of asphalt shingles and then continuously calls during the next couple of months.

The metal roofing industry continues to grow. Statistics cited by the Metal Roofing Alliance show the residential metal roofing market share had grown from 3 percent in 1998 to 8 percent in 2002, and there's no reason to believe it won't more than double again during the next five years. This is a result of not only more architects and homeowners learning about the inherent benefits of metal roofing but also more contractors realizing the benefit to their businesses of selling and installing metal roof systems. This is not a fad. Metal roofing will be a force with which to be reckoned for the long term.

Greg Zimmerman is director of marketing for Classic Products Inc., Piqua, Ohio. Classic Products is a member of the Metal Construction Association, and Zimmerman wrote the article on behalf of the association.