Lets have some fun

The Roofing God Said: wouldn`t touch it at those numbers,and wouldn`t put my sales pitch etc. up for critique here,We spend enough time in customers homes working our skills and educating the customer,but my prices won`t be opened up for all to see--I can tell what the pricing structure of other contractors is that way,and when I know that info I gain the advantage

I can appreciate your want/need for pricing privacy.

Unfortunately for you, if I was your competition, everything I would want to know about your pricing and "sales pitch" would be easily discoverable. I'd simply have a friend or relative ask you to price out a roof replacement.

Heres another response from a roofing subcontractor. I estimate this house should take about 35 squares of shingles +2of starter+4of reach= 41 squares x $60 by square=$2460 just for labor and I take the old shingle away.

I'm guessing he didn't bother to open or read the Work Order.

Here's the reason I'm so critical about his message and approach.

I advertised, attempting to source a legitimate subcontractor with GL and WC. When he answered the ad, I offered to let him bid this demo project. I'm just trying to figure out whether I want to move one step further and schedule a face to face. I let his actions and words, along with his approach, dictate my next move.

My decision is that I will thank him for his time, but I will not move forward in any way with him. I don't want to deal with a subcontractor that likes to bad mouth other work as one of his prime messages to everyone he deals with. I could imagine that he spews this negative stuff all day and every day to everyone he meets: customers, workers, suppliers, people in the grocery line, etc. I just want to work with happy up beat competent professionals. That's my goal. I know it's not easy.

Here is what I would prefer to see: Hi Jim,

Thank you for allowing me to offer you a ballpark. You have not given me enough information to properly assess this roof, but, since it's suck a simple roof, I'll offer this up.

If the conditions are ideal, I would complete this roof in one day. Our normal retail price would be "x". Since you are a general contractor, I would like to sit down with you and discuss volume pricing. For instance, if you are willing to contract with me for 50 of these roofs, I would do it for "y". My goal is to provide my crews with steady and profitable work and I'm sure you will be impressed with the quality of our service. I can't possibly make a proper presentation of all the benefits that you will receive if we are installing your roofs.

I would like to schedule a meeting with you as soon as possible. Is there a time that you would prefer?

Signed, Competent, Professional Sub-Contractor

My feelings are this: This sub contractor could benefit immensely if he would hire a salesperson to sell his services.

jimAKAblue Said:

I would be happy to do this roof for $1900. If I have to haul the materials to the dump, I would like to ask for an extra $150.

Please let me know if my pricing is acceptable or not. I always run into prime contractors that say my pricing is too high and that they have guys that will do the job for some ridiculous price like $30-$35 per square. I always wonder if these are the crews that do some of the jobs I have bid lately. I bid a job in Broken Arrow that literally just had shingles on bare decking(A large, nice Home). No felt or drip edge at all. In addition, the top roof had guttering discharging to the patio roof. It washed out all the gravel from the shingles. I also see houses all the time that are relayers with no felt under the top layer. I wont even do a relayer but if I were, I would certainly add some felt. I also take my waste shingles to approved landfills and carry a legitimate/verifiable 500k general liability policy for Residential Roofing.

Please let me know, we are wide open next week as of now...

Here's how I interpret his message:

Jim,

Here is my price. I don't use a systematic price sheet and therefore I just round everything up to a nice even $100 or $50 number. I figure: "If I throw enough "stuff" against the wall, some will stick!".

If you don't use my price as your barameter, you are guilty of doing shoddy work.

I don't have any work lined up, even though I'm in the middle of a billion dollar hail area and I have no idea why. I have questionable sales skills but that probably doesn't have anything to do with it...

Signed: Sammy Subcontractor.

FYI. I'm using this basic roof sketch to source possible roofing subcontractors. I don't really have a need for another subcontractor but I'd like a competent back up.

Here is one response to my request: Jim,

I would be happy to do this roof for $1900. If I have to haul the materials to the dump, I would like to ask for an extra $150.

Please let me know if my pricing is acceptable or not. I always run into prime contractors that say my pricing is too high and that they have guys that will do the job for some ridiculous price like $30-$35 per square. I always wonder if these are the crews that do some of the jobs I have bid lately. I bid a job in Broken Arrow that literally just had shingles on bare decking(A large, nice Home). No felt or drip edge at all. In addition, the top roof had guttering discharging to the patio roof. It washed out all the gravel from the shingles. I also see houses all the time that are relayers with no felt under the top layer. I won't even do a relayer but if I were, I would certainly add some felt. I also take my waste shingles to approved landfills and carry a legitimate/verifiable 500k general liability policy for Residential Roofing.

Please let me know, we are wide open next week as of now...

Please feel free to critique his presentation and sales approach. I personally would NOT send in an estimate to an email request but if I did, I'd certainly not defend my prices the way he has.

I've rethought my original post. Forget the respectful request lol. Lets just duke it out! :P

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I can't seem to upload the sketch pic or pdf.

....tryin' again.... http://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/rcs/users/jimAKAblue/Roof Sketch.pdf

Edit/update/: I figured out what the problem was. My file name include a space, which works fine in Vista. It doesn't work on the net. I renamed the file and it worked.