A Quality Focus Pays For Itself

By The RIDGEPRO™.

By insisting and focusing on quality, your company will find success.

When you’re running a business for the long term, it’s about more that just generating cash flow and paying the bills. It’s about building a stable enterprise and planning for future growth. It can be tough in the beginning with many long days and only a sore back to show for it. As a roofing contractor, how do you make sure your company keeps moving upwards?

There’s no simple solution for growing your business. It takes planning, hard work and a mindset that focuses on continual learning about trends, products, tools and technology that can better the company. One crucial aspect that pertains to all areas and departments in a business is an insistence on quality.

When you’re looking to expand your team, you probably won’t just hire the first person who applies; or someone you met at Dunkin this morning. You’re looking for experience and a skill set that matches the job you’re trying to fill. This requirement applies to all aspects of your company including materials, tools, and equipment. Likewise, you won’t be getting a lot of repeat business if you install shingles that don’t last or take shortcuts putting them on. Cheap equipment is no different. A poorly made but inexpensive compressor or scissor-lift that is constantly down for repair is costing you in the long run. Profitability is strongly linked to quality in the product you produce or the service you deliver.

Quality starts in the back office with a commitment to do things right. In any company, the temptations to take shortcuts will be frequent and include booking too many jobs or expecting crews to rush through them. It also includes buying knock-off tools at a bargain price or from an offshore company; tools that only last one season and don’t do the job very well even then. The downsides of buying cheap are plentiful and can affect all layers of your business. At the most serious, cheaply made tools can result in sudden failure, resulting in a worker being injured. 

Know quality and buy quality

There’s an old but true saying: “When something seems to be too good to be true, it usually is.” An excessively low price or an overgenerous quantity discount are obvious indicators that something might be amiss with the product. Ask yourself why that product is being offered at such a heavy discount. Has its poor reputation finally caught up with sales? Is it being offered through a company or channel you’ve never heard of? What are people saying about the product? Check its reviews.

These days it can be tough to tell a cheaply made product from one that is simply well-made and fairly priced. Here are a few tips for getting the best quality in the tools and equipment you’re considering:

1. Carefully read the product’s own descriptions. Is it made from quality materials? Does the package give a good description of the product or does it simply look glossy?
2. Where is the product manufactured? While many fine products are made offshore, the U.S.A. still ranks high in well-made equipment and tools. Does it hold a U.S. patent? American ingenuity is still alive and turning out great products every day.
3. If you purchase the product and there is an issue, can you easily get in touch with the manufacturer by phone or online? Does the product have a useful and easy-to-navigate website where you can learn more information?
4. Can you find reviews on the product? Do they look credible? Are they from verified purchasers? Online reviews that read like an ad and state all the product’s features and benefits might have been written by the product team. Keep searching until you find the real reviews.

Success is in your hands

Once your company is known for excellence in products and/or services, word gets around. Guard your reputation carefully on jobs large and small. Customer satisfaction is key to long term success, particularly in a crowded, competitive marketplace such as roofing. Your reputation will build on itself as long as you remain focused on delivering the best end result to your customers. Buying quality and delivering quality go hand in hand. Together they will be your secrets to success.