Finding that forever customer

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how to maintain and grow your client base alongside your business. 

In Season 5, Episode 76 of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Steve and Randy Kruse from Kruse Brothers to talk about bringing in the coveted long-term customer. Their family has been in the roofing industry for as long as either of them can remember, Randy recalled getting on the roof for the first time, saying, “You get up there, you're by yourself, you're working alone and you're in your own world. I fell in love with it.” He spoke about learning from his brothers, which Steve described, “Our brother, Bob, started in the siding business in 1975, and then I came along in '87 and then finished up college in '89 and then went full time.” 

With decades of experience, the Kruse Brothers know the power of building relationships in this industry. They mentioned that one of the pitfalls they often see in other contractors is lack of follow-up. Randy explained, “They finish the job and leave them alone, out they go.” But, from their experience, it’s the contractors that stay in contact, that drop by and fix issues that crop up, that get the coveted long-term customer. These points of contact are also helpful if your business grows at all. The Kruse Brothers use emails and mailers to keep in touch, and Steve advised, “Make it a big deal that you are building off your legacy as being the best roofing contractor.”  

For his and Randy’s business, this came into play when they started offering siding and windows. This was a strategic choice for the Kruse Brothers, as it made the installation process more efficient for the same team to do the roof and the siding. But, like Randy needed his brothers’ help his first time on the roof, they made sure to get the training necessary to succeed. Randy explained, “We hired a group of guys that came in and helped us with those buildings, and we split up those buildings and we learned from them, their techniques.” This expansion allowed them to extend the reach of their business and establish stronger client relationships. Steve elaborated, “Sending a reminder that we now offer siding and windows to past and previous homeowners generates quite a bit of business.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about expanding your contracting business!