RoofersCoffeeShop® Speaks at Clemson University

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Heidi J. Ellsworth and Karen L. Edwards recently gave an informative lecture about sales and marketing in the roofing industry at Clemson University. 

RoofersCoffeeShop® (RCS) President, Heidi J. Ellsworth and COO, Karen Edwards, recently gave a two-part lecture to a construction science and management class at Clemson University. The two joined Mark Standifer, project manager at King of Texas Roofing, to give the class advice on sales and marketing in the roofing industry. 

Heidi and Karen spoke to the class about their long-term experience working in the roofing industry. While they have been working in roofing and construction for decades, they officially joined forces in 2006. The two discussed their involvement in RCS and their own consulting companies, HJE Consulting and Casimir Group LLC.  

After delving into their roofing experience, Heidi and Karen gave the class a thorough lesson on sales and marketing in the roofing industry. “What you need to do for sales and marketing is you need to basically attract strangers,” Karen said. “You don't know who your customer might be. The people in this community you decide where you're going to serve, you need to attract them to you.” 

Karen walks the class through the process of attracting strangers and turning them into valued customers through your company’s website. As the two explain though, once they are customers, they don’t have to stay that way forever. Customers can be converted into promoters who actively promote and vouch for your company. “Those promoters, they start bringing in strangers. So the whole thing starts coming back around” Heidi said. 

They also speak to the class about the benefits of working in the roofing industry and the different avenues one could possibly take. “You could work for a roofing company, you can start your own company as you're going to do with your project or you could work for a roofing distribution or manufacturing,” Karen said. “But whatever you do, in all of these roles you do need to understand sales marketing and networking.” 

Watch the full lecture on the RCS YouTube Channel to learn more about sales and marketing in the roofing industry.