It Just Went “Click”

Something just went “click.” It was unmistakable to me. Am wondering if you heard it too.

By Greg Hayne

As my bio indicates, I train commercial roofing contractor service departments, facilitate industry-specific peer groups and mentor/coach construction executives. Historically, most roofers could care less about service departments, viewing it as a necessary evil. They wouldn’t know what a peer group was if it reached up and bit them in the….well, if it bit them. And the idea of having somebody “coach” them to be better at running their business wasn’t a thought that they would consider.

“Look how successful I am. I am making more money than I ever thought I would. Why do I need help?” –a common roofers mantra

That has changed, to my complete surprise. And it changed this year.

This year at the IRE I gave exactly the same presentation I gave in 2014, entitled “How To Sell Preventative Maintenance (And Why You Need To).” The talk was virtually identical. The response was not. This year there were way, way more contractors coming up to me and asking questions, stopping at our booth to discuss how we could help them get better at service, or otherwise discussing with us ways we might be able to help them grow their business. As I write this, in late April, we are still handling follow ups from the IRE. Yes, this is great for us, sure. But it represents something much more important. The industry is changing and contractors are starting to adopt a more progressive mindset toward their work. Not only has their interest piqued, but the quality of questions they are asking has improved too. This means they have been thinking about these things for a while. No longer is it “Why should I bother with a service department?” Now it is more likely to be “What is the best first step I can take to improving mine?” Something has gone “click” for roofers.

Evidently, they are beginning to understand that there is more to running a successful roofing business than just putting on a good roof. And, the smart ones are recognizing that they need to change and adapt to meet the changing needs and demands of their customers. They are starting to reach out to people who can help them make those changes and they are taking real steps to actually make the changes they perceive they need to make. Whether it is getting coaching, training, mentoring or getting involved in a professionally run industry peer group, they are willing to put aside the egotistic mindset that “I don’t need help, I can figure it out for myself” and are beginning to embrace the idea that they can grow their businesses a lot faster and with a lot less reinventing the wheel by investing in themselves.

Did you hear the click too? If you did, then sign up for a free service department analysis today!

 About Hayne Coaching Group

Hayne Coaching Group assists roofing contractors prosper by discovering and implementing smarter, better ways to work.  We provide executive coaching for key leaders in a company and organized and facilitated industry peer groups, so that companies may benefit from their group’s collective experience, buying power, accountability and so much more.  Learn more here haynecoachinggroup.com.