How To Tell Them
“Size Doesn’t Matter”
By Gordon Van Wechel
Any small roofing contractor has, at one time or another, dealt with a prospect who was concerned that
they wouldn’t be able to complete their job because they were a “small company.” A related concern is your
visibility. “I’ve never heard of you before,” says the prospect. What he is really wondering if you will be in
business long enough to not only complete their roof, but be around to correct anything that might go wrong
in the next couple of years.
This is a tough challenge. We all have larger and better known competitors in the local market. How can a
small or new enterprise compete? Here are three ways to react to your prospect’s concerns:
Concern: “You don’t have enough experience.”
There is an automatic assumption on the part of customers that if you’re new in business you don’t
have experience. The reality is that very few of us would go into a business that we didn’t have a
solid base of knowledge and experience. Yes, this particular enterprise might be new, but you are
not. To counteract this perception you must emphasize in your marketing the industry knowledge
and skills that you and your team have developed over time.
Concern: “You’re too small.”
There is a natural tendency to subtly imply that you are larger than you really are…perhaps not
outright lie, but let someone believe you have a bigger operation than is factual. A better strategy is
to turn this to your advantage by emphasizing the personal attention you can devote to the customer
and her project. You are local and can react quickly to any issue that might come up.
Think of this as a mini-version of the old Avis campaign: “we’re #2 and we try harder.”
Concern: “You don’t have the resources to meet my needs.”
This is a difficult assumption to battle. If you are used to handling job sizes of $8,000 to $10,000,
what do you do when you want to bid a $30,000 job? Here you have to clearly demonstrate that you
have capacity in house, enough people on your install crew and the specialists needed to thoroughly
and accurately complete the job.
22 Today’s Roofer / June 2015