Hand-To-Hand Combat For Roofers

In my 32 years in the roofing industry I have found that I perform better if I can assign opponent status to a competitor. I think a lot of guys are that way. I always picked out 1 contractor who was doing well and endeavored to do better than he, to win contracts against him.

I did the same thing in the martial arts - when I'd stand across the ring from the oppoent I was about to fight, he wasn't just another black belt who paid $25 entry fee to compete...he was a dastardly enemy who was going to try to embarass me in front of my students, my wife and my son, and who was going to try to take "my" trophy home with him. By the time we actually started the fight, in my mind he was a dirty no good thug who must be whooped for the general benefit of society...and my trophy shelf! :)

So, in that vein I started a new column in our Kold Kinger Newsletter this month, designed to give tips on competing with different roof systems sold by competitors. This month we're going after the SPF Foam guys. They are saturating their market, I believe, and have become a worthy opponent. The beast must be felled. :)

This was all in the late 1980's, and how we treated the competition was a response to how he treated everyone else. His company has been in business since 1891 (that's no type, over 100 years) and local roofers knew the owner to believe that no other roofer was qualified to roof in this region. He truly was an aggressive jerk - he legally challenged a $141,000 contract I had to reroof a school district...not because he was right, but because he knew I was too small to be able to afford to fight it. I was awarded the contract twice, and I finally decided not to go after it a 3rd time.

A guy like that deserves to be treated like the enemy.

Randy...we did the same, huge job 2000 sq. years ago. Gettysburg Villages , beautiful job. I went through the phone book and called all the local roofers, some came through, others were too busy. It was a great collabiration. We were competitiors but companions at the same time. PC

We co-op with our competition and at times even network to help each other out on larger jobs.......anything to keep the storm chasers run out of town! The local competition is not our enemy, unless they wish to be.

JET Said: There are two schools of thought when it comes to badmouthing your competition. One side loves the bitterness and the other side sees it as sour grapes because your competition is hurting you. Personally I go on a case by case basis when it comes to this sales tactic. I try to feel out a customers real reason for me being there and I always ask if theyve spoken to other companies. Depending on their answer I go from there. In my 26 years in this business Ive never had a problem with another roofer or roofing company. Now with suppliers, thats a different story. I cannot stand them for the whores they are and the way they use sales stats to give to the competition. I have fired up more than one......believe me. In fact, just last week we had a tussle over price increases on insulation board. I buy by the semi load and expect the absolute best price. Every January or so Ill contact other suppliers for prices, just to be sure were getting the best deal possible. When a big shot mfg. tries to impress me with my competitors volume it merely confirms my opinion of them. If there is one thing EVERY contractor needs to watch out for its his suppliers.........believe me.

JET

Yep. Badmouthing the competition can backfire. I always told my prospect: Our policy is to not knock our competitors - however, we don't mind comparing the roofing system we install to the one they install.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to badmouthing your competition. One side loves the bitterness and the other side sees it as sour grapes because your competition is hurting you. Personally I go on a case by case basis when it comes to this sales "tactic". I try to feel out a customer's real reason for me being there and I always ask if they've spoken to other companies. Depending on their answer I go from there. In my 26 years in this business I've never had a problem with another roofer or roofing company. Now with suppliers, that's a different story. I cannot stand them for the whores they are and the way they use sales stats to give to the competition. I have "fired up" more than one......believe me. In fact, just last week we had a tussle over price increases on insulation board. I buy by the semi load and expect the absolute best price. Every January or so I'll contact other suppliers for prices, just to be sure we're getting the best deal possible. When a "big shot" mfg. tries to impress me with my competitor's volume it merely confirms my opinion of them. If there is one thing EVERY contractor needs to watch out for it's his suppliers.........believe me.

JET

Patty Cakes Said: Hey you were both doing your jobs. She was in total denial and you were trying to make some bucks. When do you find time to roof, just found out you do Karate & Fly. Stay out of Texas. :laugh: PC

I don't tolerate boredom well. :cheer:

Hey you were both doing your jobs. She was in total denial and you were trying to make some bucks. When do you find time to roof, just found out you do Karate & Fly. Stay out of Texas. :laugh: PC

Patty, let me set the scene. She and I were adjusting a hail damaged roof for my customer and trying to cheat them out of money. It was in Lamesa Texas after thje whole town was wiped out with tennis ball sized hail. Golfball sized damage you can argue about, but not tennis ball. After tennis ball hail you just verify coverage, measure the roof, and agree on price, but she was aruing there was no hail damage in spite of every roof in town being totalled and the town crawling with roofers and adjusters. She acknowledged the huge holes in the roofs but said there was no proof that hail did it!!!??? In frustration with her, I said: Ok, so what caused these 10,000 holes in the roof, a meteor shower? That prompted the threat.

Ironically it led to some cool stuff. I called her boss to complain. He and I because friends, and he became my flight instructor who I got my pilots license under. He now flies 737s for Southwest Airlines. Good guy.

Roofguy...First point of advice stay out of Texas. Second point , that wasn't very nice. Funny but not nice. Was it an attitude thing? I have encountered some quite beautiful women that inspected roofs, and knowing the boys as I do, they can be quite the distraction. I know a couple of guys that hate when women come on the job site. Too much distraction. God you are all so predictable. Love ya anyway PC

I was threatened to first be whooped, then shot, by an insurance agent on a bowling alley roof in Tulia, Tx in about 1986.

Another adjuster (a lady...term used loosely) threatened to thow me off a roof in Lamesa, Tx. in 1989. I ws mildly annoyed so when she walked off to take pictures, I quietly walked over to my ladder, which we both used to get on the roof, went down, put it in my truck and left...her up there. :cheer: For all I know she's still up there.

Love it, love it, love it. :laugh: :laugh: Keep pumping your ponds. :laugh: PC

Patty Cakes Said: Thats the SPIRIT, ambition will conquer. Maybe I should put down the 2 x 4 and take KARATE. :lol: pc

:cheer:

Funny story: I'd been waging fearce battle with a large local roofing company back in the late 1980's. I'd taken most of the coveted large school district reroofing contracts in the region and he was fed up with me. He called me and said he was going to kick my butt and asked where we could meet. The remainder of the conversation went like this:

Me: Well, I'll be at my karate school, Spur Karate, teaching classes until 6:30 tonight. Come by after that and I'll try to work you in.

Him: Click.

:cheer:

That's the SPIRIT, ambition will conquer. Maybe I should put down the 2 x 4 and take KARATE. :lol: pc