What is it you can do to battle Stormers ????

Rockydog Said: This is really not worth discussing, because not enough other roofers are putting in feedback. We have twill who plays devils advocate but doesnt offer any relevant info on how to combat the chasers, and woody and Robert who really dont give a hoot about insurance work. I wish all my competition thought like that.

I agree w/ that Rocky. Perhaps we need to hear from someone like "miscreant" who was hit twice in 3 yrs in Columbus, or ShingleMonkey that has been hit a couple of times in Indy. Vince took it hard after the storms. He might be out of business, IDK.

You guys that go through this on a regular basis will always have a real solution, compared to those that are shyster shy. But at what point do you transform from a roofer to a blue jeaned lawyer, knowingly or not? Or do you just run separate divisions? dba "Door Knockers USA" and the sister company "Rocky's Roofing".

I have not been impacted enough by this to only have more than one professional opinion, #1 STRATEGY: The locals need to band together. But when talking about a group that generally hates one another, and with varying degrees of business strategies, it ain't likely to happen

As I have seen, and said, Indiana is so low priced it is not a viable option to chase insurance work for a Legal contractor.

So my #2 STRATEGY would be to start w/ Exactimate (or whoever) and to get prices where they are LEGITIMATE all of the time. Not just those few lucky home runs.

Robert, Chucky doesnt like stormers, he, like I, and every roofer, likes STORMS. Storms create business for all of us. The more business there is the more homeowners I can help. Yes, I make money when I help someone with their roof. There is nothing wrong with that. It,s called making a living. You can have as much business as you want. That is your choice, do not deny me mind. I will work very hard for it. I hate stormers coming and dipping into mine and yours pocketbook.They take most of the fruit that have fallen off the tree or hanging low in the tree when you and I should be out there with our bushel baskets. I am a firm believer in sharing, and I have no problem sharing and giving my wealth away to those less fortunate. So the more I make the more I can give. Don't deny me. To all local roofing contractors, where ever you're from, you owe to your self and your community and your brotherhood to go to all lengths to slow down the Stormchasers, or just shut up, and watch the migrant work force swarm thru your groves and orchards gathering truckloads of fruit..... :angry: :angry: :angry:

This is really not worth discussing, because not enough other roofers are putting in feedback. We have twill who plays "devils advocate" but doesnt offer any relevant info on how to combat the chasers, and woody and Robert who really don't give a hoot about insurance work. I wish all my competition thought like that. Instead the locals go off half-cocked with no education and start lowering the sale price to take work away from the competion and bitch about the storm chasers coming into town on chrome dually chariots.

CIAK Said: I dont know where you heard that from wywoody? If your a local guy and trying to capture your market, save some of the headaches stromers create on the local community and roofing contractors in general. This is the perfect thread to stop complaing and whineing do something about it. Tom, can you add some tidbits that would be helpful. Their is money to be made. Rock has explained it and Larry is a potential soruse for decent information. tinner made some good points. The spectrum is wide and each has place. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

Chuck, just for future reference on anything I post, don't take the setup line too literally. Sometimes my integrity is devoted more to the punchline than total thruthfulness in the premise line. Maybe I need more emocons thingys, but I've developed an aversion to them.

As to the issue of stormers and insurance work, it's a nonissue to me, so there's no complaining or whining coming from me. Maybe it's the area of the country I live in or maybe it's my niche, but other than consulting fees a couple of times, I haven't dealt with adjusters or insurance agents for well over a decade. Some of my customers may have had insurance claims, but they paid me direct.

When I read about people that get a leak and then try to make an insurance claim for a reroof, it's not my world, I don't even want to deal with that type of customer. Yet from looking at the Florida company that Twill referred to in another post, it sounds routine enough for them to specifically go for that market on their website. That, to me sounds like a recipe for sky-high property insurance coupled with plunging property values down where the sun shines dam near every day.

CIAK Said: What can you do to get ahead of the Stomers??? What do you see them doing and how can you counter and take the storm away from them. It is time to take your community back after an event.

It has been covered in another thread. Short version is the Insurance industry sets actuaries by default to Xactimate. It is how they set their policy pricing. Tom will you answer some of the questions of the thread. What can you contribute? B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

I've said it before that some Ins work pays OK.

We just did some work for $74 per m/ hr. Pretty good for this area. Altho I am one of the few that looks at it on an hrly basis. Let's just say Gp would be over 50%

Indiana has prolly the lowest Exactimate rates I have heard of.

Which is why you might refer to my thread called:

I AM CURIOUS: Where does Exactimate find these local contractors for their pricing?

Posted by: twill59 on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 5:39 AM

I don't know where you heard that from wywoody? If your a local guy and trying to capture your market, save some of the headaches stromers create on the local community and roofing contractors in general. This is the perfect thread to stop complaing and whineing do something about it. Tom, can you add some tidbits that would be helpful. Their is money to be made. Rock has explained it and Larry is a potential soruse for decent information. tinner made some good points. The spectrum is wide and each has place. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

Funny woody. You wonder why these guys do it. Money IS evrything I guess. Even if it's minimal.

Larry, I am one of those "experts" too! I got a little sign on my truck designating me as such. Or I will put it on the work van sometimes, designating someone else as the "expert" that particular day. Who's on 1st?

What the heck, why not? If the insurance pays enough and the customer wants us ( and is NICE) or is a past customer, I will go for the job. If it's a joke price, a schemeing customer or some other crap I'll not go for it.

I hear that once you get into the top 5%, instead of spending your evenings in the Holiday Inn lounges, you get to go to the Hilton lounges. What a life.

Train your people. By training them I mean really training them, not simply giving them the basics then telling them to hit the streets representing themsleves as "insurance claim specialists" or something similar. That's amatuer hour - but unfortunately, that's how most contractors do it.

I'm always amazed that most local contractors from any city in the country (80%) will complain all day long about the "stormers" but not spend a dime to learn how to become better than them so they can control their market. Sure, they'll spend a bunch of money on yard signs and flyers to get the attention of potential customers and then sign a bunch of them up after a storm has hit (too late!). Still, I can guarantee that the same 80% will still leave many thousands of dollars on the table and the "stormers" will still eat up a majority of the local business.

Are all "stormers" bad? Nope.

With 40 years exp in the business + 20 years in the insurance industry, I now train contractors from across the country how to process insurance claims the right way. But, I know my market is pretty much limited to the top 20% who are willing to spend a few bucks to earn a ROI thousands of times their investment.

Any contractor can claim to be an "insurance claim specialist" or something similar - and most do, but that has nothing to do with actually having the real and substantive knowledge and experience that goes with the claim anymore than calling oneself a roofing or siding expert just because they've might have installed a few roofing or siding jobs does and we know there are plenty of those guy's out there.

Doing battle: First, humble yourself and spend a few bucks to get trained by a professional instead of just calling yourself a"specialist","expert", etc. Then, train your sales staff with what you have learned. Then, be proactive by letting your local market know what you do and why they should choose you over a local non certified contractor or a "stormer" - before the storm hits. When it does, you'll be ready, you and your sales staff will be able to overcome 99% of the typical adjuster nonsense, denials, fibs, TI, bad faith, etc. and word will get out amongst them and potential customers that you are a true pro.

Your numbers and your profits will go way up, more adusters will respect you and therefore pay your customers (ultimately you) better (always on legitimate damage) and they'll make up the difference by screwing the next 10 contractors who only claim to be "insurance claims specialists" but who are, in reality, nothing more than posers. Below are a several examples of what happens to smart contractors who invest in themselves to learn how to become real insurance claim specialists: Since this is not an ad nor is this site the proper forum for an ad, some of the info has been xxx'd out.

"Overall I am very pleased with the product and feel it was money well spent. When I sat down to read xxx xxxxxxxx for the first time it was one of those reads you don’t want to stop on. I found it that interesting. It was very informative and I found the information useful." DS - Contractor Sales Rep - Illinois

"I discovered the xx xxxxxx xxx program through an industry forum. Even BEFORE I got the program, following the logic that program creator xxxxx had written about on the forum, I got a claim upped from $4,900 to $7,800 allowing me to more than double my and my boss’s commission! Soon after ordering and studying the program I was able to increase an insurance adjuster’s estimate from $34,000 to $71,000. Borrow the money if you have to, get this program and you'll make it back on one deal, probably double your income too. JG. - Roofing & siding sales, S. Carolina

"I have been in the insurance restoration business for over 10 years. Fortunately a friend (also in the business) introduced me to xxxxxx with xxxxxxx. xxxxxx is very beneficial with its own software program vs. Xactimate, the forty plus adjuster denials with rebuttals, and a full layout how to run an insurance restoration business. Even if you have been doing this for years like myself, there are several things with his program you can benefit from. Most importantly the support by xxxxxxxxx is by far worth the cost of the program." - JV - General Contractor, Minnesota

Think about it! Like one of my midwestern states customers who is in the top 5% of contractors in the country said, "if contractors would get off their butt's and take action, the entire industry would change for the better.

Back to this thread how to battle a stormer let them do all the work for the good hands people and the like a good nieghbor people and they will go broke and out of business very quickly! :laugh:

Its been 4 years since gustav,even more since katrina all the wannabees are done our market has returned to normal,after 2 years of drought rain has returned and were selling metal roofs at a rapid pace and for great margins.Im really enjoying business now as it is as it should be,most call and only get a bid from us.We also are getting our metal at very competive pricing,we had a hail storm a couple hours north of here.I have an adjuster meeting on a ludwieci s tile job on a church this morning, it is pounded and will have to come off to dry in the church its a nice job.I really would prefer my market to stay as is where were busy and competetion is low,but were also selling metal and cant compete on shingles.

As long as we keep in mind that the game is SUING THE INSURANCE COMPANY above all else, we'll be fine

There is a better way.

Buy or rent a 7000 sf. building 50-75 miles from where you live and operate. The distance IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

If your city gets wiped out, so might your business for a few weeks too.

Now, take 10% every week, or more, and buy tarps and other things to store there, and at your current shop. Buy 100's of those yard signs and store them at both places. Have spare trucks and sales vehicles there too. As soon as the storm hits, stick those signs everywhere. Load all your trucks with tarps, slats, etc. This is the start. Just add in all the things I omitted and you're ready to go. Hurricane and Tornado season is here, so you're already wasting daylight! :woohoo: Start loading up first thing in the morning! Get that second lease signed now!

I'd like to think I'm good too Rocky. Under the clockgun recently, I hired a crew. Ive taught the owner many things, and he already knew most things. The one job he helped me on, I got 3 leaks. :huh: Go figure. I even know which employee was working where. Irksome.

Never made my million. I did lose my winning ticket though. :woohoo: Over $6M and I never found it. That one went unclaimed. Bummer.

I'm used to my 2-3 day weeks now and may need a week or two off in May after the wife's next operation. :)