SG Roofing Inc

02/24/2026

Leveraging Strategic Partnerships

Most contractors focus entirely on lead generation. The “lead generation plus referrals” strategy is a short term revenue strategy only. It’s a strategy where, if that’s all you focus on, things can get pretty stressful when the phone doesn’t ring for a couple days. Taking into account that the rough year that was 2025 for retail residential, as well as insurance jobs not trending upward anytime soon, the need for more long term cash flow avenues is imperative.

The real leverage isn’t more leads, its strategic partnerships. What do I mean? We have all heard of things like Home Depot’s Contractor Referral Program and other programs like that, but I want to challenge you to go beyond that. I’m talking about networking with your local building supplier or your favorite gutter guard manufacturer and getting the conversation going to form a partnership where they refer your name if the moment arises. The bigger the name, the better the leads and the more long term your future cash flows become. I have first hand knowledge of a roofing company (wasn’t breaking any records for growth) who benefited from a well known gutter company’s business, because on certain occasions the gutter install would demand a roofer to perform part of the job. A more simple example is a roofer gaining relationships with multiple PA’s so that they get the job when a claim is approved. The list goes on and on. And the benefits list goes on and on as well:

1) No marketing costs
2) The jobs completed on behalf of another party creates referral leads
3) Long term cash flows

In down years, this can keep your head above water. In boom years, this can take you to a higher level. Networking is the key here; you’re not going to get anywhere by staying behind closed doors. If you think the only talking you should do is with future, past or present clients, your being one dimensional. If you think you need deep pockets for Google Ads to thrive in this business, your being one dimensional. Get out there and make it happen.

01/30/2026

When to say No to customers:

Problem: Clients who expect you to do jobs above and beyond original scope of work.

When your starting out, you treat every moment you earn a client’s trust with great appreciation. Often times, the emotional rush leads to the delusion that we ‘owe’ something to the customer as a thank you for them choosing you for their project. But like every savvy consumer, (whether its someone shopping in the clearance section of Macy’s, or using coupons for takeout) clients sometimes expect too much. Then we are scratching our heads wondering how we are going to quote them for this ‘extra’ work, that was originally not planned. In this day nothing is free; conversely, charging a premium for ‘adding an awning’ or ‘replacing just the fascia trim around my garage’ could make the customer upset. Depending on how niche the request is, this makes managing the situation even trickier. In the past, I’ve taken on this ‘extra’ work and gotten burned. I charged far too little for my time (cause I was scared to say ‘No’), and what was only supposed to be ‘a little awning above client’s window’ turned out to be a whole day’s work that I never quoted enough labor for.

Solution #1: Recognizing this is key. Even more important is being brave enough to say ‘no’ when this comes up. Its not worth the stress, anxiety and even if you manage to quote and complete the work, the extra money just isn’t worth it.
Solution #2: include the ‘extra’ work as part of add-on for a larger roof/siding/gutter replacement. Preferably the work coincides with the work your already doing (ie. fascia and soffit with gutter/roof replacement, awning with window replacement, etc.) that way part of the work will be handled while your already tackling the main project.

Of course, if you are a true beginner, this type of stuff could be a gateway to ‘get your foot in the door’ which may make homeowner choose you as opposed to a larger competitor. But be cautious, as pretty soon you’ll find that there is a fine line between saying ‘Yes’ to every niche job and being taken advantage of.

Call now to connect with business.

01/21/2026

Why Pay per Lead is a scam

PPL (Angie, Thumbtack, etc) is a scam for the small contractor, unfair advantage for the large contractor, and a crappy service for the homeowner.

Small roofers who have tried PPL know the script:
1) Pay to get client info
2) Contact them
3) Set Up Appointment
4) Meet
5) Bid the job
6) Close
The issue is, after step 1, steps 2 through 6 may never occur for various reasons, yet your in the hole for the cost of obtaining the lead. Small roofers who are looking to scale invariably fall into this trap and get burned. While I don’t know first-hand at what percent do large contractors use PPL to gain business, I do know that they have the capital to absorb the ‘dead’ leads and capitalize on the ‘good’ ones. Combine this with large budgets for SEO services, Google ads and other marketing, and big roofers have isolated the competition to other big roofers. PPL also is a bad service for the customer. Today’s sales process is ‘discovery and education’. The software that spits out ‘here’s some roofers we picked for you’ is the opposite of what builds trust and educates homeowners. Because the PPL reduces choosing roofers into a ‘ pick from a list of these names’ it greatly dulls the ‘discovery’. To be fair, a HO is probably better off just taking the first name that appears on Google than to have Thumbtack or Angie decide for them.

Solution: If you are a small roofer looking to scale, a return to old school marketing is the answer:
1) Networking with your inner circle
2) Flyers via direct mail
3) Doing niche services for cheap to leverage ‘foot in the door’ opportunities
4) Meeting new people, gaining trust through good conversation, and closing by just mentioning you’re a roofer (preferably in that order!)

If your stuck, these will be your friends and the effects of them compound the longer your in the game. If your thinking about prematurely closing up shop after experiencing some struggle, you need to 1) Keep it simple and 2) Stick it out. These methods don’t require lots of money, aren’t sexy and therefore quite under the radar.

04/01/2025

Just completed a shake roof on a gazebo for a client in Naperville, IL. Call us for your shake roof needs !

02/25/2025

Helped repair ventilation issue in South Suburbs. Ridge vents are the go-to these days but be careful to make sure ridge gap is wide enough. This roof was only 5 years old and since gap wasnt adequate, attic air wasnt venting properly.

01/27/2025

Chimney Repair. If your chimney looks like this we can help! This customer had a lot of water issues that we resolved since doing this repair.

01/06/2025

Des Plaines, IL