How often do you make sales where the customers know exactly what options are best for their buildings? Probably not too many.
Building owners (and additional stakeholders) know how important roofing decisions are—but that doesn’t mean they don’t have many other decisions demanding attention.
What if you’re offering products that cost more than the competition? You know they’re higher quality but getting prospects to understand that is pivotal.
Let’s go through 4 keys to proving that your roof products are the best options for potential customers.
1. Education First
When customers are faced with a barrage of options—EPDM, TPO, PVC, SPF, asphalt, acrylic coating, green roof, etc.—you can’t assume they’re 100% informed. Making use of every bit of literature, collateral, samples, and spec sheets within the organization is critical.
However, it’s not enough to just present some high-level information about your many offerings. They’ll still be drawn to the comfort of lowest cost. That’s why the challenger sale (or solution selling) has become so popular.
The key to challenger selling is arming your salespeople with deep knowledge of the prospect’s business—not just its purchase intent, but also its industry demands, climate concerns, the stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. Everything relevant to the prospect’s situation and external influences.
With that information, sales teams can go beyond pushing products and truly educate customers on their best options. And as a result, they can shift the conversation from price to true value.
Keep in mind that this educational approach has to be tailored to each new prospect. And not only that, but each individual stakeholder within the buying team. What matters to a building’s architect may not matter as much to the CFO or the procurement team.
Being able to empathize with and educate an entire buying team should be the first mission when communicating the value of your roof products.
2. You Get What You Pay For
Especially in the context of roof products, you have to shift the conversation away from short-term costs and toward long-term value. A great roofing system is an investment—and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly in the context of the building investment as a whole.
The old saying “you get what you pay for” is cliché for a reason. Cheaper roofing alternatives may not hold up as well in extreme weather or even just heavy storms. What if there’s damage to the roof, but it’s not covered by a limited warranty? Sales should be able to explain that roofing products are more expensive now but will pay off in the long run with lower maintenance costs.
When you believe in the quality of your own products, you should be able to explain how they deliver that value. Do your products contribute to higher LEED ratings? Do they offer greater protection than cheaper alternatives? Know why your products are a great investment before trying to make a sale.
3. It’s Not Magic
Buzzwords are the bane of a customer’s existence. If your sales pitch revolves around technical jargon vague claims, know that you aren’t communicating the value you’re hoping to.
Unclear sales pitches can come across as magic as opposed to a viable investment. You have to make roof product value concrete and easy to understand.
Train your salespeople to go deeper than running down the list of features. Explain benefits in terms of customer needs, not just with cookie-cutter marketing phrases. Better yet, dive deep into customer stories that clearly convey the difference your roofing products made between Point A and Point B.
4. The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You
Be realistic when it comes to sales conversations. Your customers know that there are other options out there on the market. Too many companies avoid mentioning the competition at all costs.
Instead of ignoring the competition, embrace it. Be the expert about the entire market and take a genuine interest in a customer’s needs. That way, you can discuss the value of your products in the context of the whole range of vendors. Communicate value for a customer’s best direction. Don’t just force them down a path that your company is trying to build internally.
Communicating Value Is All About the Customer
We all have an agenda to build our businesses. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, we have to put aside our needs and spend more time thinking about what’s best for the customer. If we’ve built our product portfolios correctly, their needs and ours will interest.
The first main idea in The Challenger Sale is that how we sell has become increasingly more important than what we sell.
Keep that idea in mind and you’ll be well on your way to properly communicating the value of your roof products.
About PHP Systems/Design
PHP is the original inventor of the “zero penetration” rooftop support system, which does not require penetrations or flashing to install. Additionally, they specialize in support systems capable of enduring severe weather conditions, including high winds and seismic activity. They will engineer and design from your existing plans or will custom design a rooftop support system from beginning to end to meet the unique specifications of each individual client. All PHP products come with a standard 5-year warranty.
To learn more about PHP or to schedule a free rooftop support evaluation, visit PHP online and submit a free evaluation request form or call PHP at 1-800-797-6585.
