Tag: roofer

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This Piece of Equipment is taking the Coatings Industry by Storm

Every once in a while something comes along to an industry that looks so simple, seems so simple, is so simple, yet has never been introduced to the public. Typically these topics, equipment or processes are slow to gain traction and meet resistance from those who have always done it their way. But just like the car changed transportation & then the plane changed it even more, change is inevitable in our world.

When it comes to roof coatings, you look at them and the process and think “what exactly can someone do that can make such a change in an industry like roofing?”

Except for types of materials being used, it’s been pretty much the same for decades. Even less monumental things have came into the smaller niche market of Fluid Applied Systems using Roof coatings. Until now that has been true, but is now rapidly changing.

The Patent Pending Roof Rabbit has caught the Fluid Applied industry by Storm and continues to gain traction daily.

The ability to hand a laborer this piece of equipment and know that with simple “mil plate” checks they can consistently and accurately apply coatings and do it in a quicker time period than with a wand. Andy L from PA says “Thank you for making a wonderful product in the Roof Rabbit. We love ours now that we got it tuned in. We did 19,000 sq ft today in under 6 hrs over foam.”

“Thank you for making a wonderful product in the Roof Rabbit. We love ours now that we got it tuned in. We did 19,000 sq ft today in under 6 hrs over foam.”

-Andy L from PA

With the spray heads always positioned at 12-14” from the target surface you know you’re getting full coverage and not having light spots from back fatigue, not maintaining consistent passes. First time user laying down some primer, Ben V from Iowa says “Why in the heck wouldn’t every coating guy have one of these in their trailer?!!!”

“Why in the heck wouldn’t every coating guy have one of these in their trailer?!!!”

-Ben V from Iowa
Visit The Roof Rabbit Website

Secondly, the ability to stay in an upright position substantially minimizes back cramps and keeps production up even later into the day. With that added production (lower labor) you also gain cure times. If you know after 3 pm in your area is when pop up storms are common, you can have more roof done by noon and keep on schedule, versus using a wand and possibly having cure out issues. Billy P from CO says “My back hurt worse after 20-30 minutes of detailing with a wand than 4+ hours of using The Roof Rabbit.”

“My back hurt worse after 20-30 minutes of detailing with a wand than 4+ hours of using The Roof Rabbit.”

-Billy P from CO

Safety is another key topic these days & should be. With The Roof Rabbit & it’s forward cambered spray pattern, you have the ability to coat right up to the gutter edge of the roof and not have the wheels fall off the roof. This also allows the user to never cross the 6’ warning line from OSHA.

Change is inevitable…

…and more often than not it’s a change for the better of an industry. Stay open minded and attempt to be on the front end of things and it can be a game changer for you & your business. When you see something take off that you were using from the early days you can say that you were part of that movement and use that to your advantage. Spray on!!!!

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Interesting in owning a Roof Rabbit?
Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Grow your Market Share and Not Become a Commodity Roofer

Fluid Applied Growth

Let’s all face it… we would love to have a higher percentage of our market, but doing so by lowering your pricing is not the way to do it. If you can’t find ways to keep your pricing the same and make the same or more profit, it’s not worth the effort required. Let’s discuss a few ways that you can accomplish this:

1: Talk to your past clientele.

Ask them why they chose you, what would they have like changed about you and your experience with them and what areas they were okay with but maybe thought you could still use some improvments on.

2: DON’T try to imitate Nike, Walmart, Lowes etc.

These large companies have millions upon millions at their disposal to literally test marketing each year and see which Branding ads work and which don’t. They also have the money to accrue the data and analyze it down to the penny. Most roofing companies do not fit this mold and are not trying to reach the same audience, hence will never have the capital to spend to accomplish anything like that. Your thoughts should be focused on a consumer who needs a roof and how to make that person want you to do that roof, without knowing you or meeting you.

3: Be definitive in your company’s elevator speech.

If you can’t tell your potential client why they should use you instead of company X, you’re losing sales.  Get it down pat in a way that differentiates you so well that they would feel wrong to choose your competitor over you know matter the price. Don’t say “we have been in business this long” or “our crews are trained and experienced.” Those are generic, simple statements that don’t set you apart.

4: Make sure your marketing game is on point and that it’s doing the pre-selling for you.

If your marketing is hitting the Why of the client, it’s building a relationship with them and they will see your price as a Value because of the impression they already have of you, all from your marketing efforts. Your sales will be easier to close, as the price won’t be the deciding factor.

5: Don’t give discounts, PERIOD.

All a discount says is “I don’t think the customer sees my Value and I am overpriced.” Once you make that statement, it is with you for eternity, every roof you do for that client they will expect the discount or a lower price that equates the same thing. If you are not sold that the value you bring them is worth the price your asking, then you are not sold on your product or service.

If you will drive these points home with everyone on your team, it will help every sales process close and flow much smoother and easier, without price haggling.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Setting Up Your Pump For Maximum Performance

Roof-Coatings-Pump

You’ve landed a roof that justifies purchasing an airless sprayer. “Which one, why and what all is involved” are the next questions to go through your head.

What to Consider when Purchasing a New Pump:

Consider the size of your roof project, as well as the average size that future roof projects may be. Is the average roof that you think you will be doing in the 10 to 12,000 square-foot range or larger?

Sizing your pump is an easy way to save money up front and still get the job done. There is actually no need for a pump the size of an 833 if your average roof is 5 to 10,000 ft.²
Roofs that size can be done with a 7900 all day long. If you get an occasional large roof a 7900 will still perform well, it will just take a little longer when you start top coating.

If your average job is going to be 10,000 square-foot & up, then you’re better off to start with something like a Graco 833. Another question to ask is, are you going to be doing acrylics or silicone. If silicone is in your future and spraying is the method you want to do, then a Graco 933 is your number one option. The 933 will allow you to spray silicone and if you desire to, you can use a second set of hoses and gun to spray acrylics, although it’s not recommended due to labor required to insure pump is spotless of each chemistry before using the other chemistry. Most contractors who spray both acrylics and silicone have dedicated pumps for each system.

Hose Configuration is Equally Important

Once you have decided what size pump you’re going to need, you’ll then need to look at your hose configuration. Make sure that the dealer you’re purchasing from is not trying to make a sale by selling you the wrong size and length hoses just to get the price down. To maximize efficiency and performance you’ll want to run as much of the largest size hose recommended for your pump as you can. For instance on roofs, most contractors run 150 to 200 feet of half-inch hose with a 50 foot section of 3/8 hose connected to their gun or a Roof Rabbit.

Silicon contractors on the other hand, if going over 150 feet of total hose, will typically start out with 1 inch hose for 100 to 150 feet before necking down to 3/4 and half inch, not to exceed half inch or smaller house. This is simply due to the physical characteristics of silicon and it not liking to be sprayed.

Doing these things, as well as using hose reels will set you up for success when you’re ready to tackle the roof that you’ve landed.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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How’s Your Hair?

man-doing-hair-maintainence

How’s your hair? Are you blessed to be bald like me or do you have that perfect Bon Jovi hair? More than likely you don’t have either and about every 3-6 weeks you have to do something with your hair to maintain it to the desired outcome you’re after.

Maintaining for the Desired Effect:

Building maintenance is no different. If your building owners allow gutters, kick outs, roof drains, tree limbs, HVAC covers, gas pipe stands, and other issues to be left un-checked they can end up causing & costing them thousands of dollars.

But on the other hand if they have a maintenance program in place to catch any of these concerns before they cause any long term issues, then they are actually decreasing the life cycle costing of their roofing system. Not only that, but at the time of a sale if a building is changing hands in a real estate transaction, a roof that has a proven maintenance schedule will be worth much more compared to one of the same age that’s been left unkept.

Keep it Under Control:

Building maintenance is a lot like long, shaggy, unkept hair: you have to do something to keep it in control or it will become a hairy situation that’s hard to manage. At the end of the day, sell the value of what you are doing by providing building owners with a maintenance agreement and show them how doing it is a long-term smart financial decision.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Are You Setting The Pace?

pace

What is “PACE?”

Pace stands for “property assessed clean energy.” It’s an industry organization that helps contractors and consumers finance projects. What the Pace program does is uses a bond program to finance energy efficiency projects in the residential & commercial world. Once a municipality’s financial district adopts the bond program, bonds can be issued. So homeowners or building owners who are adding energy efficient improvements can be granted loans through the pace program. The unique thing about the program is that the property owners are able to repay the loans with (obvious interest) over 20 years based on an annual assessment that goes onto their property taxes.

Why it’s a Good Thing

By doing it this way the pace loan program allows contractors to get over the two common hurdles for owners which are: upfront cost and the possibility of those costs not being recovered if the property was to be sold.

Pace allows them to install energy-efficient upgrades now and pay later. If the property happens to be sold before the repayment has been made then the remaining tax liability becomes part of the property’s new tax bill and the new owner just takes it over.

With credit being a serious thing in the Economy today, and having cash flow tightened, this type of program is a great alternative to traditional financing. If it’s offered in your area you should be taking advantage of it as often as possible. Your clients will be able to make the payments even easier by reaping the benefits of the energy-efficient upgrades that you are installing such a spray foam or cool roof coatings.

Unfortunately…

The only thing holding pace back is that it requires state by state approvals to create legislation to have their own pace programs, which is a slow process. PACE-enabling legislation is active in 36 states plus D.C., and PACE programs are now active (launched and operating) in 20 states plus D.C.

In states where the pace program is available a contractor should be doing their due diligence on educating their clients about the programs benefits. Contractors who do not have the pace program available need to for the benefit of the whole industry, encourage their state to pass the pace bond program.

Let’s Work Together to Pick up the Pace

If we can all come together as advocates we can get this program adopted across the entire United States and allow our clients to take advantage of the benefits of it. With the added ability to sell more jobs and building owners to be able to have the work completed, we can even add more economic benefit by creating new jobs.

Another benefit to the program is for the actual local governments benefit, which is that the program provides new revenue sources through interest charges that go out on the loans. Although the interest is minimal with added quantity they can add up to substantial stimulation for local economies.

So let’s gather together to get the Fluid Applied Roof Restoration Industry up to PACE and saving roofs & saving dollars one roof at a time.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

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How do you Stretch your Leadership Growth?

Caulking-Being-Stretched

I was recently at a manufacture’s National Convention and was able to be trained by some of the world’s best Leadership trainers: Dr. John C Maxwell, Dr Doug Firebaugh & Pastor Craig Groeschel. Leaders of this magnitude are few and far between and when you have a power packed line up like them, you shut down all distractions, open up all your available brain power and absorb it all in.

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses:

That weekend has been a game changer for me in the way of opening my eyes to the areas of leadership that I am seriously lacking in. Craig Groeschel helped me realize my strengths and how I can build on them. It also opened my eyes to know that there are things I am equally struggling in or have a weakness in. By identifying my weaknesses, I can do my best to create a system that helps me strengthen them. Internally I have to create a support system that works, that makes me aware of the issue, and allows me to seek help to develop it or even just accept that weakness and learn to deal with it.

Discovering a Defining Trait of Leadership: Discipline

Learning from both Maxwell & Groeschel that a true defining trait of leadership, is discipline. It is not what we do occasionally but what we do consistently that builds the confidence and drive that is needed to build our leadership to all new levels. Maxwell and Groeschel both stated that the secret to success is doing something every day and not shooting for doing something in an “All Day” effort. Consistency compounds efforts and results.

Failing Forward:

One of Maxwells key points was to fail forward and fail faster. If we strive for this cycle of success, we are always in a growth/learning mode. By testing, failing, learning, improving and then repeating you are always moving forward. Maxwell stated to quit counting your losses and start counting your lessons.

Being Intentional:

Doing all of these things with specific intentionality will help you reach your goals sooner and more often. To move forward in your coating business, work on things to intentionally stretch yourself farther as a leader. Do them daily and stay focused.

The Winning Success Formula:

If you can find your purpose in life, incorporate it into what you do and continually add value to the people that you are around daily, you are in route to a truly fulfilled life. If we can be of any help on your journey, reach out and let’s grow together.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.