Long ago, in what seems like another life, I was a rookie roofing salesman.

I know, roofing has a reputation for being a slimy business. Have a hail storm, hurricane, or tornado and all roofers within 300 miles of your home will fall on your neighborhood like frogs in Egypt.

Roofers will knock on your door, phone you, and fill your door with flyers until you finally make a decision. The best way to get rid of a roofer is to replace your roof … then you will never see them again … ever!

Hopefully, this is not how you do business. I am sure it is not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here reading tips on how to make more money selling roofs.

Loser # 1 It was in my rookie year that I learned my most valuable lesson.

I was the number one roofing salesperson in my office based on the number of contracts signed, but I was ranked number 20 in terms of dollar amount. In a few months I managed to sign more than 50 contracts. Meanwhile, the best in the office only had 20-30 contracts, but they were making 3 times as much money.

So what was the problem? Well, I was targeting small ceilings. I was comfortable approaching people who lived in homes that resembled the home I grew up in (modest). Nice people, get off the ground, but their roofs were tiny compared to the jobs the best were hiring.

I had in mind that I would never be able to talk to the people who lived in those big, pretty, pretty neighborhoods. I was convinced that they would not want to talk to me.

Sell ​​double – earn 1/3 less

For more than a year, I had to sell twice as many contracts to earn 1/3 of the money. One night, I was hanging around the office when one of the best asked me, “Mike, why don’t you look for the most important jobs?” He had to admit that he was scared.

I didn’t grow up with a lot of money. My parents were special education teachers … not exactly making money! I explained to Mr. Top Gun that I had no idea how to interact with the rich and rich. Then he recited a worn phrase. One that I’m sure you’ve heard before:

“They put their pants on one leg at a time like you!” And there you have it!

You’ve heard it said before, but that night it really resonated with me. At the end of the day, people are just people.

The people on the other side of those doors you call have the same hopes and fears as you … regardless of how nice their neighborhood is.

BONUS: Hope vs. Fear

It has been said that there are only two ways to sell something. Either fear of losing or hope of winning. Personally, I have found that fear of loss is much more motivating.

Hope is fleeting

By the time you reach your 30s, you will have accepted that most of the things you expected in your youth will probably not happen. As the years go by, it takes less and less time for hope to fade. Those who can maintain hope for an extended period of time are a special breed.

Fear will haunt you

Fear never goes away! It accompanies you to bed at night. It will whisper in your ear throughout the day. Fear will stalk you, mock you, and lie to you.

You will defeat fear and it will appear the next day ready to face you from another angle. That’s exactly why fear of losing is the biggest sales motivator.

If you want to sell to the rich and well-to-do, find out what keeps them up at night. What do they think? What fears are whispered in their ears. Find out what causes ulcers. Show the wealthy and wealthy that you understand their fear and that you are at the door talking business.

Fear of competition

Without fail, the rich fear your competition. Who is your competition? Maybe it’s Jones’ down the street. It could be a brother-in-law or a friend from college. Sometimes it’s the lady who drives a new Cadillac Escalade who lives around the corner. Regardless of whom, they have worked hard for their status. Standing out from the crowd and from your peers is important.

My experience is that the rich and well-to-do are generally consumed with wondering who could be better than them. Again, that is not always true, but I have found it to be true in general.

Sometimes they will be so consumed with maintaining their status that they will have nightmares about someone taking it all away or diminishing their height. Although I doubt they will admit it, they spend a lot of time figuring out how to protect what they have.

You have to remind them

When you go to a nice neighborhood, remind your prospects what to fear by not registering with you. How will your decision be not Make a decision to lower their status, prevent them from standing out or appear less than what they want to project to their competition?

If you do it right, they will sign your contract because it will help them maintain what they have worked so hard to achieve.