Successfully Expanding Beyond Roofing

Roofer Benny Fisher told International Roofing Expo attendees that selling siding, windows and doors is like selling roofing, and that they can be profitable businesses. But before jumping into other exterior categories, he said to conduct a careful analysis of your roofing company and develop a strategic expansion plan. 

“Be really clear on your next move … because it’s brutal,” he said. “The first time you have your first hiccup, you are either going to scrape it or get back to it later. Then your team is not going to respect you. They will have organizational whiplash.” 

Fisher and Erik Zadrozny, vice president of sales for Beacon Building Products, said during their session that there are big opportunities for installing residential siding, windows and doors in the new construction and for replacement and repair. 

A report from the Freedonia Group shows residential roofing demand will increase slightly from 2022 to 181.3 million squares in 2027. Demand is expected to rise 1.9% annually to $15.2 billion. 

The other exterior categories are even larger. Through 2026, the window and door market will increase slightly to $35.9 billion, Freedonia said. 

Market Insights reports that the U.S. siding market was $22.4 billion in 2022, and Freedonia said demand for siding should grow 1.4% annually to 103 million squares in 2025. (Three-fourths of siding sales are residential.) Global  

“It’s an immediate way to scale your business,” said Fisher, founder of Big Fish Contracting in Pittsburgh.  

Plus, when you talk with potential roofing clients you can pitch other exterior products. “Hiring a contractor is pretty miserable,” he said. “(Customers) really only want to deal with one person”. 

How Big Fish Expanded 

Before jumping into another product category, Big Fish did a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis to see if it made sense to add siding and windows to its business. 

Strengths: Fisher had his team list the company’s strengths. “You need to know these things to know if you should do this.” He said Big Fish Roofing is well known for top-notch customer service and has more than 700 five-star reviews. 

Challenges: The team noted that roofing is a lot easier and less time consuming to install than siding and windows because it has fewer pieces. 

“If you screw up one job, and 20 people are talking about it,” Fisher said. 

Also, even though the sales process is similar, Big Fish would have to create systems, processes and sales presentations for the siding and window businesses. 

Opportunities: Despite the challenges, Big Fish saw big opportunities in siding and windows. It would be able to: 

“Insurance payments don’t stop in the winter,” Fisher said. “In the Northeast, we had to figure out how to make money in the winter.” 

Threats: Big Fish evaluated threats such as potential material delays, working with new crews and dealing with other types of competitors. 

Decision: Fisher thought the company was up to the challenges and threats (“We overcome adversity all the time”) but he wanted the decision to be made by his staff. “Get your team to buy in because they are going to implement it,” he said. “It’s got to be a team thing.” 

When the company decided to expand, it faced a big learning curve. For that reason, Fisher suggested doing your first projects on your or employees’ houses to practice. 

Big Fish moved slowly into other categories. The owner said his team contacted existing customers first to see if they would be interested in siding. You can test the waters by saying, “We just want you to go through the demo,’’ Fisher said. “We don’t want you to buy from us yet.’” 

Big Fish created strong partnerships with product manufacturers and had meetings with reps. “Use them like an employee,” he said. “They work for you.” 

Fisher said Big Fish took James Hardie reps to customer appointments when the company started installing its fiber-cement siding, and three years later, the team still takes reps on calls from time to time. 

Also, Big Fish developed a new marketing strategy with the help of manufacturers’ coop dollars. Fisher said many companies offer these incentives to contractors, so take advantage of them. 

Proceed With Caution 

While selling other exterior products can be profitable for roofers, both presenters advised to go slowly. 

“Most of you in this room need to get better at roofing,” Fisher said. “Make sure you put a team together that is focused. I lost a lot of money doing my first siding and window jobs. Do your first business best first.” 

Fisher said here are some additional things to consider before taking the plunge: