Closing Roofing Deals: From Inspection to Signed Contract

The rep had done everything right. He knocked 47 doors that morning. Got three appointments. Showed up at the 2pm inspection in a clean company polo. Climbed the roof. Found hail strikes on three slopes, a busted turbine, and granule loss in the gutters so thick it looked like kitty litter. He photographed every impact with a quarter for scale. He came down smiling.

Then he sat at the kitchen table with the homeowner and her husband and said, "So, you guys want to go ahead and sign this?"

The husband looked at his wife. The wife looked at the husband. The husband said, "We'll think about it."

The rep left without a signature. He called back three days later. Voicemail. He texted. Nothing. A week later he drove by the house and there was a competitor's sign in the yard.

He had the damage. He had the photos. He had the homeowners' attention for 45 minutes. He closed at 18%.

The top rep on his crew closed at 42% with the exact same lead quality, the exact same neighborhoods, and the exact same inspection process. The only thing different was what happened in the last ten minutes.

This post is about those ten minutes. And the hour before them. And the six hours of pre-work that make the ten minutes possible.

What closing actually is

Stop calling it closing. That word has done more damage to this industry than any training program ever created. It makes reps feel like they need to flip a switch at the end of an inspection and become someone else. It makes homeowners feel like they're being maneuvered. And it frames the entire interaction as a moment when it is actually a process.

Closing a roofing deal is not a move you pull at the end. It is the systematic removal of every last reason the homeowner has to say no. That's it. If you have removed every objection, the signature is automatic. If you have not, no script in the world will save you.

The reps who close at 40%+ are not smoother talkers. They are not better at handling rejection. They are not charming. What they are is thorough. They find out what the objection will be before the objection shows up, and they dismantle it in advance. By the time the pen hits the paper, there is literally no reason left to not sign.

Here is the reframe. A homeowner saying "I'll think about it" is not a decision. It is a signal that at least one reason to say no is still alive. Your job is to find it and kill it. Not push harder. Not sell harder. Find the objection and handle it.

That's the whole game.

The pre-inspection mental model

The close starts at the door. If you've read our door knocking scripts guide, you already know how to get from the first knock to an appointment. But there's a step between the knock and the inspection that most reps skip, and it kills their close rate before they ever climb a ladder.

That step is frame-setting.

When you confirm the appointment, either at the door or via follow-up text, the homeowner is building a mental model of what is about to happen. If you leave that model blank, they fill it in themselves. And what they fill it in with is usually "a roofing guy is going to try to sell me a roof."

The rep who closes at 40% fills in the model for them. Here's what that sounds like at the door:

"Tomorrow at 2pm, here's how this works. I'll be here for about 45 minutes. First 20 minutes I'm up on the roof taking photos and measurements. You don't need to be out there, you can stay inside. When I come down I'll sit with you at the kitchen table and walk you through what I found. If there's damage that qualifies for an insurance claim, I'll show you exactly what it is and we'll talk about next steps. If there's no damage, I'll tell you that too. Fair enough?"

That paragraph does four things at once. It sets a time boundary, which makes the homeowner feel safe. It describes the process, which removes uncertainty. It establishes that you'll tell them if there's no damage, which positions you as honest. And it ends with "fair enough," which is a micro-commitment that gets them saying yes before the real yes.

Do this and your close rate goes up before you've even done the inspection. Skip it and you're starting from zero at the kitchen table.

The inspection itself

Here is the part nobody tells new reps. The inspection is not about finding damage. The inspection is about documenting damage in a way that sells the claim to three different audiences.

Audience one is the homeowner. They need to see it. They need to understand it. They need photos that don't require a meteorology degree to interpret.

Audience two is the insurance adjuster. They need a paper trail that matches their inspection, shot from angles that make hail strikes obvious even through a compressed photo viewer on a company-issued Samsung tablet.

Audience three is future-you, 60 days from now, when the insurance company denies half the claim and you need to appeal. You need photos you can zoom in on that still show the damage clearly.

What that means practically. Every hail strike gets three photos. Wide shot showing the slope and location. Medium shot showing the strike in context. Close-up with a coin or chalk circle for scale. Every soft metal hit (vents, flashings, gutters) gets the same treatment. Every granule loss area gets a shot with the downspout or gutter visible so you can prove where the granules went.

GPS-tag every photo. If you're using a canvassing platform with GPS-tagged knock logging, this is already built in. If you're shooting photos that aren't geotagged, you are handing the insurance company a free reason to deny the claim. They will ask "how do we know these photos came from this roof" and you won't have an answer. With GPS metadata, you have the answer before they ask.

Count the strikes. Write the number down. Per slope. A homeowner hearing "I counted 23 hail strikes on your north slope alone" is processing a specific fact. A homeowner hearing "there's a lot of damage up there" is processing nothing. Specificity sells.

Presenting damage to the homeowner

This is where most reps lose the deal. The inspection went great. The roof is toast. The homeowner is ready to listen. And the rep pulls out a stack of printed photos or, worse, says "so yeah there's a lot of damage, do you want me to file the claim?"

The top reps use a tablet. One tablet. Clean screen. Photos organized by slope. They sit next to the homeowner, not across from them. Across from is interrogation. Next to is collaboration. You are looking at the same screen, figuring out a problem together.

Here is what the walkthrough sounds like, word for word:

"Okay so this is your north slope. See this circle I drew? That's a hail impact. Count with me. One, two, three, four, five. And that's just this section. Let me show you the next section."

You are making the homeowner count the damage themselves. Not because counting is fun. Because when they count it, it becomes their damage. They own it. They are now invested in doing something about it.

Printed photos are fine if you don't have a tablet. They are not as good. You lose the ability to zoom, swipe, and dramatize. But they're better than verbal. Never present damage verbally. "Yeah, there's a bunch of hail up there" is not a presentation. That's a weather report.

One more thing. During the walkthrough, the homeowner will ask questions. Some of them will be dumb. Some of them will be brilliant. Answer every one like it was brilliant. The moment you make a homeowner feel stupid for asking, you have lost the close. They will stop asking, start nodding politely, and tell you they need to think about it.

If you're building out a structured sales pipeline, this is the stage where leads convert or stall. Track it.

The insurance adjuster meeting

If the homeowner signs a contingency agreement after the inspection, you're not done. You've just entered the second act. The adjuster meeting is where 30% of almost-closed deals die, and it dies because the rep doesn't show up, shows up late, or shows up and says the wrong thing.

Always be at the adjuster meeting. Always. Not "I'll text you after." Not "let me know how it goes." Be physically there, in your company polo, with your tablet and your measurements and your photos.

Show up 15 minutes early. Walk the property before the adjuster arrives. Review your notes. Know your strike counts cold.

When the adjuster arrives, introduce yourself, shake their hand, give them your card. Be friendly. Not aggressive. Not pushy. They are not your enemy. They are a human with a job. Treat them like a professional and they will return the courtesy 80% of the time.

Here is what to say. "Appreciate you coming out. I did my inspection Tuesday, happy to share what I found or stay out of your way, whichever works better for you." You are giving them the option to lead. Most adjusters will say "sure, show me what you've got." Now you're in the driver's seat without having grabbed the wheel.

Walk the roof with them. Show them your photos. Point out strikes they might have missed. Do not argue. Do not contradict them in front of the homeowner. If they say "I'm only seeing 6 strikes on this slope" and you counted 18, do not say "no you're wrong." Say "okay, let me show you these on my photos, some of them blend into the granules pretty well from certain angles."

Here is what to never say. Never say "this is a total loss." That is the adjuster's call, not yours. Never say the homeowner's deductible. Never talk price with the adjuster. Never bash the insurance company. Never promise the homeowner anything during the adjuster meeting.

If the adjuster denies the claim or partials it, do not argue on the roof. Thank them. Shake their hand. Walk them out. Then turn to the homeowner and say "Okay, let me pull the photos and write up an appeal. I've done this before, we've got a few options."

A rep who handles a partial with composure in front of the homeowner will keep that customer. A rep who argues with the adjuster in the driveway will lose the customer even if they win the appeal.

Objection handling

Here are the five objections you will hear, in order of frequency. Memorize the responses. Not to recite them. To internalize them so they come out of your mouth naturally.

"It's too expensive."

This objection almost never means what it says. The homeowner is not comparing your $14,000 roof to their checking account. They are comparing your quote to a vague sense of "roofs should cost less than this." Your job is to reframe.

"I hear you. Out of pocket on this is your deductible, which is $2,500. Insurance is covering the rest. The $14,000 number is what we're billing them, not what's coming out of your account. You good with $2,500?"

If they're still hesitant, dig deeper. "When you say too expensive, are you worried about the deductible specifically, or something else?" Often the real objection is "I don't have $2,500 liquid." Now you can talk about deductible financing. You cannot solve the problem until you know the problem.

"I need to think about it."

This is the most common objection and the most dangerous, because reps hear it and leave. Do not leave.

"Totally fair. Can I ask what specifically you want to think about? Because if there's something I didn't explain well, I'd rather clear it up now than have you sitting on it all weekend."

You are not pushing them to sign. You are asking them to identify the actual objection. 70% of the time they will tell you. "I want to talk to my brother who's a contractor." "I'm not sure about the shingle color." "I've never done an insurance claim before and I'm nervous about it." Now you have something to work with.

"I already have a guy."

This one comes up fast, usually at the door. But it also comes up at the close, when the homeowner realizes they should probably get another quote.

"Respect. What I'd say is, get two quotes. Any good contractor should be fine with that. The difference with us is we're the ones who found the damage and documented it. If your guy wants to use our documentation to file the claim, that's fine, but you'll probably get a faster approval if the company who did the inspection is the one on the claim. Either way, get a second opinion. I'd rather you do this right than do it fast."

You just positioned yourself as the reasonable choice without trashing the competitor. Half the time, "my guy" is a relative who is going to be too busy to deal with this anyway.

"Not interested."

At the inspection stage, this one is rare, but it happens when the homeowner has cold feet. It's almost never about your product. It's almost always about the process feeling overwhelming.

"Got it. Can I ask, is it not interested in doing the claim at all, or not interested in working with us specifically? Because those are two different conversations."

If they say not interested in the claim at all, you can walk them through what happens to their roof if they don't file. Premium may go up anyway if they file later after more damage. They may miss the statute of limitations on the storm. Their house value drops with a compromised roof.

If they say not interested in working with us, ask what concern they have. Don't get defensive. Listen.

"My spouse needs to be here."

This one is handled before the inspection, not at the close. During confirmation, you say "I need to make sure both you and your wife are there, because this is a decision you'll make together and I don't want to go through all this and then have you say you need to talk to her. Sound fair?"

If you skipped this step and got ambushed with it at the close, here is the recovery. "No problem. When's she home? I'll come back tonight or tomorrow, whatever works. I don't want you trying to explain all this photo evidence secondhand, let me do it with both of you in the room." Set the follow-up on the spot. Do not leave without a specific time.

For a deeper dive on all of this, including tone and delivery, see our complete door knocking guide.

Signing in the driveway

On-the-spot closing is not about pressure. It is about removing friction. Every hour between "I want to work with you" and "I signed the contract" is an hour where doubt, spouses, coworkers, and cousins can talk the homeowner out of the deal.

The reps who close at 40%+ have the contingency agreement ready on their tablet before they walk to the door. They have the homeowner's name pre-filled. They have the address pre-filled. They have a stylus. They know exactly where the signature line is.

When the walkthrough finishes and the homeowner says "okay, so what's next," the top rep says "Next step is you sign this contingency agreement, which just says we're the contractor of record for the claim. It doesn't cost you anything, it doesn't lock you in, you can cancel within 72 hours for any reason. Want me to pull it up?"

That phrase "want me to pull it up" is a soft assumption. It's not "sign here." It's a yes/no on a micro-step. Most homeowners say yes.

Hand them the tablet. Watch them sign. Countersign yourself. Email them a copy immediately. You're done.

Every step of this is smoother with software that handles signed agreements, document storage, and customer records in one place. If you're still doing this with paper, Dropbox, and a group text with the office, you are losing deals to rep fatigue and lost paperwork. See our roofing CRM buyer's guide for more on tooling.

The follow-up sequence for hot leads who didn't sign

Sometimes, despite perfect execution, the homeowner doesn't sign at the inspection. Maybe the spouse wasn't home. Maybe they really do need to think. Maybe they had a weird day and couldn't process another decision.

Do not panic. Do not spam them. Do not call seven times in three days.

Here is the cadence that works. This assumes no contingency agreement was signed and the homeowner is in "considering" status.

Same day, 2 hours after inspection. Text, not call. "Hey {first name}, it was good meeting you and {spouse} today. I sent the photos to your email, look for a message from {your email}. Any questions, just text back. No rush."

That message has three jobs. Confirms they got the photos. Makes you a human they've talked to, not a salesperson. Lowers pressure by saying no rush.

Day 2, late morning. Text. "Morning {first name}. Just wanted to see if you had a chance to look through the photos. Happy to hop on a quick call if easier, or answer anything by text."

Day 4. Text. "Hey {first name}, quick update, talked to my contact at {insurance company} this week and they're approving claims in about 7-10 days right now. If you're thinking about filing, this week is a good window. Let me know."

This is not pressure. This is information. You are giving them a real reason to move that isn't about you.

Day 7. Call. Leave a voicemail if no answer. Then text. "Hey, tried you earlier, no worries if you're busy. Are you still thinking about the claim or have you decided to go a different direction? Either way just let me know so I'm not pinging you if you've moved on."

That last line is the magic. "So I'm not pinging you if you've moved on." It frames you as respectful of their time, not desperate. Ironically, it closes a ton of deals because the homeowner doesn't want to feel like they're stringing you along.

Day 14. One last text. "Hey {first name}, closing out my notes this week. Should I keep you on my list or is this a no for now? No offense either way."

Then stop. If they come back in six months, you're their guy. If they don't, they weren't going to close. You saved yourself hours of wasted follow-up.

Cancellation prevention

You signed the contingency. Congrats. You are not closed yet.

Most states give homeowners a 72-hour right of rescission. Some contracts specify different windows. Regardless of what the paper says, the real danger window is 48 hours. Here is what happens in those 48 hours.

The homeowner tells their brother-in-law they signed with a roofing company. Brother-in-law has opinions. The homeowner googles you and reads three bad reviews out of your 400 good ones. The homeowner's spouse, who was on board yesterday, wakes up anxious about the deductible.

You prevent cancellation the same way you prevent objections. You get out in front of them.

Within two hours of signing, send a text. "Great meeting today {first name}. Tomorrow I'll be filing the claim with {insurance company}. You'll get a call from them within 3-5 days to schedule the adjuster. I'll be at that meeting with you. If anything comes up between now and then, text me directly. Don't Google, text me. I'll have better info than the internet."

That phrase "don't Google, text me" is explicit permission to bring concerns to you instead of letting them metastasize online.

Day 1, morning after signing. Call. Not text. Call. "Hey {first name}, just wanted to confirm everything's still good on your end. Any questions come up overnight? Wife have any questions?" You are actively surfacing the spouse objection before it surfaces at you.

Day 2. Check-in text. "Claim is filed, got a confirmation number from them. Want me to text it to you?" You are giving them proof of progress. Homeowners who see you working do not cancel.

Do this and your cancellation rate drops from an industry-typical 15% to under 5%.

Asking for referrals at contract signing

This is the most underused moment in roofing sales. The homeowner just signed. They are relieved. They feel good about you. This is the highest-trust moment you will ever have with them, including after the job is done.

Ask now.

"Hey before I head out, quick ask. Your neighbors probably got hit by the same storm. Is there one or two you'd be comfortable me checking in with and mentioning we're already working with you?"

That phrasing matters. You are not asking for names to cold call. You are asking to name-drop the homeowner with neighbors. It feels social, not salesy.

Most homeowners will give you one or two names. Some will give you five. A few will walk you next door and introduce you.

A rep who asks for referrals at signing gets 0.7 referrals per close on average. At a 40% close rate on referred leads versus an 18% close rate on cold knocks, this single ten-second ask can double your pipeline.

Log every referral in your CRM with the source tagged. This is the kind of data that shows up in your sales metrics as "referral close rate" and tells you exactly which reps are farming their territories like gardeners and which are just harvesting.

What separates 20% closers from 40% closers

After watching hundreds of ride-alongs, here is what actually distinguishes the top half from the bottom half. None of it is charisma. Most of it is boring.

They prep. The 20% closer walks up to the door cold. The 40% closer knows the storm date, the insurance carriers common in that neighborhood, and which of their own past customers live within three streets.

They document. The 20% closer shoots 15 photos. The 40% closer shoots 60. They know the adjuster might miss things and they prepare for it.

They ask more questions. The 20% closer talks for 40 minutes of the 45-minute inspection. The 40% closer talks for 18 minutes and listens for 27.

They slow down at the signature. The 20% closer rushes the pen across the screen because they can feel the homeowner slipping. The 40% closer slows down, asks "any last questions before we do this," and invites objection one final time.

They follow up. The 20% closer texts once after the inspection. The 40% closer has a four-touch cadence over two weeks that runs whether they feel like it or not.

They track everything. The 20% closer can tell you their close rate is "pretty good." The 40% closer can tell you their close rate at each stage of the pipeline, their average days-to-close, their cancellation rate by neighborhood, and which door-knocking script has the highest appointment-to-close conversion.

None of this is magic. All of it requires a system. If you are running this off memory, spreadsheets, and group texts, you are stuck at 20%. Not because you are not good. Because the cognitive load is too high to execute this consistently across 15 knocks a day.

Closing

Every roofing sale is won or lost in moments that feel small. The extra 10 seconds you spent shooting three photos of a strike instead of one. The question you asked instead of assuming. The follow-up text you sent on day 4 instead of day 7. The referral ask you didn't skip.

None of it is dramatic. Most of it is tedious. All of it compounds.

The rep from the start of this post eventually figured this out. He stopped calling it closing. He started calling it finishing. He built a checklist, a photo protocol, a follow-up cadence, and a referral ask. Within four months he was closing at 38%.

You can do the same thing. Not tomorrow. But starting tomorrow.

RoofKnockers gives you the scaffolding to execute this consistently. Lead pipeline with structured stages so you know exactly who is at the adjuster phase and who needs a day-4 text. GPS-tagged knock logging so your photos carry their own proof of provenance. Document storage for photos, contracts, and quotes in one place the whole crew can access. Appointment scheduling so nobody misses a confirmation call.

See everything it does, check pricing, or start a trial and run it on your next storm.

The inspection that went perfect doesn't have to end with a competitor's sign in the yard. Not this time.