Combining Phone Canvassing and Door Knocking for Roofing

Pure door-knocking teams cap out. Pure phone-canvassing teams run cold. The roofing operations producing $10M+ per salesperson per year blend both motions deliberately. Phone opens the door. The knock closes the deal. Together they beat either alone.

Why Blend at All

Door-knocking has high close rates but low volume. A rep hits 200 doors per week and makes contact with maybe 60 homeowners. That is 60 opportunities.

Phone canvassing has low close rates but high volume. A rep makes 400 dials per week and connects with maybe 80 homeowners. Different 80 than the door knock would find.

Blended operation hits both sets. Same rep can make 200 dials in the morning and knock 100 doors in the afternoon. Total opportunities: 110 to 130 per week. Higher than pure knocking, higher than pure phone.

The Call-First Model

Call the neighborhood before you knock it. Use a list of phone numbers for addresses in your territory. Call at 10am to 1pm or 5pm to 7pm. Script:

Hi, this is [Rep] with [Company]. We are doing complimentary roof inspections in [Neighborhood] this week after the recent storms. Is this something you'd like us to take a look at?

Three outcomes:

1. Yes, schedule a time: book and skip the knock
2. Maybe, tell me more: book a knock for tomorrow afternoon
3. No: skip this address on the knock route

The call does triage. You knock fewer doors but you knock the right ones. Efficiency up 40 to 60%.

The Knock-to-Call Fallback

Reverse direction: knock the door, no answer, leave a business card with a handwritten note. Follow up with a phone call 48 hours later.

Response rate on the follow-up call: 10 to 15%. That is way higher than cold calling, because the homeowner has a physical reminder (the business card) that primes recognition.

The 3:1 Ratio

For a blended rep, target 3 calls for every 1 knock. That is 600 dials and 200 knocks per week if full-time. Adjust down for part-time or territory density constraints.

Why 3:1:

• Phone call takes 20 to 45 seconds average (including voicemails and rings-no-answer)
• Door knock takes 3 to 8 minutes average (including walking between doors)
• Equal time allocation is ~3:1

A full-time rep doing 30 hours of active work per week (about 55 to 60 hours total with logistics) can hit this ratio with discipline.

Phone Tools

Modern roofing phone canvassing uses power dialers:

ToolMonthly costFeatures CallRail$45 to $200 per userCall tracking, attribution, recording JustCall$30 to $80 per userAuto-dialer, SMS, CRM integration Aircall$40 to $70 per userIVR, analytics, integrations PhoneBurner$100 to $200 per userPower dialer, automation

Power dialers can increase a rep's outbound connect rate by 2 to 3x. Manual dialing from a phone cap out at 80 to 120 calls per day. Power dialers hit 200 to 350 per day.

TCPA Compliance

US phone canvassing is regulated by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Rules:

• No calls before 8am or after 9pm local time
• No calls to numbers on the DNC (Do Not Call) registry without explicit consent
• No automated calls without prior express written consent
• Opt-out must be honored immediately

Violations: $500 to $1,500 per call. TCPA class actions regularly settle for $2M to $10M. Scrub your call lists against the DNC before dialing. Most power dialers have built-in DNC scrubbing for $10 to $30 per month.

Call-First Territories

Some neighborhoods work better for phone than knock:

• Gated communities (you cannot knock the door without getting past security)
• Apartment complexes with HOA no-solicit rules
• Rural areas with long driveways
• Affluent neighborhoods where knocking is poorly received

Designate these as call-first territories. Reps only knock after a phone appointment. Saves time and avoids unwelcome knocks that damage brand reputation.

SMS as a Third Motion

Blend SMS in too. Call does not connect? Send a text. Knock does not answer? Leave a card and send a text. SMS response rates:

• Cold SMS to unknown number: 3 to 7%
• Warm SMS after call attempt: 12 to 18%
• Warm SMS after knock + business card: 20 to 30%

Same TCPA rules apply to SMS. No texts without consent, hours 8am to 9pm, opt-out honored.

Phone Script vs Door Script

Different motion, different script. On the phone, cut to the value in 10 seconds:

Hi [Name]? This is [Rep] with [Company]. I'm calling about the recent storm and doing free roof inspections in your area. Would you like one?

At the door, build rapport over 30 to 60 seconds:

Good afternoon, sir/ma'am. I'm [Rep] with [Company]. We noticed damage on several roofs in your neighborhood after last week's storm, and we're offering free inspections. Have you had yours looked at yet?

Phone is faster because the homeowner is less invested (low cost to hang up). Door is slower because the homeowner is physically committed to the conversation.

Integrated CRM Data

The call log and knock log need to live together. Rep calls Mrs. Smith at 10am, no answer. Rep knocks Mrs. Smith's door at 4pm, leaves card. Tomorrow rep follows up. The CRM needs to show: one call attempt, one knock attempt, one business card delivered, next step = follow-up call.

RoofKnockers unifies call logs and knock logs per address. Other CRMs require separate tabs, which reps skip. Unified is the only sustainable model.

See also: how to draw sales territories for roofing.

Per-Rep Performance Baselines

Blended reps should hit weekly minimums:

• 300+ dials
• 150+ door knocks
• 35+ conversations (phone or door)
• 10+ appointments set
• 4+ inspections completed
• 2+ contingencies signed

Reps below these baselines for 30 days need coaching. Below for 60 days need reassignment.

FAQ

Which motion has higher conversion?

Door knock has higher per-contact conversion (contact to appointment around 25 to 35% vs phone's 8 to 12%). Phone has higher volume. Net revenue is roughly equal when both are run at capacity.

Do we need different reps for each motion?

Some reps favor one over the other, but most capable reps can run both. Train on phone first (easier to script), then layer in door work.

What about email as a third or fourth motion?

Lower conversion than call or knock in storm work. Better for retail roofing with longer sales cycles. Minimal value in storm blitz.