Your First Week as a Roofing Canvasser: What to Expect

So you took the job. You signed the offer, you bought a new pair of boots, and now you're sitting in your car Sunday night wondering what Monday is actually going to look like. Whatever got you here, you're about to start one of the strangest, hardest, and most honest jobs in the trades. Nobody is going to pretend this is glamorous. But if you show up, listen, and don't quit in week two like most people do, you can build something real.

This is a straight-up guide to your first five days on the job as a roofing canvasser. No hype. If you want the bigger picture, read the complete guide to roofing sales door knocking.

Day 1: Expect paperwork, shadowing, and a lot of watching

Your first day is not going to feel like sales. You'll fill out W-9 or W-4 paperwork, sign a non-compete or non-solicit, get a company shirt, and probably get handed a tablet or login to some canvassing app. Then you're going out in the field, but you are not knocking. You are shadowing. Follow a veteran rep, stand slightly behind them on the porch, and keep your mouth shut. Do not ad-lib. Your job is to listen to how the vet opens the door, how they pivot when someone says "not interested," and how they transition from small talk to asking for a roof inspection. Bring a small notebook. Write down the exact phrases your top rep uses. Not a summary. The actual words.

Day 2 and 3: Your first observed knocks

By Tuesday or Wednesday you'll be knocking your first doors while your trainer stands on the sidewalk or next to you. You are going to freeze. You are going to forget your opener. You are going to say "um" a lot. That is normal. Every single person on your team did this.

Rookie mistakes to watch for: Talking too fast. Slow down. Pause after your name. Pitching the roof in the first 10 seconds. You're not selling a roof on the porch. You're asking for a free inspection. Apologizing for being there. "Sorry to bother you" tells the homeowner you don't believe in your own offer. Cut it. Arguing with a "no." When someone says no, thank them and walk. Skipping the note-taking. After every door, your app needs a disposition.

Day 4 and 5: Solo with a veteran nearby

By Thursday or Friday, your trainer is probably going to push you to work a block by yourself. This is where you learn how to pace yourself. A good canvassing day is four to six hours on the doors, not eight. You will hit a wall around hour three. Take a 15-minute break. Hydrate. Eat. Get back out. By Friday afternoon you should have at least one inspection booked. If you have zero, don't panic. Ask your manager to ride with you Monday morning. For more on rejection, see handling rejection at the door.

What to wear, what to bring

Wear the company shirt. Always. If your company doesn't have one yet, wear a solid polo in a dark color and khakis or clean jeans. Not shorts. Not a t-shirt. You are asking strangers to trust you with a $15,000 roof. Dress the part. Wear boots you can walk eight miles in. Tablet or phone with your canvassing app logged in and charged. Backup battery pack. Business cards. Clipboard with flyers. Sharpies. Water. Light rain shell. Sunscreen if you're in sun country.

Why you will feel bad at the end of week 1

Friday night of your first week, you are going to feel like you made a mistake taking this job. You will be sore. Your voice will be scratchy. You will replay every awkward door and cringe. That feeling is not a signal. It is a symptom. It's what it feels like to do something new that involves a lot of rejection in a short window. Almost every top producer on your team felt exactly the same way after their first week. The difference is they showed up on Monday. Show up Monday. Show up Tuesday. By the end of week three it stops feeling like a gauntlet and starts feeling like a job.

Biggest rookie mistakes to avoid

Ghosting the CRM. If it's not logged, it didn't happen. Working alone too soon. Free coaching is free money. Using a script you haven't practiced out loud. Read the 2026 door knocking scripts and actually rehearse in your car. Drinking hard the first Friday. Comparing your Monday numbers to a veteran's. Lying to your manager about doors knocked. Every modern canvassing tool tracks GPS pins.

What success actually looks like at the end of week 1

You knocked the number of doors your manager asked for, give or take 10 percent. You have at least one free inspection booked. You can deliver your opener without reading it off a card. You logged every door in the CRM. You showed up on time. Your trainer says they'd take you out again. That's it. That's the bar.

That's the whole arc of the first 30 days as a door knocker. You're going to be fine. Pack extra water. Charge your phone. Wear the boots. If your company hasn't given you a modern canvassing tool yet, tell them to try RoofKnockers.