New Roofing Advisor Sells $1.2 Million with a 65% Closing Ratio in His First 8 Months Thanks to His Energy & Discipline
by Bob Houchin
Bill Burkhardt Jr. grew up in the roofing business. From the time he was about in seventh grade until the moment he graduated college in 2007, he was helping his father, Bill Sr., in one capacity or another. “By the time I was done with undergrad, I said, ‘I’m never touching a shingle again in my life!’” Bill said and then burst into laughter. “Now, look at me. I never thought this is where I’d be, but I’m sure glad I’m here now.”
Bill has many reasons to be happy: He’s working with his dad and brother, Matt, in a business that he believes in its mission and future. He’s also had a tremendous amount of success in a short period of time, serving as a roofing advisor. Bill ran his first leads in May 2018. By the end of the year, he sold $1.2 Million with an eye-opening 65-percent closing ratio. “That was without any wind or storm events. That was just going out and doing it,” Bill was sure to clarify.
“I really did get away from the industry for 10 years,” he continued. Bill had different goals in mind. He saw himself working in the theater upon graduation.
Bill Becomes Director of Admissions for His Alma Mater
Bill graduated Western Michigan with degrees in both Theater Performance and Business. “I wanted to one day run a theater house, like the Detroit Opera Company, or something of that nature,” he explained. “I’ve always enjoyed the arts and the performances, but I’ve always liked business, too. I thought I could marry both interests. But my life has been defined by a series of divine interventions. One of which came after graduating.”
Eager to start his professional career, Bill accepted a position as an account executive with a Top-40 radio station in Kalamazoo. “I did well there, but I was three hours away from my family and friends,” he shared. “I wanted to get back to the east side of Metro Detroit.”
“I came back home one weekend to watch my brother, who was a senior at De La Salle Collegiate High School. I ran into the school’s president. I nudged him and said if there was an opportunity to volunteer or help in any way to let me know, because I was planning on moving back into the area,” Bill relayed the story.
“Three days later, I got a frantic phone call from my family saying that I needed to call De La Salle. They wanted to talk with me about their director of admissions position. Before I knew it, I was putting in my two weeks’ notice and moving home.”
Bill Joins the Family Business
Bill loved his new job. He loved the school—he was an alumnus himself. He eagerly poured everything into both. “Originally, it was an office of one with a budget of $20,000 when I started. A decade later, we had a staff of three, and we had an operating budget of around $150,000. We were bringing in revenue of around $10 to $12 million in terms of tuition and summer camp. We also bulked up the waiting list. It was awesome. I lived and breathed that school.”
Three years before Bill left De La Salle, his two mentors, the school’s president and principal, left. It became clear to Bill that his vision for the school did not match its new leaderships. It was time for him to find a new challenge.
“I had a few good job offers come available, but nothing excited me. I started helping dad and my brother with Four Seasons KangaRoof®. It hit me one evening while I was working with them on something. I loved my time at De La Salle because of the team and the camaraderie we had. We also had a clear vision and focus of helping students and families,” Bill explained.
“I sat back, looked at Four Seasons KangaRoof®, and I saw the same things. I also knew they needed my skillset, as someone who could sell. So, impromptu, I turned to my dad and brother and said, ‘Hey, what do you think about me coming aboard?’ They were excited and said, ‘absolutely.’”
Bill Becomes a Million-Dollar-Producer by October
The transition from De La Salle to Four Seasons KangaRoof® occurred slowly for Bill. “I really do love that school. I didn’t want to leave them in a lurch. So, I put together a plan to exit the right way,” he said. “I spent nights and weekends in January and February of 2018 riding along with my dad and brother, learning the sales system. “I knew about the company, obviously, but it’s different when you’re living and breathing it every day.”
By March 2018, Bill Sr. thought it might benefit Bill Jr. if he attended Learning Alliance’s Roofing Specialist Sales Training in Dallas. He went with his brother, Matt. “I can’t say it enough. I really attribute my success to that class with [SGI Coach and Trainer] Jared [Dean],” he said with conviction.
“I went to the training like I did the business—with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I was a blank slate. I accepted what Jared and the rest of the team said. It’s worked. I follow their formula every single time, and it’s knocked it out of the park for me and us,” Bill continued.
When Bill returned home from training, he and his dad had a conversation about goals. What should Bill Jr. hope to attain in a shortened year? “Dad said, ‘if you do $600,000, you’re doing really good. If you do $800,000, you’ll have knocked it out of the park.’ I passed $1 million by the end of October. I finished the year at $1.2 million.”
Bill may be quick to credit the RSI sales system—yet any sales system is only as good as the individual utilizing it. Bill’s discipline to properly following each step has been integral to his tremendous numbers. However, his success has been the result of more than just discipline. Bill has a gregarious and engaging nature that becomes immediately apparent in conversation. It’s not manufactured energy, it emanates from him naturally.
“When I’m in a home, as part of my sales process, I share my background and why I came back into the family business. I tell people it’s because of our commitment to truly helping people. I really believe selling is a transference of energy. I always have a positive energy when going through the sales system. I think if you’re honest and truly enthused about what you can do to help somebody, they may not be able to articulate why they trust you more, but that’s the reason,” Bill said with passion.
How had Bill managed to have such immediate and immense success? How does he connect with homeowners and eventually handle their objections? Take a look in this issue’s “Learning from the Best.”
How do you prepare for each call?
Before I leave the office, we always have a Roof Report, so I can see if there’s anything special that I need to run the call. I always check the file, and we use JobNimbus, just to see if we’ve been out there before, do we have a history with the individual. That’s accessible on my phone, which is nice, so I can check that while in the field. When I’m going to the job, one of the key things I like to do is listen to a sales audiobook like by Grant Cardone, or right before I get to the job, I always listen to—and this is going to sound funny, but—it’s Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” I can’t tell you why, but it just works. Freddie Mercury helps me sell roofs.
How do you begin building rapport with a new client?
I just go there and genuinely try and be interested in what the homeowner has to say. I’m genuinely engaged. I listen to what they say they want; instead of me assuming what they need.
A long time ago, I read the book, The Fish Philosophy. It talks about having enthusiasm and being 100 percent present in everything you do. I try and embrace that when going into somebody’s home. If they’re contemplating spending $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 with me, I make sure my cell phone is off and I’m completely present, so I can provide them with a roofing system that best fits them. I find if you get out of your own way, 98 percent of the time, people will tell you what they want.
After building initial rapport, what do you do next?
Before I really begin digging into my personal value statement—and I do a little bit of that on my intro—I explain how the process of today will go; I share what they can expect today; and then, I immediately get into the inspection. I feel like when I sit down, do the value-building, and then breakoff to do the inspection, I’ve often lost the homeowner. When I come back inside, that’s when I finish up the Roof Report—we do one of those, the survey, every single time—and then we go through the [RSI] flip book. We follow the process every single time.
Do you take a lot of pictures on your inspection?
We use CompanyCam, which is an awesome tool for us. Rather than them just believing me that they have a lot of blown off shingles and granular deterioration, they can see it. Seeing is believing. It makes all the difference.
After your inspection, what do you do next?
I always want to sit down in homeowner’s kitchen. If we can’t go inside and sit down, I won’t quote it. That’s our company stance. Statistics show that people don’t make decisions standing up, they make them sitting down. When we’re talking this much money, I don’t want them standing up.
Once you’re seated in the kitchen, walk me through what you’ll say to the homeowners next.
I go through who we are, our value statement, we ask them what’s most important to them, and we use the roofing survey guide to help drive everything. One of the key things I do is explain why I use the guide book, why I use the survey, what the Roof Report is. I try to be as transparent with them as I can. I think that goes to great length in alleviating their concerns. I share with them, “I truly want you to understand not just the product, but the process we’re going to embark upon.” Finally, I’ll go through the guarantees. At the end, we always give them at least three options: a good, better, best.
What do you say about your guarantees?
I describe each one in detail. Then, my line to homeowners is always, “You’re covered like a blanket. No matter what happens, you can’t go wrong.” The worst thing a homeowner has to do, after they say “yes” to me, is they feel really bad because they want to cancel their order. That’s the worst possible outcome.
When do you bring up financing?
In the roofing survey, one of the questions is, “How much can you afford out of pocket on a monthly basis?” The purpose of that is, number one, are they financing? It begins that discussion. At that point, I can inform them that we have a number of financing options available to them if they’re interested. If they want to pay with a check or cash, that’s perfectly fine—at least we know early in the process.
When do you ask for the order?
Once I present the systems, and the price is listed for each, the next thing that comes out of my mouth is, “Which one of these systems is going to make the most sense for you?” Then the hard part is, I shut up. That’s the hard part, but it’s important. Sometimes they’re going to say “yes” to this or that. More often than not, they’re going to sit for what feels like an eternity; then, they’re going to talk through their thought process. Very often, at that point, they’ll alert you to what they’re thinking, if they have other bids. Once they get through that, if they don’t say “yes,” they’ll normally present a smoke screen. That’s when you handle the objection and go into the second close.
What do you say to someone who objects to the pricing?
We acknowledge their contention and go right back and ask for the business. For example, “You’re right Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner, that Landmark Pro System is a lot of money for most people. It’s a lot of money to me. But based upon what you said, it’s the system that will best meet your needs and meet what you want. So, all I need for you to do is pick the color and sign the agreement to provide a $500 deposit. Then, I can get you scheduled in the queue.” Then, you shut up again. It’s unnerving, but you have to go right back at it, because more often than not, it’s just a delay tactic by the customer.
What happens if they object or waiver again?
A lot of people will say, “Yes” at that point. But if they object again, you really have to dig-in and ask them some questions. So, I really want to listen to what the objection is, and then logically work through that with them. I’ll also usually revisit our guarantees. I’ll end up talking about our over 100+ verified reviews and our certifications, so they can feel confident about their decision. Whatever their objection is, you really have to listen and think critically about what you provide as a company that eliminates that objection. But you have to provide more information at that point. If not, you’re just asking for the business without addressing their problem with anything substantial. That’s not going to do you any good.
How many times will you ask for their business during one appointment?
Three rounds. I feel like we’ve done our job if we’ve asked three times. I want to get every sale, but I don’t want to damage the company’s reputation. I don’t want people to feel like they have to kick me out of their house just to get rid of me. The 1 out of 10 sale you actually do get by asking over and over isn’t really going to have your customer feeling good about the experience they had with Four Seasons KangaRoof® from start to finish. The consumer experience they have is of the utmost importance to us. That’s where your referrals come from. I’d rather lose that one sale. I know I’ll get more business by not badgering customers, and then those happy homeowners will lead to more business for us.
What do you say to someone who insists on getting another bid?
I’ll immediately agree with them. I’ll say, “I can’t blame you for that. If it was my home, I’d probably get two or three bids.” I’ll ask them if they’ve gotten any already. If they have some, it’s a whole different discussion. Let’s say I’m the first one in the door. My approach is to agree with them. Then, I’ll say, “Based upon everything you saw today, you really like Four Seasons KangaRoof®, and absent of price, you really want us to do the job for you. Is that a fair statement?” If they say, “yes,” then I’ll immediately jump into: “That’s the whole reason we offer the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, the Bumper-to-Bumper Guarantee, and the Apples-to-Apples Guarantee. So, by saying yes today, you can secure your spot in our lineup, and you can know that you’re doing business with the company you said you want, you’re going to get the roof you want, and you’ll absolutely be taken care of. Even if you get another quote after I leave, and if it is lower, we’re going to do an apples-to-apples comparison. If they beat us on price on the same scope of work, we’re going to honor our word—we’ll match it by $50. If there are differences, I’m going to alert you to them. If you want us to do what they’re proposing to do, great. Or we can do what you originally agreed to do with us. At the end of the day, Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner, the most important part of this process to me is not the sale, it’s not system, it’s ensuring Four Seasons KangaRoof® is the one who takes care of you.” And then I shut up again and let them respond.
In those instances, where you don’t close the job right away, what do you do?
There are those people you’re not going to close on one stop. There’s a lot of competition in our market. So, it’s going to happen. Our standard operation procedure is to, if I can, reset the appointment while I’m there to do an apples-to-apples comparison when they have those other quotes. I’d say that works about 15 percent. If I can’t do that, I let them know that they’ll get a follow-up email from me one to two days later from me detailing what we talked about. Then, one to two days after that, they’ll get a direct phone call from me. Then, after that, at least once a week, they’re going to get a phone call or email from us at least seven times. After that, if it doesn’t work, it’s time to move on. Making all those calls and emails isn’t fun, but when you get that one that sells out of the blue, it feels good.
What do you say after that seventh point of contact with a prospective customer?
I find the rule of seven to be really important. One of the things we do is on that final call, if we’re leaving a voicemail or sending an email, is we’ll say, “Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner, I know I’ve reached out a number of times. I’m going to make an assumption that you’ve chosen to go in another direction, which I respect and understand. What I’m going to do, if I haven’t heard from you in two days, is we’re going to close the book on the file. I wish you the best. If there’s ever anything we can do, let me know. If you don’t want me to close this account, give me a call or shoot me an email in those next two days. We can keep the conversation moving forward. That gives us a clear sense of when to move on and to put that call into a dead or lost category. The other part of it is this: People have a fear of loss. The second those homeowners feel like they’re losing out, they’ll call you right back. It’s amazing how truly effective it is. People get busy. Other things come up. By saying you’re going to close the business, it stimulates a reaction.
Why do people ultimately buy from you?
I would hope it’s because of my genuineness of wanting to help them through the process. Hopefully, that’s a factor in it. I also hope it’s because of the reputation of our company, the values we were able to communicate, and the protection we provide that we were able to communicate.
What advice would you give to someone, like yourself, who is brand new to residential sales?
Give into the system! If you do, and you attack every day with enthusiasm, your success will shock you. Be disciplined enough to always follow it. I think the most underrated trait for a salesperson to be successful is the person who has the discipline to have a sales system that they follow every single time. That is the key indicator of success.