Author: Heidi J. Ellsworth | November 6, 2023

What are your customers saying about you? It's one question every roofing contractor should be asking themselves. An excellent way to stay in front of what your customers are saying — and be sure that future customers hear the good reviews — is to gather testimonials.

But what are the right questions to ask for a testimonial? Any prospective client wants to work with a company that has a good reputation and has completed exemplary work on buildings or homes like their own. They want to know that their roofing contractor excels in all types of roofing they may be considering, and confirm it through quotes from other customers.

But many roofing contractors are shy about asking for reviews or feel that it's not professional. Soliciting reviews is perfectly professional if you go about it the right way. In fact, if your sales team is completing their sales cycle correctly, it should be very easy to get feedback on every job.

More important than knowing the right questions to ask for a testimonial is knowing how and when to ask them. Here are five key pieces of advice to keep in mind.

Ask Immediately

One of the most important parts of a roofing installation is the final inspection, which is also the perfect time to ask how your company performed and how your client feels about the overall result. The longer the salesperson or head contractor waits to confirm satisfaction with the client, the more danger there is of losing the new-roof glow.

Record and Write It Down

Ask customers if you can make a recording of their testimonial and take pictures of them in front of the completed roof. Audio or video can be transcribed, and quotes easily pulled from the text. If a client doesn't want to be recorded, write down what they say instead.

Be prepared with the selling points you want to make to future customers and include them in your questions. By writing or recording what they say during the final inspection and sending a transcription back to the customer for approval, you have the chance to guide the discussion and make it easy for them to provide quotes.

Consider the Beginning, Middle and End

Ask your clients questions that run the life of the sale, including how they discovered and chose your business, whether they felt they had all the information to make an informed decision about the estimation and what they think of the final roof.

Don't be afraid to ask how your roofing company can improve for the future. Besides recording positive feedback for testimonials, salespeople and business owners need to be ready to deal with negative feedback. Correct any errors, then ask the customer about the changes you've made. Encouraging complete honesty leads to stronger testimonials and more opportunity for overall improvement.

Compliment Your Client

If the homeowner or facility manager is not at the final inspection (you should ask them to attend), call them immediately and ask for their feedback. Lead with a compliment of how much you respect and value their review of the job, and proceed with the interview.

After reviewing the job and getting feedback and testimonials, don't forget to ask about your client's future work and roofing needs. The best time to ask is when they're happy with their new roof. Not only can they provide a testimonial, they can also keep you in mind for a friend, neighbor or their next project.