Can you really make good money selling roofs? Do people make six figures selling roofs? Am I getting paid fairly as a roof salesman? Should I consider selling roofs? How much money do roof salesmen actually make?

1. Someone is currently trying to recruit you into door to door roof sales and you're wondering if the income opportunity is real or too good to be true

2. You're already selling roofs but wonder if you're getting paid correctly/fairly

3. You're selling roofs for a company but wonder if there's more competitive pay offered at other roofing companies

    

1. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to get paid as a roof salesman

2. All companies pay a little differently and may have different or more complex structures than the very basic pay structures outlined here

3. A roof salesman's pay will be influenced by their experience level, annual sales and milestones, and the extent of their responsibilities in the roof sales job cycle

Generally speaking, most roofing companies are either going to pay

• • • • a percentage of the job GROSS (usually 8-15%), or
      • a percentage of the job PROFIT (usually 25-50%, after 10% overhead)
      • Example: 10% of the gross on a $15,000 roof = $1,500 commission
      • Example: 30% of the profit after 10% overhead on a $15,000 roof = $4,050 commission

In addition to this, some companies may or may not include a "base pay" that acts as a salary but goes toward your expected sales quota, flat fees for contract turn ins or upon collection of the ACV check, and various bonuses at certain sales milestones, etc.

A lot of it has to do with how much is expected from you throughout the roofing job cycle.

Are you expected to handle your claims "cradle to grave" meaning you knock the door, generate the lead, complete the inspection, take the photos, get the roofing contract or contingency signed, order the Eagleview, write up the Xactimate roofing estimate, meet the adjuster, order materials, send checks off to the mortgage company, manage the roof build, run materials, AND make the final collections? *WHEW*

You might get paid a little higher commission per roof deal, but you'll sell less overall because you have to spend so many hours a day or week doing non-sales-related tasks such as running materials and doing paperwork (time that could and would be better spent knocking doors and getting more contracts signed).

For example, when I was new to roof sales, I was responsible for literally EVERY STEP of the job cycle, "cradle to grave." I got paid 50/50/10 (50% of the profit after 10% overhead) on my jobs which was at the top of the commission spectrum, but having to deal with dumb gopher tasks like running trim coil to my crew on a Saturday afternoon or sitting at the computer doing administrative paperwork for my claims kept me from doing revenue-generating activity such as knocking doors and meeting with customers.

I sold 65 deals and earned $105,000 in commissions in 4 months, and 100 deals and earned $240,000 in commissions in 8 months the following season, but that could have easily been almost double that without all the running about.

Your roofing company may also start you at a lower percentage as a new person while you require more hand-holding until you hit your first $100,000 or $250,000 in sales, or your first 10 deals, etc.

In my opinion and personal experience, taking a commission pay roof sales position is the most profitable way to go. Why? In a salary position, you get paid a certain flat amount (maybe with a chance for some small bonuses at the end of the year), and that's it. With commission, you eat what you kill! That means if you're confident in your ability, performance, and commitment, you can easily double, triple, even quadruple what the average salary-based roof salesperson makes each year.

Salary pay has this sense of being "safe and secure," but the truth in my opinion is that it's limiting, demotivating, and a false sense of security.

I haven't worked an hourly job since I was 18 years old working my fast food job at Taco John's in a shopping mall cafeteria. I jumped into direct sales at 19 selling Cutco Knives and then began my storm restoration roof sales career at 21, ultimately leading me to where I am today selling my online trainings for roof salesmen and roofing company owners.

All of these positions were 100% commission-based, meaning if I didn't sell sh*t, I didn't get paid!

I made anywhere from $105,000 to $240,000 in 4-8 months selling roofs under this pay structure and I wouldn't have changed it for any illusion of "salary security."

Looking at starting commission structures as a newbie and want to know how you can leverage and negotiate a higher starting pay as a roof salesperson? You can, but you have to invest in yourself.

Why do people go to college to acquire a degree? Because for a high paying job, such as a doctor or lawyer, you must invest in your education to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to EARN high pay. You wouldn't just waltz into a hospital with no medical degree and zero experience and say, "Will you hire me as a doctor here?"

The same is true for roof sales. When you begin as a total n00b, you have zero experience, skills, or know-how. Therefore, you require a lot of "hand holding" by management, which costs them time and money (and is a risk, because if they hold your hand for a month and you don't cut it and quit, they wasted a lot of time and energy on you).

Because of this, your starting pay as a newbie will reflect this, and be much lower than say, a salty vet on year 3 who knows what they're doing and turns in $1,000,000 in sales each year with virtually no assistance from the company.

So what can you do? Show up to a company with your roof sales "degree."

Invest in formal sales training and train yourself with self-study online. Show up with something to offer, an existing set of skills, a foundation of understanding of the job, and you will have LEVERAGE because you will be leagues ahead of the other new recruits and will require less hand holding. You can bring this set of skills to any company and see what they're willing to pay you for someone with a roof sales education that they can hit the ground running with.

(See short videos below for more understanding of this concept).