Do you dread knocking doors? If you’re like most restoration salesmen, canvasing is by far the least favorite part of the position (besides the taxes). When we first started working in the storm restoration industry, our least favorite necessary evil was knocking on doors to set up inspections. Minutes felt like hours, it always seemed to be 100 degrees outside, and it was generally just an unpleasant experience we did not look forward to.
Since canvasing is such an effective method of setting up appointments however, we worked on finding more efficient ways to approach door-knocking so that we could work smarter, not harder. In essence, we learned how to knock fewer doors and actually get more appointments by narrowing down the best times to knock, the best houses to knock, and the best approaches to use. Here we will teach you about the highly effective “6-pack” method of door knocking that we have found to yield a 70% or better success ratio compared to the traditional 10-15% so that you can get better results faster with less effort.
The 6-Pack Strategy
There are 3 key factors in using the 6-pack strategy to get quick, easy inspections set up. They include the following:
- When
- Who
- What
When to knock. The absolute best and easiest times to set up inspections are immediately after an inspection, an adjuster meeting, or during the construction of a roof. Neighbors can see you on the roof or around the project and already have some curiosity as to who you are and what you’re doing. They are interested in finding out what’s going on and are more inclined to speak to you when you approach them. This is less of a “cold call” because you are already a little bit familiar on the street.
Who you knock is the 6-pack. The 6-pack refers to the six houses immediately surrounding the house you have just finished inspecting, meeting with an adjuster, or are currently building. The two houses to the left, to the right, and the two directly across from the house you were just at. This gives you a really easy and relevant “in” when speaking to the immediate neighbors.
What to say. The approach you use with the 6-pack uses name-dropping, a little investigating, and situational relevance to your advantage. Ask your homeowner whose house you just inspected/adjusted/are doing construction on if they know the neighbors next door or across the street – what are their names? How well do they know them? (Whether they know them very well or not is irrelevant.) Now you are able to approach the neighbors by name and mention that you are working with their neighbor who they already know or are familiar with. They have likely seen you outside on that neighbor’s house and have already subconsciously accepted that if the neighbor is working with you that they should, too, and when you inform them of what’s going on with the neighbor’s house, they understand that if there was damage one or two houses over, that it is likely that they have damage also. Here’s what to say:
“Hi, how’s it going? Are you Jeff? Nice to meet you, I’m _____ with (company). John across the street wanted me to stop by really quick – I actually just got done doing a free inspection of their roof, and as it turns out they have quite a bit of hail damage from that storm we just had, so I’m going to do a few free inspections for the neighbors nearby on (day) and (day). If you’d like, I can swing over and take a quick look for you guys at (time) or (time). Which works better for you?”
or
“Hi, how’s it going? Good. Well I don’t want to bother you, but we’re building the Jackson’s roof across the street because their roof got damaged from the hail storm a few weeks ago and their insurance company is paying to replace it. I just wanted to stop by because I’m going to be doing free inspections for the neighbors nearby, as it’s likely they got some damage as well. I can stop by on (day) at (time) or (time), which works best for you?”
These approaches are so effective and easy, and it only takes a few minutes to reach six houses. This allows you to set up more appointments faster and easier so you can spend less time walking up and down the streets knocking individual doors and more time closing deals. Of course if you have a particularly difficult homeowner who isn’t taking the bait with this approach, you can always try to woo them with your 6-pack abs or entice them with a 6-pack of suds. 
Delicious.
We hope you found this tip useful – be sure to implement it after your next appointment or during your next build! If you liked this tip, you’ll love our Roof Sales Mastery programs where we dive even deeper into advanced approaches and objection handling, how to dominate and own an entire neighborhood, and secrets to choosing the perfect neighborhood. When you enroll in our Roof Sales Mastery comprehensive online course, we will teach you over a dozen word-for-word door knocking approaches that actually work, and how to get homeowners to call you. Click now to enroll so you can make more money and spend fewer hours beating the streets.
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