Stormers

Man I want to tell you those guys are fast. The very Lovely Mrs Ciak and I are traveling back from fire in Denver area toward Baton Rouge through Oaklahma. The Tornadoes hit in Texas . We are still in route to a staging area in Arlington. Caravans of stormers brand new shiny pick ups flying past us beating feet to the catastrophe. These guys are hungry man. Must be listening to all the radio calls on the emergency frequencies. These guys are not going away. Some serious competition. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

Here are a few changes the contractors will face dealing with Allstate. Not all carriers are the same. They are not paying for whole roofs like they used to. It is a slope to slope issue where it can be done. Very few state issues allow matching Min, Fla do. A little known "secret??" sometimes the roof will be bought if the contractor can get the roof finished at the speed of light. The idea is if you can finish "yesterday" you are more likely to get the project. We started a thread here a few years back dealing with how to take on the stormers and what can be done to capture as much of the market after an event. I don't know where that is in the archives. It would be an interesting thread to create again. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

When we were in the city a few years ago, i a couple of Hummers were running around......kinda reminds me of the big black shinny Cadillac syndrome....

More than likely your spotting adjusters flocking to these area's too. They also seem to like brand new shiny trucks and suv's! My experiance with adjusters are the ones that are in there right away are very eager to write claims and have very nice vehicles!!!

The stormers get really crazy here in MN with the matching clause and very generous Xactimate numbers...

Rocky....It'll be interesting to hear what you have to say, after actually immersing into the storm-chasing biz..... ;)

Egg, a great post,but I don't know what that post had to do with this topic other than it certainly helps to sell a roof if you know how to put it on. The HO can sense it, that you know what you talking about. No matter what your smile looks like or how much you charge. That guy will always be busy.

twill,I dont think Ciak was advocating chasing or crapping out on storms. The whole point is to take care of as many clients in your neighborhood or city as fast and as reputable as you can, to minimize the impact of the storm chasers. You don't have to be slow and a plodder to put down a good product and you don't have to be cheap. If your feet are stuck in mud or you don't have the resources to expand don't begrudge those of us that can. Your hands might be tied because you work for some one else who doesnt have the motivation or the desire to go after it. I,m proud to have a GO-GET-EM campaign.

That certainly hits the nail on the head!...Guess Lanny was a dinosaur, as well :)

Here's a quote I saved from Lanny. Not sure when it was written or who he was responding to. I never read a single one of his posts that wasn't worth my time.

"I have a friend who is a good salesman. He also had about 5 years of roofing experience, mostly basic residential. He partnered with a BUR foreman who ran the crew. He did all the paperwork and foreman and crew did all the roofing. They got along well which is a must! Today he is easily a millionaire several times over. The foreman is retired and very well off. I believe they both made over 10k/ month for over 20 years. He stayed within his expertise with mostly residential and small commercial. Roofing 20 years and seldom any problems adds up to some real money ---The main issue I see is your relationship with whatever crew you use. Everyone needs to be on the same page as far as expectations and pay. ---I would strongly recommend you work with the crew as a laborer 1-2 days a week. Get the feel for roofing and what goes on. Then learn installation...and increase your knowledge bit by bit. What you will learn is the time and headaches involved with the many issues that come up regularly. Then when you bid those headaches you know what it takes to get the job done. We call them nuisance issues. Here is a short list that others could add to: 1) roof pitch...steep...how steep...2)low-slope...how low...comp or torch? or ? 3) access...driveway too steep for delivery?...no driveway at all...4) ground protection & issues...beautiful new deck right under a 12/12 tear off?...prized roses?...we did a tear off over a greenhouse with lots of glass...5) patio roof bolted into roofdeck...always a headache...remove supports & jack up patio or flash existing or black mammy existing and go back when it leaks...5) bad brick chimneys that leach and then make you look like a bad roofer...always better to discuss up front and recommend proper repairs NOW rather then 2 years from now when it leaks. 6) all kinds of wood repair, rot, ants, termites, you name it...bees...Tree branches and bushes laying on a leaky roof is almost a sure sign of major bugs. You need permission to prune people's trees and some people would rather not prune and keep their ants. A nuisance issue is a problem that makes the job take more time than normal. That adds to the cost. I have learned the hard way over many years that I want to get paid for solving those problems and the only way to get paid is to recognize them BEFORE I bid the job. ---Starting out you want to keep the crew busy. That will take most of your time. But there will still be time to work on the crew at least part time. Besides you will lower overhead by moving the job along. As for me I work on the roof at least 50% of every job. I set the pace. When I am tearing off a roof in a cloud of dust everyone else is moving at top speed. I only have one speed and that is as fast as I can go. Everyone else either moves just as fast or wonders how I can do things 2x as fast as they can. They catch on quick. That was the way I was trained and it is normal to me. The purpose of learning how to install is to lesson your dependancy upon someone else. Things change...people come and go...whatever...but sooner or later you will need to work on the roof or train someone else. Obviously you will make more money by having others work for you. But still there are times when you may need to fill in. Versatility is the key that gives you more options. ---One other point that is unclear to me. You mention the delay in pay. Would that also be true as a contractor getting paid by the insurance company? That could be a problem as crews must be paid weekly. If you get paid in 60 days you need the cashflow to pay others while waiting for an insurance company to settle. I don't do insurance work so I don't know. ---Good luck...I have always liked roofing. Outdoors...I like physical work...often great views...my own boss...set own hours...jobs change often so always moving on... Lanny "

People make a lot of money, selling used cars, towing, bail bonds, pawn shops, payday loans......However, to some, those just aren't fulfilling icons, so-to-speak.

Ok, I believe Rock got it right. Stop whining start wining. complaining only makes you weak. Take the opportunity and go for it. You locals know when the storm is coming + have the jump on the stormers. When the last piece of plywood hits the ground be in the neighbor hoods with your tarps your salesmen before the local police set up their check points. The opportunity is there. Go for it. It is a learning curve dealing with Insurance adjusters. Get used to it. Despite what I have read on here it is profitable. Learn the system and procedures. Help your communities by providing quality service. Stop listening to the Nattering Nabob's Nay Sayers. They only hold you back with their Negative attitudes. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

CKRFG.....Exactly! :)

Chucky i read it, because i could! :woohoo:

I dont think we can stop the storm chasers. They come in just like the storm their chasing. I think the best way to hanle them is to act like one. Beef up you sales force and your production staff for 3-4 months and then trim back as work falls off. The storm chasing salesman is one thing, the storm chasing installers are a whole different breed and you really have to keep an eye on them. The come in and say they have insurance and comp but most of the don't. we put the salepeople and the installer on payroll and we didnt pay them until we got paid. We had that huge storm down here in Oct 2010(still doing workoff of it), I hired some salespeople and installers. They tried dictating how, what and when they were getting paid. We showed them our process, our payscale and our expectations. Some didnt like it and moved on, the others that stay made good money for themselves and my company. I put my ouwn supervisors on the installing crews to keep the problems to a minimum. We had some early problems but they worked out. It proved to be better than battling them, or worse losing most of the work to them.

Tim you are 10 min from me. Send me an email. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

Tim it would be more than a privilege to have lunch with you. I do not know how long I will be here. Lets make it as soon as possible. twill this is for you.......... If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid too

Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

twill59 Said: Just sayin, they are only competition sometimes, not always. There is a world outside of Ins. Work & Stormin.

Mustve been crazy seein them fly down the road. Do you think they had the neighborhoods mapped out too?

The Lovely Mrs Ciak and I arrive in Dallas at the hotel the travel agent secured for us. We are watching local news. Sure enough, I see the same trucks running around behind the reporter and in view of the camera. Planned I don't know. Sophisticate perhaps. How they got in there is another question. Intelligent yes. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day