Marley’s Daniel Redfern looks at some simple, but effective, ways to grow your business.
- NFRC membership
As well as reassuring your customers of high-quality standards, being a member of the NFRC allows you to have a unique profile on its website and a listing in its directory, which can help to drive business leads, as this is often the first point of call when someone is looking for a trusted roofing contractor.
- Accreditations and certificates
Accreditations and certificates can provide valuable resources and training to further expand your business. Some examples of accreditations that can help your business stand out are:
NFRC Competent Person Scheme – As well as offering peace of mind for customers, NFRC CPS allows roofing contractors to self-certify that their work meets the requirements of Approved Document L1B of the Building Regulations, without having to go through the process of getting costly Building Control sign-off. Your business will also be listed in the directory, generating leads from customers looking for a competent roofer.
RoofCERT accreditation – This provides individual roofers with visible proof of their essential roofing skills. It also gives businesses the ability to demonstrate they employ fully qualified roofers, who can do the job safely and properly.
- Register for installer locator databases
Some manufacturers and trade bodies offer ‘find an installer’ services. This can be a good way of generating sales leads, particularly in the domestic RMI sector. The installer locator on the Marley website is free to join and gets your business in front of the thousands of homeowners visiting our site monthly. To register, use the rdr link below and fill in the installer locator request form.
www.marley.co.uk/supportingtheroofer
- Social media and case studies
Sharing your work to promote your business both on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and on your business website too is an ideal way to get your jobs seen by more potential customers. Just make sure to ask customers for permission to take and share photos of projects.
And don’t forget, if you don’t already, you can set your Facebook page as a business page, allowing you to create a company description and provide contact details. You can also often promote your business within local Facebook community groups.
- Reviews and online directories
When you’ve completed a job, provide customers with business cards to pass on to friends and family and ask them to leave a positive online review. This could be on your website or social media page, or on online business directories such as Checkatrade or yell.com. To make sure you appear higher in internet searches for roofers in your area, take out a free Google My Business listing.
- Solar PV
New innovations mean solar PV technology is much easier to install than in the past. The latest integrated solar panels, like our Marley SolarTile, simply replace sections of the roof tiles and can be installed by any roofer, up until the point of electrical connection. You can either partner with an electrician to do this or become MCS certified yourself. This can help you grow your business, as people will often search for an MCS Certified installer. As part of our ‘Supporting the Roofer’ initiative, all roofing businesses can claim a £50 discount on their MCS certification application. Simply visit www.marley.co.uk/mcsapply
- Invest in apprentices
For contractors looking to grow their business, investing in apprentices is one way of guaranteeing a skilled workforce for the future, while receiving funding from the Government. Depending on the size of the business, you could have up to 100 per cent of an apprentice’s training and assessments paid for, you would just need to pay their salary for their working hours and time spent training.
For more information, advice and free estimating and specification tools, visit www.marley.co.uk/supportingtheroofer
