For many business people, any conversation becomes a competition to win, rather than an opportunity to serve. By now nearly everyone in the business world has heard Steven J. Covey’s insightful quotation, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” A dedicated Tampa commercial roofer, though, will spend time asking the right questions and listening to your answers.
Questions
When you interview prospective commercial roofers for your Tampa-area commercial property, you expect to ask a lot of questions. What are their certifications, licenses, insurance documents and client references?
Hearing the roofer’s questions can be more valuable than hearing answers to your own inquiries. The questions a good commercial roofer should be asking fall into three categories:
- Your building’s history
- Your familiarity with roofing types
- Your anticipated commercial roofing needs for the next five years
History
A roofer cannot estimate or bid on work without knowing the roof’s condition and a little something of its history. When a roofer asks for documents, blueprints or photographs of your building, the roofer is establishing a clear timeline. This timeline uncovers your building’s history (for good or bad) of roof maintenance (or neglect).
Roofing Types
When a Tampa commercial roofer asks a facilities manager about roofing types, the goal is to gain a better sense of the type of care and attention the manager currently puts into the roof. If you truly do not know whether your building has a single-ply membrane or built-up roofing (BUR), say so. Honesty beats bluff every time.
Look to the Future
An exceptional Tampa commercial roofer is hoping to build a strong, long-lasting relationship with each customer. The question about your anticipated needs helps the roofer plan an overall strategy:
- Extend the roof’s lifespan and preserve the roof economically
- Isolate trouble spots while planning for a full tear-off and replacement
- Convert the roof to become a profit center through solar panels or a plaza deck
To ensure your roofer asks all the right questions, make sure to invite questions. You can lead the conversation toward the three important categories, but try to leave the roofer room to inquire.
To have all your answers questioned by a premier Tampa commercial roofer, contact us at Aderhold Roofing. We know the right questions to ask you, the client, so we can come up with the right solutions for your needs.