In the competitive world of home services, massive growth often comes with massive risk. Austin Rohleder, Marketing Director for Integrity Home Exteriors, shared the story of how their Toledo, Ohio-based roofing business navigated unpredictable storm seasons and strategic expansions to nearly double their revenue, utilizing smart marketing and old-school canvassing tactics.
Integrity Home Exteriors grew from approximately $6.8 million in 2019 to a peak of $14.5 million in recent years. Their strategy offers key lessons for any home improvement contractor looking to scale successfully.
The Path to $14.5 Million: Scaling Smartly
The nature of exterior work means that storm damage and insurance claims can cause sales figures to spike unpredictably. Austin noted that while the peak revenue included a significant amount of storm work, their leadership was careful to avoid the common mistake of over-scaling.
“A lot of companies have made the mistake of trying to scale too quickly and hire too much staff… and all of a sudden the next year that storm doesn’t come and then you’re left with, okay, now we got to cut people.”
Integrity’s solution focused on process and preparation:
-
Hiring Early: They maintained a consistent hiring approach rather than panic-hiring during the peak season.
-
Process Restructuring: The production team implemented extensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and processes specifically to handle insurance work efficiently, positioning them to handle major storms better than many roofing contractors in the city.
Canvassing: The Low-Cost Foundation for Expansion
When Integrity Home Exteriors decided to expand into the Detroit, Michigan, area from their Toledo base, they resisted the pressure to dump massive capital into broad branding campaigns.
Instead, they focused on a proven, cost-effective method: canvassing.
“Our goal is to grow through canvasing. Our goal is not to dump what would need to be probably 750 grand into branding in order to really get that done.”
By using canvassing as their core lead generation in the new market, they were able to start small and focus their branding efforts narrowly on specific, high-potential suburbs like Farmington Hills, rather than trying to saturate the entire Detroit market.
Pivoting from Costly TV Ads to Data-Driven Campaigns
Not every marketing experiment was a success. Austin shared a crucial learning experience involving traditional media:
-
The Mistake: Following advice from an agency, they ran TV advertising across the entire Detroit market.
-
The Result: The campaign was a “nightmare” and “went terrible”.
-
The Lesson: They quickly realized the high cost and lack of frequency meant the campaign was “not tenable,” leading them to pull out within five to six months—a fast pivot compared to most traditional media runs.
This experience reinforced the need for smart, targeted marketing, where every roofing contractor dollar delivers maximum ROI.
Implementing Smart Marketing & Management Systems
Integrity Home Exteriors now leverages data and focused programs to drive quality leads:
-
Job Site Mailings: A high-ROI program involves sending direct mailers, often called “Job Site Mailings,” to homes immediately surrounding a current job site. This capitalizes on the social proof of having a physical presence in the neighborhood.
-
Data Analysis and Territory Targeting: Austin emphasizes constantly digging into the numbers to see where they convert best. By analyzing ROI by product and zip code, they adjusted their lead-buying map, realizing the previous map was “random” and not tied to high-conversion areas.
-
Lean Management and Coaching: For effective contractor management services, Integrity uses a virtual assistant (VA) for bi-weekly check-ins to handle tasks like data aggregation and reporting. This structural support allows the leadership team to focus on high-level strategy and is a key component of their success, highlighting the value of a trades business coach mentality within the company.
Key Takeaways for Successful Home Improvement Contractors
Austin’s story with Integrity Home Exteriors demonstrates that exponential growth is achievable when a roofing business combines scalable, low-cost marketing (like canvassing) with sophisticated data analysis to inform where and how to spend branding dollars. By focusing on process, preparation, and aggressive pivots away from bad campaigns, they built a highly profitable and resilient operation.
Listen to the Full Interview
For more insights into how to scale your roofing business, you can listen to the full interview on The Successful Contractor Podcast.
