Homeowners also shy away from metal because it can cost anywhere from 21/2 to 4 times more than a premium asphalt roof. But AMR pushes its product as “investment-grade roofing,” says LaHousse, which lasts the life of the home, versus asphalt shingles whose quality, Farmer claims, has been steadily eroding over the past 20 years, and which now require replacement every 10 to 12 years. (Farmer asserts that 15% of the nation’s homeowners are looking to have the roof on their home replaced.)
“The price doesn’t matter, if you can explain the ROI,” LaHousse says. In its ads, AMR alerts customers to a $500 energy tax credit they can qualify for by installing a metal roof.
DEALER BOOT CAMP, CLINICS, AND MORE High energy costs make metal roofing popular in the South. The products also do well in New England, and interest in metal roofing is picking up in other regions as well. Classic Metal Roofing Systems recently started sponsoring a national radio program — “HomeTalk USA,” hosted by Michael “The Cajun Contractor” King — that airs on 200 stations in 26 states. Miller says he wants to include the 45 dealers that his company sells to in other branding efforts, and notes that a “professional marketing dealer” is critical to increasing metal’s share of the roofing market.
Farmer couldn’t agree more, which is why any dealer who AMR licenses is required to go through a “boot camp” training program to re-learn how to market, sell, and install the products. “We see a lot of energy coming from dealers who are handling this roofing,” he says.
AMR is also spreading the word about its product by offering four hour-long installation clinics for homeowners and contractors, conducted in its showrooms in Flint and Charlotte, Mich.
The company started this program two years ago, and each showroom conducts 12 clinics per year. Each session typically attracts between six and 15 people, and some have drawn as many as 25 attendees. AMR provides the students with manuals, videos, and an 800 number they can call if they get stuck in the middle of a project. This program will be extended to AMR’s new showrooms, which are scheduled to open in Traverse City, Mich., on March 1; and in metro Detroit in late 2008.
Another kind of “showroom” can be found in several neighborhoods around Michigan, where AMR is installing metal roofs, at a discount, on houses participating in its “pilot program.” In exchange for a lower price, the homeowner agrees to allow customers to visit his or her house and take photographs. AMR equips the home with an AM transmitter programmed to a specific frequency that visitors can tune into to listen to a five-minute synopsis about the roof. About 50 homes are currently enrolled in this program.
Referrals already account for two-fifths of AMR’s business. And with the pilot program, the clinics, and the dealer licensing moving forward, AMR’s sales are projected to hit $7.5 million this year.
Presumptuously, American Metal Roof is calling itself the nation’s leading metal roofing company on its Web site. But Farmer unapologetically sticks by that claim because, he says, “we don’t have any customer — not one — who isn’t 100% satisfied with the job we did for them. And, we’re growing rapidly.” —John Caulfield is a freelance writer and editor based in New Jersey.