Creating solutions for liquid applied systems

CCS Influencer Joe Sorrentino offers several strategies to promote liquid-applied roofing systems to non-believers.

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Joe Sorrentino of JoeSorrentino LLC. You can read the interview below, Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording.

Lauren White: Hello everyone, this is Lauren White with thecoffeeshops.com, and we are here for a CoatingsCoffeeShop® Influencer response for the month of April. Joe, it's good to see you.

Joe Sorrentino: Good to see you, Lauren. Thank you for the time.

Lauren White: Yes, you are so welcome. Thank you for your expertise. So April's topic is strategies for selling fluid applied systems to skeptics. Some of the bullet points that we're going to be touching on are common objections from owners and consultants, how to position performance data and track records, and turning non-believers into long-term clients. So Joe, from your perspective, what are some of these strategies that contractors can use?

Joe Sorrentino: So, you know, I think one of the biggest things that we have to think about is, we're not really selling with any roofing systems. We're really creating solutions, right? That's the intent: to build a watertight system for a building owner through design. And I think the other part that's important to remember as you get started is, any and all generic roof systems will prematurely fail and have a non-productive useful service life due to improper design, due to lack of knowledgeable installers and then also, most importantly, due to a proactive preventive maintenance plan by building owners. Warranties are great tools, but like every coin, it has two sides.

So, I think it's important to remember that regardless of what type of roofing solution and system is being specified, selected, proposed, if you will, the objections are kind of interesting. I'll take them from a top four. I think the biggest issue and the biggest problem is, we've all heard the horror stories. That's the biggest objection. And I think you have to go back to what I said previously. Improper design, poor selection of systems, poor time of installer, lack of understanding by the installer, improper maintenance program. They all tend to kind of get hidden into, "Wow, I've heard the horror stories."

I think the other part, when we look at liquid and fluid applied systems, is twofold. In new construction and in restoration of existing low-slope systems, they really have to take on the power of "no." You have to do the right selection and make sure that before you make that footprint of a liquid applied system because of the end result of sustainable solutions for a building owner due to its flexibility and lightweight system approach. You have to be very mindful of that initial approach, which is why I go back to, I've heard of all the horror stories.

And, when you look at it from that perspective, you can then look at some of the other objections that are really awkward because insurance companies are driving a lot of statewide business for the roofing industry. And there's a big difference between insurance coverage and long-term sustainable solutions offered by manufacturers and roofing contractors throughout the country. In the state of Florida, there's very finite terms, and people have really had a very difficult time understanding the difference between coatings and liquid or fluid-applied systems.

The other part to it that's really interesting is the lack of knowledge within the architectural engineering and consultant community. Predominantly because of that first objection. I've heard of all the horror stories. So that really creates kind of a conundrum for a building owner because, really, one of the biggest objections in that restoration of existing roof systems is that cost is just absolutely too good to be true. However, in developing and presenting and delivering to building owners and designers, fluid applied sustainable solutions in a former life that I was, I would talk about how to minimize your roofing budget and maximize your roofing cost. Because once again, when you do the right evaluation and you make sure it's a yes, some of the savings to the owner on the front end and then on the long term are just at times too good to be true until they experience it. And remember how a building owner experiences it in that third potential for premature failure, lack of preventive proactive maintenance program by the building owner, right design by the design community, right installation by the installer, right protection by the building owner.

So that really is, in a nutshell, all of the things that have gone on for decades within the industry, the technologies of the products that are available. Also makes it challenging. In a 90-slide presentation, I would have three slides on actually the technology of the coating systems, because those are an important category to pick, but there's so many other things that are important prior to that selection. Really, the location and the timing of the facility and the service of that facility's roof should dictate the type of technology for the coating.

That's a whole other story, creating predictable and providing records and data. If you think about the fluid applied assemblies with long-term sustainable performance and renewable capabilities by recoding, you actually have a living document that serves the service life for that facility within a sustainable renewable warranty program from a manufacturer through a contractor to a building owner, to the point to where if a building owner decides 20 years down the road to sell the building, a proactive preventive maintenance program and predictable inspections and then predictable installations of RECO allow that building owner to transfer that warranty over to a new building owner. A tremendous tool. And that creates the record for actually showing how these systems can perform long term and through the service life of the facility, not through the service life of the specific roofing system.

I think that the biggest issues that we have in non-believers is not bringing to them specifically the issues they have on their roof and showing conditions that have been successfully done, installed and are still performing on previous projects through references. That's the way you turn a non-believer into an existing client, is to identify you have these conditions on this facility. This is the corrective action and the remedy that will be done. This is what will be then a finished completed project. Your cost is X, but most importantly, here are references that have these specific conditions that have been installed, performed and potentially renewed by that building owner through that manufacturer.

That's probably a gallons worth of liquid in a quart jar right there, Lauren. But I think that's really in a nutshell how really to promote and create solutions for liquid applied systems and have the owners embrace that life cycle cost where it fits for them. Because they may have buildings in certain states where insurance is not an issue. They may have insurance issues in other states where that could be a real issue for them to go down that.

Lauren White: Well, that was a wealth of information. Yeah, I think that was all really good information for contractors to have to help them be successful moving forward with these systems. So thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. We will catch you on the next one.

Joe Sorrentino: Thanks again. Stay safe in the skies, and be safe on the roof. Take care. Bye, Lauren.