What is the best way to get roofing leads?

There is no single best way. Referrals and local search cost least per job but cannot be forced. Paid lead services are fast but often shared with other roofers. Relationships with builders, agents and insurance offices start slowly and repeat for years. Most roofing companies do best with a mix, measured by cost per job won.

Are bought roofing leads worth it?

Sometimes. It depends on how many contractors receive each lead and how many leads you need to win one job. Track cost per job won, not cost per lead, and stop a service when that number passes what a job is worth to you.

Does LeadsByCity sell homeowner roofing leads?

No. It sells lists of businesses only, and no consumer data. For a roofer that means lists of the businesses that pass on roof work, such as general contractors, real estate agents and insurance agents. For a company that sells to roofers, it means lists of roofing companies.

How do roofers get commercial work?

By contacting the businesses that control it: general contractors, architects, property firms and facilities managers. List every one in your service area, introduce the company with a specific offer, and follow up. Commercial work comes from being known before the tender, not from answering it.

Roofing leads: the ways roofers get them, compared

Two kinds of roofing lead

Homeowner leads are private individuals who need a repair or a new roof. Business leads are companies that need roof work themselves or that pass it on: builders, property firms, agents, insurers’ local offices.

The difference decides where the lead can come from. Homeowners find you, or are sold to you by a lead service. Businesses can be listed and contacted directly, because they publish how to reach them. To be plain about what this site does: LeadsByCity sells lists of businesses and sells no homeowner or consumer data, so it helps with the second kind only.

The ways roofers get leads

Source	Kind of lead	You pay	Watch for
Referrals and repeat customers	Homeowner	Nothing	Cannot be turned up on demand
Local search and your reviews	Homeowner	Time, or an agency	Slow to build; competitors bid on your name
Paid search ads	Homeowner	Per click	Costs every day; stops when you stop
Pay-per-lead services	Homeowner	Per lead	The same lead is often sold to several roofers
Canvassing after storms	Homeowner	Your crew's time	Local rules on door-to-door selling
Builders, agents and property firms	Business	A list and your time	Slower to start; repeats for years

The catch with bought homeowner leads

A pay-per-lead service usually sells one homeowner’s enquiry to several contractors at once. You pay for the lead whether or not you win the job, so what matters is not the price of a lead but how many leads it takes to win one job. Ask a service three things before paying: how many contractors receive each lead, how a bad lead is credited, and whether you can cap the weekly spend.

Work it through with your own numbers in the cost per lead calculator: enter what you spent, the leads you received and the jobs you won.

The source most roofers skip: businesses that hand out roof work

Some businesses meet a roof problem every week and need someone to send it to. One good relationship with such a business is worth many single enquiries, and nobody else is paying for the same lead.

Who	Why they need a roofer	The lists
General contractors	They subcontract roofing on builds and renovations	General contractor leads
Real estate agents	Inspections turn up roof repairs that must be done before a sale	Real estate agent leads
Insurance agents	Their customers ask who to call after storm damage	Insurance agent leads
Solar installers	A roof often needs work before panels go on	Solar installer leads
Architects	They specify roofing on new buildings	Architect leads

The method is the one in local lead generation: take every business of one of these kinds in your service area, and contact each with a short, specific offer, such as a same-week inspection for their clients. It builds slowly and then keeps paying.

If you sell to roofing companies

Suppliers, software companies and marketing agencies search for roofing leads too, meaning roofing companies to sell to. For that, the list is the roofers themselves: roofer leads by country and city, with the count and sample rows for each place.

A sensible mix

Keep the sources that bring homeowners to you for nothing: reviews, referrals and a clear local presence. Use paid homeowner leads only while the numbers hold, measured as cost per job won. And put a few hours a week into the businesses that hand out roof work, because that is the one source that gets cheaper the longer you do it.

Questions and answers

What is the best way to get roofing leads?: There is no single best way. Referrals and local search cost least per job but cannot be forced. Paid lead services are fast but often shared with other roofers. Relationships with builders, agents and insurance offices start slowly and repeat for years. Most roofing companies do best with a mix, measured by cost per job won.
Are bought roofing leads worth it?: Sometimes. It depends on how many contractors receive each lead and how many leads you need to win one job. Track cost per job won, not cost per lead, and stop a service when that number passes what a job is worth to you.
Does LeadsByCity sell homeowner roofing leads?: No. It sells lists of businesses only, and no consumer data. For a roofer that means lists of the businesses that pass on roof work, such as general contractors, real estate agents and insurance agents. For a company that sells to roofers, it means lists of roofing companies.
How do roofers get commercial work?: By contacting the businesses that control it: general contractors, architects, property firms and facilities managers. List every one in your service area, introduce the company with a specific offer, and follow up. Commercial work comes from being known before the tender, not from answering it.