How to Get Your First 10 Roofing Customers

Your first 10 roofing customers are the hardest 10 you will ever land. Once you have 10 happy customers, 50 photos of completed roofs, and 25 Google reviews, your business runs on momentum. Until then, every job is uphill.

This is the no-fluff playbook for getting from zero to your first 10 paying roofing customers.

1. License, insurance, bonding — non-negotiable

Before you spend a dollar on marketing: state contractor license, general liability insurance (minimum $1M), workers comp if you have any employees, and bonding where your state requires it.

This is not a marketing tip — it is the floor. Homeowners check. Insurance carriers will not approve a claim job from an uninsured roofer. Skipping this is the fastest way to kill your business in year one.

2. Your first 3 jobs come from friends and family

Nobody hires a brand-new roofer they have never heard of. Your first paying customers come from your existing network. Call every person you know. Tell them you have started a roofing company, you are taking on small jobs first to build a portfolio, and you would appreciate any referral.

Offer the friends-and-family rate: cost plus 15%. The goal of these jobs is not profit — it is photos, reviews, and a base of trust to build on.

3. Set up Google Business Profile day one

Free, takes 45 minutes. Complete every field. List your service area as exact ZIP codes. Upload your truck, your tools, photos of you on a roof. Get verified.

Even with zero reviews, a complete and verified profile will start to show up for searches in your immediate area within 2–4 weeks.

4. Build a credibility website (5 pages, that is it)

You do not need a 50-page site to land your first 10 customers. You need 5 solid pages:

1. Home — what you do, where you work, phone number, 3 reviews when you have them, photo of you
2. Roof replacement — explanation, materials, process, warranty
3. Roof repair — common issues, response time, pricing approach
4. Storm damage — insurance claim help, what to do after a storm, free inspection CTA
5. About / Contact — your story, license number, service area, contact form, phone

A well-built 5-page roofer site will outperform a sloppy 30-page site every time. See how we build roofer sites for the structure.

5. Storm damage canvassing (legally and ethically)

This is the fastest source of new roofing customers in the first year — and the easiest to do badly. After a hail or wind event in your area, walk the neighborhoods that were hit. Door-to-door. Hand the homeowner your card. Offer a free inspection.

The right way: identify yourself, hand over your card with license number printed on it, offer a free inspection with no obligation. Do not pressure. Do not "tell them what their insurance will pay." Do not start work without a signed contract.

The wrong way (skip these entirely): claiming insurance will cover everything, signing contingency contracts on the doorstep, asking for upfront cash, calling yourself a "storm response team" if you are not one.

6. Insurance adjuster relationships

Roofers who close insurance claim work efficiently get referred adjuster-to-adjuster. Build relationships with the adjusters working in your market: State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, USAA, Nationwide. Show up professional. Bring accurate Xactimate estimates. Do not fight over $200 line items.

One adjuster who trusts you can send you 5–15 jobs a year for years.

7. Realtor referrals for inspection-fix work

Realtors need roofers when an inspection flags a problem before closing. These are small jobs ($800–$3,000 typically), fast turnaround, and they happen constantly.

Pick the top 20 residential realtors in your service area. Drop off a card and a one-page sheet listing what you fix and your typical response time. Promise 48-hour quotes and 7-day completion on inspection items. Realtors who trust you will route every fix to you for years.

8. The first reviews — how to ask

Reviews are how you stop being "some new roofer" and become "the rated 5-star local roofer." Goal: 10 Google reviews within your first 90 days.

Every job, the moment the customer signs off as satisfied, ask in person: "If you have a minute, would you leave a quick Google review about your experience? It really helps a new business." Hand them a card with a QR code that opens directly to your Google review page.

Same day, send a text: "Thanks again — if you have 30 seconds for a review, here's the link: [link]"

3 of every 4 friends-and-family jobs should turn into a review if you ask this way. After your first 10 paying customers, you should be at 15–20 reviews easily.

9. Local Services Ads once you have 20 reviews

LSA is the "Google Guaranteed" badge above the Map Pack. For roofing, cost per lead runs $40–$120 depending on market. Wait until you have 20+ reviews and 4.7+ rating before applying — LSA leads convert based on visible trust signals, and a thin profile will burn money.

Once you are ready, apply through the LSA portal. Approval takes 1–3 weeks. Then you appear above everything for every relevant local roofing search.

10. The 90-day momentum point

If you do all of the above consistently for 90 days, here is roughly where you land:

• 15–25 completed jobs (mix of friends/family, storm canvass, realtor inspection fixes)
• 15–25 Google reviews with 4.7+ average
• 30–50 photos in your project gallery
• A Google Business Profile ranking in the top 5–10 of your local Map Pack
• 2–3 realtor or adjuster relationships sending you steady work
• A 5-page website that is starting to rank for local roofing searches

At that point, momentum takes over. Reviews drive more leads. Photos close more jobs. Realtors refer more frequently because you delivered. The business stops being uphill.