Kevin's Watch

The storm season is coming up. Where will the damage be this year? If you have a vehicle, a tape measure, a calculator, a ladder, a good pair of shoes and a burning desire to make make money, you can sell roofs this year and achieve your financial goals. The only thing standing between you and 100k is you. Like I said, my worst salesman made 40k this storm- in 6 months. My best made over 70k. And this was not a great market. Send me a message if you want more info.

Yay, SPAM!

Absolutely not. I'm talking about the KW message system anyway.

Many people seem to be losing jobs. Lots of people are complaining about being employees and having a ceiling. Well, here is your chance to be mostly your own boss and make some serious coin.

All right, sir. I'm game. Message me!

Is that Rome, Italy LF? These sales jobs require one to physically be in the United States in a storm damaged location (hail, hurricane) to be able to measure and sell a roof.

*whispers* I am in Rome, Georgia. *whispers* YES, ROME, ITALY; NOT ROME, GEORGIA. I AM NOT FROM THE SOUTH.

If you were in Rome, GA, you could probably still get in on a little action in Atlanta. HUGE hailstorm there last year. But it was the first major storm of the year, turned into a circus with all the storm chasers, and from what I've heard, not a good market. I'm glad I ducked that one. I know a couple of guys who actually lost money there. By now it's died down, and there will be some stragglers who didn't get roofs last year. If they don't get their roofs installed within one year from point of discovery, they will lose their depreciation monies.

Maybe you could direct me to New Orleans?

I chose Gulfport/Biloxi during Katrina. The next best area was actually around Covington, LA. But that work is long gone. We were out of Gulfport by June '06. I actually left in April.

Or send me back in time to Hurricane Andrew--after the hurricane, mind.

This is very good of you to post this here for all of us, Harbinger.
Thanks!
Although I'm all set now (I hope!) if things change I might be contacting you.

Anything available for someone who never wants to go higher than his head again [having fallen off a roof, fallen through a roof, and come within 1000 feet or crashing in the atlantic]?

I do need a job and love the concept, but 80% of New Mexican roofs are flat...

I have done this before. Harbinger is legit, and speaks the truth. Three days of training, and I was selling a roof per day after that. I don't consider myself a salesman, but in a situation like a hurricane or hail storm, people are literally begging for you to come give them an estimate. People often wait weeks for an estimate. Sometimes all it takes is being the first salesman on the roof, and being personable enough that they will trust you. Also, getting hooked into a local company helps with the credibility problem of being a "storm chaser." This isn't hard to do. Many local companies will team up with storm chasers simply because they aren't equipped to handle the sudden increase in volume, and this way the home owners are protected because their warranties are backed up by a company in their community. There are unscrupulous companies out there, but there is no way I would work for one.

Being a good salesman will definitely help. The roof aspect is the easiest part. If you can use a tape measure to calculate square feet (area of a rectangle, area of a trapezoid, etc.) you just plug in whatever dollar amount your boss gives you to calculate your estimate. But the hardest part is probably organizational skills. The "top-dog" salesmen often hire a local girl as their own personal secretary. Wives (or husbands) willing to travel can fill that role, too. Paperwork can add up quickly, but that's a good thing because it means you're selling.

The part that takes a little longer to learn is dealing with the insurance company. But you don't have to grasp that in week one. The office staff and your trainer can help with that, too. Basically, it's just going through the red tape of getting the insurance adjuster to release the funds so you get paid. You fax him your estimate, he gets his boss to approve it, and then the homeowner gets a check, which you have to collect, and then you get paid.

You can make anywhere from $500 to $3000 per roof, depending on its size. Sell one a day, and we're talking serious cash. Sell one a week, and you're still doing ok, if it's a big one. At the height of Katrina aftermath, I was measuring 4-5 roofs a day. So only closing 1 out of 4 still meant 1 a day.

A good company will give you leads, which you call and make your appointments. But seeking out the good neighborhoods with the big roofs, and door knocking that neighborhood will be the best way to pick off the big roofs quickly (in the first few weeks). And sometimes the roofs go like dominos, because neighbors often go with the roofer their neighbor used. Getting into a neighborhood, putting your sign in their yard, and then building off that can be an easy way to rack up some roofs quickly. If you make them happy, they'll send all their friends and family your way.

The best part about this is you are your own boss. Most of the time you are driving around the town, choosing your own schedule. Your boss doesn't know if you're at an appointment, or at the cinema. And he doesn't care as long as your customers are happy, and you are selling. This was probably the best job I ever had.

Also, getting hooked into a local company helps with the credibility problem of being a "storm chaser."

What Malik means is getting with a storm chaser who has bought out a local company. Local companies don't have the capital, credit, or ability to do the insane volume that we do. (2300 roofs in Katrina in 8-9 months). I didn't own that company BTW- I was a project manager. My boss made 10 million. I made 130K. Also, we sign contracts with the former owners to take care of warranty issues after we leave.

There are a lot of really sleazy people in this business and you want (I hope you want) to hook up with someone who will honor any warranty issues they have. Also, there are a lot of people who will screw you on your commissions. If you work for me, this won't happen to you. If I recommend someone else to you, there is a greatly reduced chance this will happen to you.

O.K. Here's your chance. I just bought a roofing company in Illinois. Murphysboro, Carbondale, and Marion experienced a rare derecho in early May. A derecho is basically a sideways tornado. This event created a swath of wind across southern Illinois that reached speeds of 115 mph. There are tens of thousands of damaged roofs. My salesmen will be hitting the ground later next week. I am not exaggerating when I tell you you could make 100k by Christmas. Although 40 to 50k is more realistic for average people. All you need is a vehicle, ladder, calculator, tape measure, clipboard, and a good pair of shoes. Oh yeah, and a burning desire to succeed.

EDIT: I'm gonna go ahead and spill the beans. Malik has worked for me in the past and in Katrina we both worked for my old boss. I just want anyone who might be considering this to know that it is a real opportunity. I know it sounds like BS, that's what I thought too. But I hated my old job and I tried it out. Four months later, I'd earned 60K in Denver and was headed to work Hurricane Ike. Made about 80k there in 5 months. Less than one year after finding this business I'd made over 150k. Those are exceptional results, but I've seen LOTS of guys make 40 to 50k in half a year.

The jobs are currently in El Paso, TX.

Keep in mind that I've known Malik23 most of his life.

Malik23 wrote:

Fair doesn't create a job. Jobs don't grow on trees. They come from peolpe who have more initiative and work harder than you or I. People like Harbinger, who started his own business, and now employs dozens of people (and has offered anyone here jobs approaching 6 figures). He could decide it's not worth it and stop tomorrow. And all those people would be out a job.

Hile Troy's Think Tank- Supply Side Economics Page 2.

These jobs are real; but you gotta be an eagle not an oyster.
Use KW to contact me.

Just wanted to bring this back up to the top to tie it in to the unemployment thread. If you reread the thread, you'll see a testimonial from a peer who has actually done this job.

Harbinger wrote:Just wanted to bring this back up to the top to tie it in to the unemployment thread. If you reread the thread, you'll see a testimonial from a peer who has actually done this job.

Check yo PM's.

The best part about this is you are your own boss. Most of the time you are driving around the town, choosing your own schedule. Your boss doesn't know if you're at an appointment, or at the cinema. And he doesn't care as long as your customers are happy, and you are selling. This was probably the best job I ever had.

Ugh. I wish someone hadn't told me this. I am utterly not a "driving around" kind of person...

But I already PMed Harbinger with an explanation of my situation which I believe should extract some more details from him which are necessary for me to figure out if this is a good opportunity given my situation.

These jobs are real; but you gotta be an eagle not an oyster.
Use KW to contact me.

Demand side economics: THOSE JOBS BETTA BE GOOD. Additionally, this eagle/oyster dynamic is quite bothersome. Do oysters evolve into eagles overnight? An oyster that tries to fly won't do it in a day if a year, and even if it does, it gets all its food underwater so what was the point of flying?

JazFusion wrote:

Harbinger wrote:Just wanted to bring this back up to the top to tie it in to the unemployment thread. If you reread the thread, you'll see a testimonial from a peer who has actually done this job.

Check yo PM's.

Confused as to the secrecy. PM me too.