A roofing sales pitch has two parts: a short door script that asks for an inspection and nothing else, and a kitchen-table close that walks through a written estimate and then asks for the signature. Under federal law a homeowner who signs at home can cancel until midnight of the third business day, so a same-night push doesn’t lock in the job. Both scripts are below, minus the lines regulators tell homeowners to treat as warning signs.
The door pitch asks for an inspection and nothing more
Door-knock script
“Hi, I’m [first name] with [company]. [Where your city requires one: Here’s my solicitor permit.]
I’m knocking on [street] because [one true, specific reason: the hail on (date), or the age of the roofs on this street].
Today I’m only booking inspections. Would [day] at [time] work, or is another day better?”
If yes: “Afterwards I’ll give you a written estimate that lists the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. Compare it with anyone else’s.”
If they ask whether they have to sign anything: “No. Nothing gets signed before you have the written estimate.”
If no: “Can I leave my card in case you want a look later?”
The estimate line promises what the FTC tells homeowners a written estimate should contain. The signing line answers a Texas Department of Insurance warning: it lists a contractor asking for a signature before giving an estimate as a common scam, and says scammers call a contract an estimate or a release to get onto the roof. A rep who says “sign here so we can take a look” matches that warning.
Set a rep’s daily target in booked inspections. One rep a month into the job said he spent 2 to 3 hours a day knocking for 1 or 2 appointments. A new canvasser with one week of training said his manager expected at least one appointment every day, and he thought the script he’d been handed was too pushy. Train on the script before anyone gets a quota; How to Hire and Train Roofing Sales Reps Who Find Their Own Leads covers the rest.
The FTC lists “we’re in the area” as a scammer’s opener
The FTC’s page on home improvement scams warns about people who knock because they are “in the area,” claim leftover materials from another job, push for an immediate decision, or want everything paid up front or in cash.
The same page tells homeowners to get several estimates and not to pick the lowest bidder automatically, and the Texas Department of Insurance tells them to get at least three bids. When a homeowner says “we’re getting other bids,” give the rep a reply that helps them compare:
“That makes sense. When you line them up, check that each one lists the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.”
Strike any line that sounds like the FTC’s list, even when it’s true, and give the storm or the roof age as the reason for knocking.
Dallas bans knocking after sunset and on Sundays
In Dallas, anyone selling door to door needs a solicitor’s permit from the Dallas Police Department. It costs a non-refundable $50, lasts one year, and the ID card must be worn where homeowners can see it.
Dallas permit holders can knock only from 9 a.m. to sunset, Monday through Saturday, never on ten listed holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and never at a home with a “No Solicitors” sign or similar notice. Look up the rules in every city your reps knock before you set their hours; Do Roofers Need a Solicitor Permit to Door Knock? covers permits.
The kitchen-table close has to state the three-day cancel right out loud
The FTC Cooling-Off Rule covers a sale of $25 or more agreed at the buyer’s home, including a sales visit the homeowner invited, and the FTC’s own example is “a new roof that you’re not sure you really need.” The seller has to hand over a dated contract and two copies of a Notice of Cancellation form, and has to tell the buyer about the right to cancel out loud at signing. Misstating that right also breaks the rule, so a rep who says “this is final once you sign” is in violation.
Kitchen-table close
- Lay the written estimate on the table and go through it line by line: the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.
- “What questions do you have about any of it?” Answer from the estimate.
- “If this is the roof you want, I can write up the contract now. If you’d like to compare it with other bids first, when should I call you back?”
- At signing, say this out loud: “You can cancel this until midnight on [date], the third business day. Saturday counts as a business day. Here are two copies of the cancellation form. If you change your mind, fill one in and get it to us before then.”
- Take only the deposit your state allows. The FTC tells homeowners not to pay the full amount up front and notes that some states cap the down payment.
Count Saturday when you work out the date in step 4: the FTC says a Friday sale can be cancelled until midnight Tuesday. California gives homeowners three days to cancel, and five days for homeowners 65 and older.
If the close includes same-day financing, the rule bars you from selling or assigning the loan note to a finance company before midnight of the fifth business day. After a valid cancellation, every payment has to be refunded within 10 business days, and in Texas a merchant isn’t entitled to pay for services performed under a cancelled home-solicitation sale. Schedule the tear-off for after the window closes.
Pressure gets a signature the homeowner can still cancel
The few public reports on pressure point both ways. A fourth-generation exterior remodeler (roofing, siding and windows) wrote on r/smallbusiness that his lifetime close rate is 45% on two-hour appointments, while his brother runs much shorter ones. His company is usually the highest bid, and he said a short visit wouldn’t build enough value to justify the price.
A rep on r/RoofingSales said a trainer who took over his closes used scare tactics: “I have had 5 people walk away after his close.” Another rep lost a bid to a pushy salesman even though the homeowners had said they would turn away anyone pushy.
A central Florida owner who sells only retail roofs said he didn’t want a pushy operation, and that he was leaving deals on the table because his follow-up and job tracking weren’t where they should be. Put the extra time into the appointment and the callback date in step 3, and drop the same-night push. Homeowners who go quiet after the inspection are a separate problem, covered in Why Homeowners Ghost After the Roof Inspection, and How to Keep the Job.
Some insurance lines in a pitch break state law
In Texas, a contract of $1,000 or more expected to be paid from an insurance claim must carry a notice, in at least 12-point bold, that the homeowner pays the deductible. Paying, waiving or rebating the deductible without the insurer’s consent is a Class B misdemeanor there, so “we’ll cover your deductible” and “we’ll work with you on it” come out of any Texas pitch.
The Texas Department of Insurance also bars a roofer doing the work from acting as the homeowner’s public adjuster. It lists offers to negotiate the settlement or file the claim for the homeowner, and promises to recover “every dime,” as improper. Minnesota bars a contractor from handing an insured homeowner a repair agreement without an itemized, good-faith estimate, and from giving coverage advice without a public adjuster license. Check your own state’s rules, and give reps this line instead:
“You file the claim with your insurance company. I’ll give you my written estimate so you can compare it with the adjuster’s report.”
The Texas regulator gives homeowners the same advice.
Check the script against this list before a rep reads it
- The door script asks for an inspection and asks for no signature.
- The reason for knocking is specific and true, with no “in the area” and no leftover materials.
- The rep wears a permit wherever the city requires one, and knocks only during permitted hours.
- The estimate lists the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.
- The close offers a callback date as well as a signature.
- At signing, the rep states the cancel deadline out loud and hands over two cancellation forms.
- No loan note is sold to a finance company before the fifth business day, and no crew starts before the cancel window closes.
- The deposit stays within your state’s limit.
- No line covers the deductible, files the claim for the homeowner or promises to recover everything.
A door script only reaches the homes your reps knock. To see where you show up for homeowners who search instead, run the free Google Maps heatmap: pick your Google profile and a search, and in a few minutes you’ll see your rank at 49 points around your office.