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The Complete Door Knocking Guide for Roofing Companies

In an era of Facebook ads, pay-per-click, and AI chatbots, some people think door knocking is dead. They're wrong — and the data proves it.

Across the 500+ storm restoration companies in our network, door knocking remains the #1 lead source by volume and the #2 lead source by conversion rate (behind only referrals). Here are the numbers from 2025:

Lead Source	Volume Share	Lead-to-Contract Rate	Avg. Job Value
Door knocking	41%	22%	$15,200
Referrals	18%	38%	$16,800
Online/digital	24%	14%	$13,900
Retail/events	9%	11%	$12,400
Other	8%	16%	$14,100

Door knocking works because it puts you face-to-face with a homeowner at the exact moment they need you most — right after a storm has damaged their property. No ad, email, or social media post can replicate that timing.

But there's a massive gap between good canvassing and bad canvassing. The top 10% of door-knocking reps in our system set appointments on 31% of contacts (homeowners who actually answer). The bottom 10% convert at just 8%. Same neighborhoods. Same storm damage. Same company. The difference is strategy, preparation, and systems.

This guide covers everything you need to know to build a high-performing door-knocking operation — from psychology and timing to territory management, team performance tracking, and the door knocking software that ties it all together.

The Psychology of the Door Knock

Before we get tactical, let's understand what's happening psychologically when you knock on a stranger's door.

The homeowner's emotional state: They're some combination of busy, annoyed, skeptical, and (post-storm) anxious. They didn't ask you to come. You're interrupting their evening. And they've probably already had two other roofers knock this week.

Your goal is not to sell a roof. Your goal is to earn 90 seconds of attention and establish enough trust to schedule a free inspection. That's it. Every word out of your mouth should serve that single objective.

Three psychological principles that matter:

Reciprocity: Offer something of genuine value before asking for anything. A free inspection, storm damage information for their specific neighborhood, photos from nearby roofs you've already inspected — give before you ask.
Social proof: "We've already inspected 14 homes on this street" is more powerful than any pitch about your company. Homeowners want to know their neighbors are doing it too.
Urgency without pressure: "Your insurance policy has a filing deadline" is factual and urgent. "You need to sign today or you'll lose your chance" is pressure. Know the difference. The first builds trust; the second destroys it.

Timing Strategies

When you knock matters almost as much as what you say.

Post-Storm Windows

The first 7 days after a confirmed hail or wind event are worth more than the next 30 combined. Our data shows:

Days 1–3: Appointment set rate of 28% of contacts
Days 4–7: 22% appointment rate
Days 8–14: 15% appointment rate
Days 15–30: 9% appointment rate
Days 31+: 5% appointment rate

The takeaway: when a storm hits, drop everything else and canvass. Speed is the single biggest competitive advantage in storm restoration.

Best Times of Day

Time Window	Contact Rate	Appointment Rate
8am–10am	34%	19%
10am–12pm	28%	16%
12pm–2pm	22%	12%
2pm–4pm	31%	17%
4pm–7pm	52%	24%

The 4pm–7pm window is the gold standard for residential canvassing. People are home from work, kids are back from school, and homeowners are more relaxed. Saturday mornings (9am–12pm) are also high-value, with a 47% contact rate.

Days to Avoid

Sundays: Lowest contact rates. Respect rest days.
Major holidays: Poor contact rates and negative brand impression.
Game days: In football-heavy markets, avoid knocking during big games. Yes, really.

Territory Management

Unmanaged territory is wasted territory. If your reps are choosing where to knock based on gut feel, you're leaving money on the table.

Define Territories Clearly

Every rep should have a defined area. Overlapping territories mean duplicated effort, confused homeowners, and internal conflict. Use geographic boundaries (streets, highways, zip codes) or assign specific subdivisions.

Track Saturation

A neighborhood is "saturated" when you've attempted contact at 70%+ of homes. After that, returns diminish sharply. Move on.

Your canvassing software should show saturation rates on a map in real time so reps can make smart decisions about where to spend their next hour.

Prioritize by Storm Data

Not every neighborhood gets hit equally. Use hail swath data, storm reports, and damage density maps to prioritize the areas most likely to have damage. Knocking in a neighborhood with confirmed 1.5" hail is dramatically more productive than cold-knocking an area with no recent storm activity.

Track Every Door

Every single door knock should be logged with:

Address
Date and time
Outcome (Not Home, Not Interested, Already Has Contractor, Appointment Set, etc.)
Notes for re-knock strategy
GPS coordinates (for route verification and territory analysis)

This data is worthless the first day. It's incredibly valuable by day 30. Patterns emerge: which neighborhoods convert, which times work, which objections are most common in which areas.

Script Frameworks (Not Word-for-Word Scripts)

Here's a contrarian but data-supported take: word-for-word scripts hurt performance.

In a study we ran across 1,200 tracked canvassing sessions, reps who used flexible frameworks outperformed those with rigid scripts by 23% in appointment set rate. Why? Because rigid scripts sound robotic, don't adapt to context, and collapse the moment a homeowner says something unexpected.

What works better is a framework — a structured approach with key elements that the rep can deliver in their own voice.

The Universal Door-Knock Framework

1. Opening (5 seconds): Introduce yourself and your company. Smile. Be human.

2. Context (10 seconds): Why you're there. Reference something specific — the storm, the neighborhood, a neighbor's roof.

3. Value offer (10 seconds): What you're offering (free inspection, information, photos) and why it matters to them.

4. Social proof (5 seconds): Evidence that others are doing this too.

5. Call to action (5 seconds): Ask for a specific next step (schedule the inspection).

Total: 35 seconds. That's your window. Respect it.

Four Framework Variations

For detailed scripts you can hand to your team today, including post-storm, cold knock, referral follow-up, and re-knock frameworks, read our dedicated guide: Best Door Knocking Scripts for Roofers That Actually Work.

Objection Handling

The best canvassers don't avoid objections — they welcome them. An objection means the homeowner is engaged enough to respond. Here are the seven most common objections and how to handle them:

"I'm not interested." Framework response: "Totally understand. Quick question — did you know there was confirmed [hail size] hail in this area on [date]? Most homeowners don't realize their roof was damaged until they see a leak. I'm just offering a quick look — no cost, no commitment."

"I already have a roofer." Framework response: "That's great — glad you're covered. Are they working with your insurance company on the claim too? A lot of homeowners don't realize there's a supplement process that can save them thousands in out-of-pocket costs."

"My roof is fine." Framework response: "It might be — and I hope it is. But [X] homes on your street already had damage confirmed. Hail damage isn't always visible from the ground. It's a free inspection — if everything looks good, I'll shake your hand and move on."

"I need to talk to my spouse." Framework response: "Absolutely. Would it help if I popped back when they're home, or I can leave my card with some information about what we found in the neighborhood?"

"How do I know you're legitimate?" Framework response: Provide your business card, license number, insurance information, and point to your wrapped truck. Offer references in the neighborhood.

"I'm busy right now." Framework response: "No problem at all. When's a better time for me to swing by? I'll be in the neighborhood [day/time]."

"I'm renting / HOA handles it." Framework response: "Got it — do you happen to know who the property owner or HOA management company is? I'd love to make sure they know about the storm damage in this area."

GPS Tracking and Data-Driven Canvassing

Modern canvassing is a data operation. The days of dropping reps in a neighborhood and hoping for the best are over. With the right canvassing software, every knock becomes a data point you can learn from.

GPS-tracked canvassing with smart canvassing tools lets you:

Verify activity: See real-time and historical routes for every rep. How many doors did they actually knock? Where did they go? How long were they at each stop?
Optimize territory: Heat maps show which areas are saturated, which are untouched, and which are converting best.
Reduce fraud: We'll be blunt — some reps sit in their truck and fabricate door-knock numbers. GPS tracking makes that impossible.
Coach effectively: When a rep's numbers dip, you can review their route and activity patterns to identify the problem.

For a deep dive on how GPS transforms sales teams, read: How GPS Canvassing Tracking Transforms Roofing Sales Teams.

Team Management and Leaderboards

Canvassing is a team sport, and competition drives performance. The data is clear: companies that use team leaderboards see 18% higher doors-per-day averages and 22% lower turnover among sales reps.

Building a Leaderboard That Works

Metrics to track:

Doors knocked per day
Contact rate (% of doors where someone answered)
Appointment set rate (% of contacts that booked an inspection)
Inspections completed
Contracts signed

Leaderboard best practices:

Update in real time — daily leaderboards are more motivating than weekly
Recognize effort (doors knocked) and results (contracts signed) separately
Create team-level and individual-level boards
Use it to celebrate, not to punish — the goal is healthy competition

Compensation alignment: Your comp plan should reward the behaviors you track. If you measure doors knocked but only pay on closed deals, you'll get reps who cherry-pick easy leads and skip the hard knocking.

Daily Canvassing Standup

The best canvassing managers run a 10-minute standup every morning:

Yesterday's numbers (30 seconds per rep)
Today's territory assignments (2 minutes)
One coaching moment (3 minutes)
Energy and motivation (2 minutes)

Keep it short. Keep it daily. Consistency compounds.

Common Door-Knocking Mistakes

We've watched thousands of hours of canvassing through ride-alongs and GPS data. Here are the mistakes that cost the most:

Talking too much. The average successful door interaction lasts 45–60 seconds. Unsuccessful ones last 90+ seconds. Say less. Listen more.
No follow-up plan. If nobody was home, when are you going back? "Not Home" is not a dead lead — it's a follow-up opportunity. Top reps re-knock "Not Home" addresses at a different time within 48 hours.
Skipping houses. Cherry-picking "nice" houses and skipping older ones or rentals is a habit that destroys territory coverage. Knock every door. The data shows that "less attractive" properties convert at nearly the same rate.
No tracking. If you're not logging every door with an outcome, you're not canvassing — you're wandering. And you can't improve what you don't measure.
Poor appearance. Branded polo or t-shirt, clean vehicle with company wrap, professional demeanor. You're asking someone to trust you with a $15,000+ project. Look the part.
Badmouthing competitors. Never. It makes you look insecure and unprofessional. Focus on what you bring to the table, not what others don't.
Ignoring the "no" signals. If someone says they're not interested, thank them and move on. Persistence has a line — crossing it damages your brand in the neighborhood.

Leveraging AI for Canvassing

Technology doesn't replace the human element of door knocking, but it amplifies it. AI assistants can help with:

Script optimization: Analyze which talk tracks are converting best across your team and share those patterns.
Territory recommendations: Suggest high-priority neighborhoods based on storm data, previous conversion rates, and saturation levels.
Real-time coaching: Surface tips and objection-handling suggestions based on neighborhood data and historical patterns.

For a comprehensive look at canvassing technology, explore our door knocking software solutions.

Conclusion

Door knocking isn't dead — it's evolving. The companies that invest in door knocking software and treat canvassing as a disciplined, data-driven operation consistently outperform those that treat it as "go knock on some doors and see what happens."

The formula is straightforward:

Know where to knock (storm data + territory management)
Know when to knock (timing strategies)
Know what to say (frameworks, not scripts)
Track everything (canvassing software + CRM integration)
Compete and improve (leaderboards + coaching)

The reps who follow this system set 3–5 appointments per day. The ones who wing it set 0–1. Over a storm season, that gap represents hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.

The Complete Door Knocking Guide for Roofing Companies