For many home service professionals, hiring a marketing agency feels like a gamble. You hire a firm, expect results, and when the phone doesn’t ring off the hook, you blame the agency and move on to the next one. But according to Mauricio Cardinal of Contractor Marketing Pros and Ed Rollins, owner of Rooftastic, the problem often isn’t the agency—it’s the contractor’s approach to the partnership.
In a recent discussion, they broke down why so many contractors struggle to see ROI and how Rooftastic built an internal machine that makes their marketing unstoppable.
The “Magic Pill” Syndrome
The most common reason contractors fail with agencies is that they are looking for a “magic pill”. They hope to hire an agency and take a completely hands-off approach, expecting results without any lead work or participation on their end. When results don’t materialize immediately, they blame the agency, not realizing that hiring a marketing partner requires the same diligence as hiring an internal employee,.
The harsh truth is that while you can outsource the execution of marketing tasks, you cannot outsource the strategy. The strategy is the “brain” of your business operations, and as the owner, you cannot delegate that responsibility entirely to an outside vendor,.
The Rooftastic Difference: A Marketing Company That Sells Roofs
Ed Rollins attributes Rooftastic’s success to a fundamental shift in mindset: he views his business not just as a roofing company, but as a marketing and sales organization that “happens to be doing roofing”. This “offense-first” mentality means they prioritize generating leads and converting them into appointments efficiently,.
Here are the specific pillars Rooftastic uses to ensure their marketing agency succeeds:
1. They Built the Infrastructure to “Catch the Ball”
Marketing agencies can throw the ball, but the contractor has to catch it to score touchdowns. Many contractors fail because they lack the infrastructure to handle the leads marketing generates,.
Rooftastic implemented specific roles to ensure nothing falls through the cracks:
- The Marketing Manager: They employ a dedicated manager, Anna Grace, who “runs point” on all marketing efforts. She doesn’t necessarily execute every technical task (like SEO or PPC), but she holds vendors accountable, ensures brand consistency across all channels, and tracks performance.
- Dedicated Appointment Setters: They have staff members, Clarissa and Emma, whose primary job is to “dominate” appointment setting from inbound leads.
- Automation and Ops: Another team member, Rebecca, handles the backend data and automations to ensure the systems function correctly.
2. They Know Their Numbers (and Price Correctly)
A major reason contractors fail is that they simply aren’t priced right. If you price your jobs at the bottom end of the market, you won’t have the profit margins required to invest in growth.
Ed Rollins operates with clear financial targets:
- Budgeting: Rooftastic generally reinvests 5% to 6% of top-line revenue into marketing. Ed notes that newer companies trying to build brand recognition might need to spend as much as 10% to 12% initially.
- KPI Tracking: They don’t just track leads; they track the “cost per appointment,” aiming to keep it under $300,.
- CRM Discipline: The team utilizes AccuLynx with a strict philosophy: “If it’s not in AccuLynx, it don’t exist”. This allows them to generate monthly reports that show exactly which channels are driving sales.
3. They Commit to Weekly Accountability
Rooftastic does not treat their agency like a distant vendor; they treat them like a partner. They hold weekly meetings with a rolling agenda to review what is working, address immediate issues, and plan for the future. This consistent communication prevents the “set it and forget it” mentality that leads to failure.
The Bottom Line: Education Before Execution
Ultimately, success requires the business owner to educate themselves before handing over the reins. Ed Rollins recommends reading foundational books like DotCom Secrets and No BS Direct Marketing to understand the math and psychology behind the campaigns,. By understanding the strategy, the owner can effectively manage the agency rather than being at its mercy.
To put it simply:
Hiring a marketing agency without building your internal sales and tracking systems is like hiring a high-performance quarterback but refusing to put any wide receivers on the field. The quarterback can throw perfect passes all day, but if you haven’t hired and trained the people to catch the ball and run it into the endzone, you will never put points on the board.
At Contractor Marketing Pros, we provide specialized marketing services designed exclusively for contractors who want consistent leads and long-term growth. Our team helps you increase visibility, attract qualified customers, and turn traffic into real jobs through proven strategies like SEO, paid advertising, website optimization, and branding. If you’re ready to scale your contracting business with a marketing partner that understands your industry, explore everything we offer on our services page.
