We always enjoy connecting with our contractor partners to learn more about their businesses, their projects, and upcoming trends. In this edition of Contractor Corner, we sit down with Nick Williams, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mayday Restoration.
Nick, please tell us about your background, how long you've been at the company, what you do, and about the company itself.
I've been with Mayday for four years as the VP of Sales and Marketing. My entire professional life has been spent in some facet of home restoration. Before coming into the restoration business, a lot of it was windows, siding, and doors. I've found a home in roofing and restoration, particularly in the agricultural and commercial metal space. That's where we focus. We do a lot of residential, but our real focus is on metal, which will skew agricultural or commercial, just based on the market segment that wants it.
You're in the Upper Midwest, and as you mentioned, your market skews towards metal. Is it more the agricultural outbuildings, barns, and pole barns?
The market and the niche we service are that. In the broader market, you see a lot of residential interest in metal. The cost is always a question mark that we run into, but we find that metal is a perfect application in agriculture, and in the Midwest, we have a ton of pole barns.
How do you discuss the cost of metal or deal with the potential customer's objection or concern?
There are two ways to go about it. Metal, with all other positioning, is inside the luxury material space. If you stack metal up to tile or a synthetic tile equivalent, I think metal is pretty equal in cost for cost, so give or take a couple of bucks on a square. When you're looking at an asphalt-to-metal upgrade, which we do quite a bit of, it's more: Do you want a luxury product or not? Do you love the look of metal? That's how we position it, with decent success.
We really position it residentially and often sell quite a bit of it as an architectural accent. Metal is a fantastic product. Maybe take a couple of squares of it, put it on a turret, put it on a dormer, put it somewhere of architectural interest, and that makes your home pop.
Talk to us about your selling process. Has it changed? Is it getting easier or harder to get through the process? Is it longer or shorter than it used to be?
I firmly believe the sales game has stayed the same for the last 100 years. Residentially, the sales cycle is still ongoing. The biggest difference we're seeing now is the advent of the Internet. You're not the only source of answers. People have well-researched metal roofs; they well understand what they're coming into before you get there. Beyond that, the game has stayed the same. I haven't seen a longer sales cycle residentially or commercially in the last ten years. I see more informed buyers, which is a great thing.
What are your most popular or top-selling products?
Residentially, what everyone wants is standing seam. That's when you think of metal as a homeowner. You're thinking about that standing seam metal, and we sell quite a bit of the Medallion Lok. That's always going to be our number one residential seller.
What makes you stand out? Is competition easier or tougher now than it has been in the past?
It doesn't feel that much worse now than times in the past. We built a good brand, we built a good reputation, we build good roofs, and we continue to grow year after year, this year being no exception.
How do you position Mayday against new companies?
When we're talking about metal, Mayday has positioned ourselves in this niche because we build it right. And if there is an issue, we stand behind it. If we did it wrong, we'd redo it, and we've rebuilt several roofs where it just didn't come out to meet the owner's standard. I can think of a gigantic multi-thousand-square-foot build we did where the installation didn't quite match what the owner wanted. We ripped that whole thing off and did it again. There's not a lot of companies that will do that.
What are some of the most significant changes you've seen in your time in the business in this industry?
From a consumer perspective, you see many more informed buyers today than ten years ago. What that means for us as a business is moving away from what was historically a one-call, one-close model to a more feedback-oriented approach. We'll provide you with an estimate, we'll follow up, and we may close on a different day. Mayday has never been a company that offers a one-call close discount. Being willing to consult with the customer and provide an estimate that's always good only goes up if a price increase has lent itself well to success as you see the consumer buying pattern shift over time.
Do you see any trends starting up? If you could predict the future, what's coming down the pike for roofs, metal roofs, and wall panels in your business?
At a macro level, I only see a lot more interest than historically. Year after year, we get more calls from people looking for metal. You see a lot more new construction with metal on the roof. That will be a function of increasing home prices so you can use higher materials to build. But you see many more homes coming out built with metal, people wanting metal, liking the look, and residentially adopting it in a space that isn't agricultural or quasi-agricultural.
Talk to us about working with McElroy Metal. What's it like to work with them and their team?
We've had a great relationship with McElroy. We do quite a bit of metal, and finding a company that can support you in the field is the biggest deciding factor on whether we go with you or not. Not just being able to give us good panels but also being able to support us with installation questions and technical questions. If there is a warranty or install issue, can you come out and talk to us and the property owner about it and come to an honest resolution? We've found that in McElroy. All the reps we've had are great. All the support we've gotten is great, making it a really easy fit. When the ordering process is seamless, the delivery process is seamless, and if there is a question after the fact, they're there.
Nick, is there anything else you want to leave our audience with? Do you have any words of wisdom or thoughts about McElroy?
To sum it up in a sound bite, our experience with McElroy has been phenomenal. Our experience with metal, in general, has been generally positive, but finding a manufacturer that is willing to support you in the field is what makes the difference. We're only as good as the metal we put on, and having a company with superior coatings and superior support after the fact has helped us grow year after year.