Growing a roofing company past a few million in revenue isn’t easy. Many contractors hit a ceiling—too many moving parts, too much dependence on the owner, and too little time to work on the business instead of in it. But scaling is possible if you focus on the right systems and strategies.



Here are five proven ways contractors can break through the growth plateau and build roofing businesses that last.

When it comes to growing your contracting business, most people think of flashy ads, social media campaigns, or paying big money for leads. But there’s another way — one that’s old-fashioned, reliable, and still used by hundreds of contractors across the U.S. to quietly build million-dollar businesses. It’s called cold outreach.

Cold outreach means reaching out directly to potential customers — homeowners, small businesses, or other contractors — before they’ve ever heard of you. It includes cold calling, cold emailing, cold texting, and even cold DMs on social platforms. Done right, it’s private, cost-effective, and, when done consistently, it can create a steady pipeline of leads that grow into loyal, referral-generating customers.

Just like we covered in our referral blog, once you win a customer, they can turn into a warm lead and start sending you more business. Cold outreach is how you fill the top of that funnel.

Step 1: Build Your List

The first step in cold outreach is simple: you need names and numbers to contact. For roofing contractors, this means building a list of potential customers who may need roof repairs, replacements, or upgrades to metal roofing. The better your list, the better your results.

There are a few ways to do this:

• Scraping tools & AI: Search for “outbound lead scraping tools” or “database lead scraping.” These can generate large lists of homeowners and small businesses, which are perfect targets for roofing contractor cold outreach.
• Lead brokers: Some groups specialize in selling contractor lead lists. They can be expensive, but if you find a broker with quality roofing leads, it can be worth the investment.
• DIY list building: Use Facebook groups, LinkedIn searches, Google, and AI tools to create your own list of homeowners or businesses in your service area who might benefit from metal roof installation or repair.

Whether you use software, brokers, or manual searches, the goal is to create a strong pipeline of potential roofing customers. Cold outreach works best when you start with volume.

Step 2: Personalize Your Outreach

Reaching out cold doesn’t mean being robotic. Do a little homework on each person you’re calling or messaging. Mention something relevant, then keep it simple:

• Texting works best (studies show it’s the highest engagement method right now).
• Lead with a clear value proposition in the first 30 seconds — don’t hold back.
• Be concise and direct: who you are, what you do, and why you’re valuable as a contractor.

Example: Say you cold call a homeowner to offer them a free estimate on a new metal roof. Before picking up the phone, you take 60 seconds to glance at their Facebook page. Maybe you notice they just posted about backyard renovations. When you call, you can say: “Hey, I see you’ve been upgrading your home recently — I wanted to reach out because a durable metal roof could be the perfect finishing touch, and I’d be glad to give you a free estimate.” That small bit of personalization makes your pitch stand out and shows you’re paying attention.

Think of it as planting seeds. Most people won’t respond, but the ones who do could become long-term customers who trust you for their roofing needs.

Step 3: Volume + Follow Up

Cold outreach is a numbers game. You will get rejected a lot, and that’s okay. The goal is to push through until the numbers work in your favor.

• Reach out in bulk: Aim for 50 contacts per day for three months straight.
• Follow up often: Don’t just send one message and quit. Multiple touches increase your odds dramatically.
• Balance automation: AI makes it easier than ever to scale outreach, but don’t lose the personal touch.

Remember: the more inputs you put in (calls, texts, emails), the more outputs you’ll see (leads, quotes, contracts).

Why Cold Outreach Works

Contractors often underestimate just how powerful cold outreach can be.

Here’s why it still works today:

• Stealthy growth → You can build your business without tipping off competitors.
• Reliable system → With consistency, it works every time.
• Cost-effective → Until you scale big enough to pay for ads, it’s basically free.
• Harder to copy → Competitors can’t steal your secret playbook.

Pro Tip: Cold outreach works best when combined with other strategies like referrals. For example, once you close a deal through cold outreach, you can immediately plug that customer into your referral program (covered in our referral blog) to multiply your leads even faster.

Final Thoughts

Cold outreach isn’t glamorous, and it takes discipline — but it’s one of the cheapest, most reliable ways to start and scale your contracting business. It teaches you a tremendous skill set: how to find customers, how to pitch, and how to win business on demand.

If you’re serious about growth, don’t wait for leads to come to you — go get them. And when you’re ready to deliver the highest-quality metal roofing products to those new customers, partner with Platinum Metals. We’ll make sure you’ve got the materials to back up your sales hustle.