Roofing sales recruiting
The roles
Benchmarks
We verify each rep’s own number on these before you meet them, from their close-rate history and pay history, and confirm it with reference checks.
How we screen
Close-rate history, split by where the work came from: company leads, self-gen, canvassed doors, storm. Say one rep signed 40% of inspections in a fresh hail market and another signed 30% of retail appointments. Both are good, for different companies. We verify the close-rate history; ask each rep where the leads behind it came from, so you hire the one who fits the work you sell.
Pay history from commission statements or W-2s. The statement shows the plan behind the paycheck, which matters when you're comparing a 10/50/50 storm rep to your retail percent-of-gross plan.
We run reference checks to confirm the history and track record the rep gave us, so you can interview with confidence.
For your interviews: our advice
Our checks confirm the numbers. Your interviews show you how a rep sells and whether they fit your team. We don’t run role-plays, ride-alongs or trial days, but they’re well worth your time. Here’s what we’d look for.
Pay plans
The most common plan is 10% of gross, per JobNimbus. Jessica Stahl of Ignite Results advises keeping total commission Under 12% of gross, and the same article suggests starting rookies lower.
Profit-based plans are the main alternative. AccuLynx describes the usual ranges as 7-12% of contract, or 30-50% of profit. They pay reps to protect margin, which only works if your job costing is honest and on time.
Takes 10% off the top for overhead, then splits net profit 50/50 with the rep. On insurance jobs it averages 10-20% of the job for the rep, more on steep, cut-up roofs. The Hook Agency author says it suits storm work better than retail. What a 10/50/50 split is.
Small cash bonuses for specific behavior. JobNimbus says roofers who use SPIFFs for follow-up and same-day proposals close Up to 22% more jobs than those paying commission alone. More on SPIFFs.
Compare plans side by side in roofing commission structures, or run your numbers in the commission calculator.
Pay reality
Sales reps at foundation, structure and exterior contractors
NAICS 2381 · May 2025
Many roofing companies have paid reps on a 1099, and BLS doesn't count those reps. That's shifting: in Leap's 2024 survey, 93% of roofing sales leaders said they had moved reps to W-2.
Canvassers are often paid per appointment and per sale. One posting advertised $50 per appointment + $150 per sale. That's a single example, not a norm.
Read this before you quote the table
When to hire
Most roofing sales teams are small: 4 or fewer reps. And roofers say finding people is hard. In Roofing Contractor's survey, 38% of residential roofers listed a lack of qualified workers among their top challenges, and 55% recruit through online job postings.
Job postings mostly reach people who are looking. The best roofing reps usually aren't: they're employed, busy and well paid. They move when someone shows them a better opportunity, like better leads, a fairer pay plan or a company that treats them well. That's why we headhunt instead of posting ads.
Growing teams hire on a rhythm, not in a panic. Many of the sales leaders in Leap's survey aim to hire 1-3 reps a month. Past a handful of reps, JobNimbus's advice is to add a sales manager at 5-10 reps.
Seasonality
Hail season in Hail Alley (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa) runs March to August and peaks April to June, according to a roofing marketing agency. If you work storms, the reps you hire in winter are the ones selling when the first hail hits.
Insurance restoration follows the weather. Retail replacement follows your marketing calendar. Know which one you're hiring for before the search starts, and you'll meet reps who can sell it from day one.
Multi-location & private equity
Private equity roofing platforms went from 17 to 56 between early 2023 and the end of 2024, per Roofing Contractor, which doesn't name its source. Each acquired roofer still needs reps, and the hiring bar has to hold from branch to branch. Hiring for multiple locations.
Working with Level
You pay only when you hire
A one-time placement fee per hire, and nothing upfront to start a search. We quote the fee for your seat on the first call.
PricingFree replacement within 60 days
If the rep is let go for performance within that window, counted from their first day, we find you one replacement at no extra cost.
The guaranteeField sales roles only
We focus on reps who run appointments in the home, the managers who lead them and the canvassers who book them. Every hire joins your company directly.
All rolesExample hire
Owner, retail roofing company · Tampa, FL
A roofing company wanted to grow its retail replacement work and rely less on storm seasons.
We headhunted a retail-focused rep with 5 years at a top local competitor and a low cancel rate.
She was running appointments on her own by week four and was the company's top rep by month six.
FAQ
Both, and they're different hires. Retail reps sell on product, financing and trust, often from company leads with a longer sales cycle. Storm reps work insurance claims: knocking doors after hail or wind, meeting adjusters, writing supplements, at high volume. A storm rep can struggle with retail price objections, and a retail rep can get lost in a claim. Tell us which you sell, and we'll find reps whose close-rate history shows they've done it.
Your call, made with your accountant. For context, 93% of roofing sales leaders in Leap's 2024 survey said they had moved reps from 1099 to W-2. Either way, the rep is hired directly by your company.
10% of gross is the most common plan, per JobNimbus. AccuLynx puts the usual ranges at 7-12% of contract, or 30-50% of profit. Jessica Stahl of Ignite Results advises keeping total commission Under 12% of gross. Run your own numbers in the commission calculator.
Carefully. In Texas, HB 2103 bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on property it's working on (No public adjusting). Florida's §489.147 restricts claim-solicitation ads and bans inducements like deductible waivers. Fines: Up to $10,000 per violation. Check your state's rules with counsel and make sure your reps know them.
In most roofing companies, yes: the estimator inspects, prices and asks for the sale, and the title is used because "sales rep" can put homeowners on guard. A smaller number of companies have true estimators who only measure and price. The first thing we ask on an estimator search is whether the seat closes. Don't price the seat off the BLS cost estimator category ($80,330 median at specialty contractors). That's a technical takeoff job, not a sales job.
Yes, door knockers who book inspections for your closers. Canvasser pay is often set per appointment and per sale; one posting we found advertised $50 per appointment + $150 per sale. See canvasser pay.
We aim to have a first candidate in front of you within 7 days of onboarding and getting your job description. A typical hire takes 21 days. Both vary by role and market. Hiring in March for a storm market is a different search from hiring in November for retail.
Yes. Managers who run the morning meeting, ride along, recruit and still sell when it counts. We check their own close-rate history, pay history and references, just as we do for reps.
Related
Tell us retail or insurance, the territory and the pay plan. We'll headhunt reps already selling roofing at the strongest companies in your market, check their close rate, pay history and references, and introduce you to the ones who'll sign more of your roofs.