Here is the short version of a roofing cold call to a property manager. Open by asking when the roof warranty ends. Ask one question about leaks and one about the last repair. Offer a free inspection with photos. If they say yes, ask permission to text the photos afterward. The whole call takes about two minutes, and the first sentence matters most. Below is the script word for word, plus a voicemail, the text, what changes after a storm, and how to log roof ages so next year's calls are warmer.

This is for commercial roofing, where the buyer is a property manager or facility manager responsible for a building they don't own. It isn't a door-knocking script for homes. Rocketship finds business buyers, so the people on this list are managers of office buildings, retail centers, apartment complexes and industrial sites, not homeowners. For the wider picture, read how to get commercial roofing clients and getting customers for a roofing company.

Who to call: property and facility managers

The title list: property manager, facility manager, director of facilities, asset manager at a property company, and building engineer at a larger complex. A property manager answers to an owner and carries the repair budget plus the complaints. A facility manager at a company-owned building owns the roof as part of the whole building. Find the buildings first: flat-roof commercial buildings built 15 to 30 years ago are the likely candidates, since membrane roofs and their warranties age out in that window. Our post on how to find property managers to sell to shows where the names come from.

Call between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 and 4 p.m. on a Tuesday to Thursday. Managers are on the road at the start of the day and get slammed with tenant requests on Monday.

The opener about warranty dates

"Hi, is this Shauna? This is Joanne Pruitt with Lakefront Commercial Roofing in Milwaukee. I'm not selling a new roof. I'm calling property managers about roof warranties. Do you know when the warranty runs out on the roof at Bayview Plaza?"

Why it works: it's a question with an answer, it's about their building, and it signals that you're thinking about a date, not a sale. Manufacturer warranties on commercial membranes commonly run 10 to 20 years, and the expiration is often the most useful fact a manager can give you. The conversation then goes one of three ways. "I don't know": offer to find out. "It ended in March": go to leaks. "It's good until 2031": ask who inspects it and when it was last looked at.

Two questions about leaks and repairs

"Has anyone reported a leak in the last year, even a small one? And when was the last time somebody went up and looked at it, not just fixed a spot?"

Both are easy to answer, and they tell you whether the problem is active. A recent leak report is a reason to book now. A roof nobody has looked at in three years is a reason to book soon. Write down the answers during the call. If they say "we have a roofer," ask: "Are they doing a yearly inspection, or only when something leaks?" That's a respectful way to learn if there's an opening without attacking the incumbent.

The free inspection offer

"Would it help if I sent someone up for a roof inspection, no charge? We take photos of every seam, drain and flashing, then send you a short report. If it's fine, you've got a record for your owner. If there's a problem, you'll have pictures and a price, and you decide what to do."

"Photos for your owner" is the line to remember. Managers need paper to justify spending. A free inspection costs you about 90 minutes and a crew member, which is cheap next to the average repair or replacement it can produce. Offer two dates, not an open question: "Thursday morning or Friday afternoon?"

Voicemail and text follow-up

Voicemail, under 25 seconds:

"Hi Shauna, Joanne Pruitt at Lakefront Commercial Roofing, 414-555-0128. I'm calling to ask when the Bayview Plaza roof warranty ends and to offer a free inspection with photos. I'll try you Wednesday morning, or call me back at the number I just gave."

The text is for after the inspection, and only if the manager said yes to texting during the call. Don't text a cold number without prior consent; that falls under TCPA rules. Ask: "Is it okay if I text you the photos?" Then:

"Shauna, it's Joanne at Lakefront Roofing. Photos from Bayview Plaza are in the email we just sent, plus the two I'm worried about: a split seam by drain 3 and a lifted flashing on the east wall. Neither is leaking yet. I can price both repairs by Friday."

More on voicemail structure in voicemail script for following up with a lead.

When a storm changes the script

After hail or a wind event, replace the warranty opener. "Hi Shauna, Joanne Pruitt with Lakefront. We're checking commercial roofs in the area after Tuesday's hail. Has anyone looked at yours?" Keep it factual. Do not say there's damage until you've seen it, and don't pressure anyone about insurance claims; managers know their own process and some states regulate how contractors discuss claims, so keep your language general. Offer the inspection and photos, and let the photos do the talking. Storm calls need speed: call the day after, not the week after, because every other roofer is doing the same.

Logging roof ages for next year

After every call, log: building, manager, roof type, install year (if known), warranty end date, last inspection, active leaks, result of the call, next call date. A "no" with a warranty end date of March 2027 is a "yes" waiting for a call in January 2027. Sort the sheet each quarter by warranty end date and leak status. For each building, put the inspection date and photos in one folder so the next call opens with "your roof had a split seam by drain 3 last year; did anyone fix it?"

If you want help with the calls themselves, see following up on a quote after repairs are priced. Related trade pages: post-construction cleaning and commercial pest control both sell to the same property managers.

Calling every manager on a list is tiring, and no one keeps up with it for months. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, makes AI phone calls, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required. Answering your existing number works on Launch, with call minutes bought as you go ($15 for 50), and a dedicated line is $5 a month. See the AI workers.