It’s fairly standard practice for roofing suppliers or manufacturers to stop by and drop off price lists, occasionally accompanied by a box of doughnuts and coffee. But in today’s market, roofing distributors need to do more than hand out baked goods.

In this video, Wade Baughn, vice president at American Home Specialists, said distributors should take the next step in that interaction and build relationships with their customers.

“I always say ‘people buy people,’” he said. “Sit down, find out about your contractor — what drives them, talk about their family — because when you have a personal buy-in, it’s hard to say ‘no.’”

Building relationships not only involves interacting with customers, but being observant. This can be as simple as mentioning their family members if they do something notable in their community or school, or even noting stickers on their vehicles denoting personal interests.

“We got away from looking somebody in the eyes, shaking their hand and making them a promise,” he said. “It’s so cold with the electronic interaction.”

View the full video here, or download the podcast version and listen on the go.