Today we’d like to introduce you to Royce Cormell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been doing sales for over 11 years now and I could not of told you the impact of switching to roofing sales two years ago would make on my life. A lot of it is perspective. Selling things that people want is a lot different then selling things that people need. I have everything to thank to the amazing network of people that I’ve meet and created relationships with since I have started. It has changed my life in an incredible way and I wouldn’t trade my job for the world.
I have also worked in fine dining as a line cook, spent time as a machinist in a machine shop, and have been doing sleight of hand card magic since I was in middle school. If you ever meet me in person you should ask me about my card magic as I will most likely have a deck of cards close by! I’m also super excited to marry my fiancé Nicole this coming October 2026! I have a couple of pets as well, Zoe the dog and Firefly the Horse!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I first started, I didn’t have any roofing experience, so I began my journey doing production. I learned how to climb roofs, how to diagnose leaks, and how a roof was installed from beginning to end. During this time I found a great respect for the crews that install roofs for a living. It is very hard work, especially during the summer.
After a couple months, I felt pretty confident on my roofing knowledge and booted up my sales routine. This is where I decided to try something different.
Unfortunately, a common practice for roofing sales is door knocking. I’m pretty confident most people have experienced a roofer knocking on their door, offering a free inspection, claiming there is wind or hail damage, then asking you to file an insurance claim for a free roof. Seems simple right? It couldn’t be farther from the truth.
My previous sales experience was mostly B2B networking. I wanted to apply this skill to roofing sales, so I asked my self, who would refer me potential business? Door knocking was not something I wanted to do, so I needed to create a network of people that trusts me to do a good job. Not just for them, but for their clients as well. Realtors, Insurance agents, and property managers were all on my list of people I wanted to talk to. I started to network a lot. Going to events, grabbing coffee or lunch with people, and joining networking groups like BNI.
The game changer for me was networking with insurance agents. I wanted to know why door knocking was a common practice amongst roofers. It turns out, most insurance agents do not like roofers and frown upon door knocking as a practice. This seemed like a big disconnect, almost like two sides fighting each other with a homeowner caught in the middle. Why is that, and how can I do better?
Nowadays, people are frustrated with rising insurance prices. Why are they rising? It’s because home insurance is not profitable for most carriers. After talking with 100’s of agents this became very clear. It stemmed from older policy decisions, and borderline unethical practices from roofing companies.
10+ years ago if you filled a claim for your roof, you almost guaranteed got a full replacement, regardless of how much damage the roof actually had. Deductibles were low, so insurance would bear a majority of the costs of that full replacement.
A full replacement is also where roofers make the most money, and all they had to do to get a job was ask a homeowner to file a claim. And as a homeowner, why wouldn’t you want a brand new roof for $500? This created a vicious cycle of roofs getting replaced that didn’t need to get replaced. Additionally repairs and other maintenance activities eventually went to the wayside. Why bother with repairs when you can just file a claim and pay the same amount that a repair would cost?
That brings us today. After years of footing the bill for Americas roofs, Insurance companies are making changes to how they do things. Importantly, not all carriers are fighting back in the same way. Some increase prices, while others change the fine print of their polices, or maybe they force you to bundle.
So to bring it back to roofing, be wary of roofers knocking on doors. Not all of them are bad, but most are still trying to take advantage of a still broken system. I didn’t even talk about fraud impacting the industry or the downsides a homeowner faces when they file a claim. There are a lot of moving parts in the roofing industry so It is more important then ever to have a good relationship with your insurance agent and with a roofer that will tell you the whole story.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve never been a pushy sales guy. I heavily value transparency and honesty, and one of my core values is that I have to 100% stand behind the product or service I’m selling. If I cant stand behind what I’m selling, then I quickly turn into the worst sales person. This is even more important when what I do, can greatly impact peoples lives and their homes.
My main job is to educate you so you can make the best decision possible for your situation.
It usually starts with a roof leak, so I start with a free inspection. I take a lot of pictures and even videos during my inspection so when I get off the ladder to talk with a homeowner they see everything that I saw. I especially like the videos as I tend to explain what’s going on while I’m on the roof or in the attic. Once we figure out what the issue is I like to go over possible solutions. I’m trained to do small repairs, so sometimes if the problem is simple Ill offer to fix it on the spot! Otherwise it goes to the estimating phase of the process.
If the cause of the damage is storm related, I may talk about the viability of filling a claim. I will not tell a customer to file a claim, but I will go over potential outcomes, including the bad ones like an increase in insurance premiums or getting dropped all together. What people don’t realize is claims stay on you record for 5-7 years. This is shared info between all carriers. Having claims on your record will absolutely effect your premiums and if you have too many claims, it could effect your insurability making it harder to get new polices. This is especially import if you plan to buy/sell a home in the near future. A claim should only be filed in the worst situations: tree falls, hurricanes, tornados, or other heavy storms that effect the whole home, not just a couple shingles. The math also changes significantly if there was water damage to the interior. In general there are a lot of nuances as to when a claim makes sense. This is why understanding what your insurance policy actually covers, your deductible, and the type of coverage is very important.
Once you decide how you want to fix the problem, the rest is pretty straightforward. Sign a contract, pay a deposit, and schedule the job. Our focus throughout the job is great service and excellent craftmanship. When it is all said and done, we offer a 10 year Labor warranty backed by a surety bond.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Some of my best memories come from a yearly week long stay at a lake house on Lake Gaston. My grandpa had a boat that I learned to water ski with. Fishing off the dock was always fun, and when we got older we rented jetskis for the week as well. It was a great time with family that I looked forward to every July.
Pricing:
- Free Inspections!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://honourroofing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honourroofing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HonourRoofing/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royce-cormell-29a589148
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/honour-roofing-and-construction-raleigh
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@royceontheroof
