Folder Reinforces Roofer's Reputation After Hurricane Ivan ripped across Florida's panhandle in September 2004, approximately 40,000 homes in the state's two most western counties, Escambia and Santa Rosa, had damaged or missing roofs. "Everybody needed help from roofing companies, and there just weren't enough reputable ones," says Joe Webb, vice president of sales and marketing for Formsystems Inc., a distributorship in Pensacola, Fla. "Many repair companies were unlicensed and uninsured, offering inferior products and labor without a viable warranty," says Webb. "But desperate consumers were not discerning." Formsystems helped a trustworthy local company, West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction, set itself apart from the competition with a full-color presentation folder. The roofing company had placed only one order from Formsystems' sales rep Andrew Sowell prior to the hurricane. Sowell was a new salesperson with the distributorship, on the job approximately six months when he sold West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction a sales training binder. "He was out there on the street scratching and scraping for anything he could get," says Webb. Happy with the binders, the company asked Sowell for help with a marketing piece after Hurricane Ivan. "They wanted a first-class marketing piece to say, 'We are here, and we will be here to help you down the road,'" says Webb. Formsystems recommended a 4-color pocket folder with graduated inserts highlighting the roofing company's history, products and services. Another new Formsystems' employee, designer and copywriter Bonnie Wooton, was indispensable on the project. Webb, Sowell and Wooton met with the roofing company's regional vice president to ascertain the client's needs. Afterward, Wooton extensively researched the roofing industry on the internet. "Bonnie became a roofing expert," says Webb. Armed with knowledge, Wooton returned to West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction with information she thought should be included in folder. This became the basis for the text for six informational inserts. The text, written by Wooton, included an introduction to the company, answers to frequently asked questions, definitions of commonly-used roofing terms, data on steel panel roofing and more. Then Wooton designed a sample folder and inserts, which the client approved. Folder Express in Omaha, Neb., manufactured 2,000 presentation folders. The 12-pt. 9 x 12-inch folders are laminated for durability. The front features a photo of West Coast Roofing and Construction's facility, the company's name and logo and four smaller photos of home roofs. The back includes another shot of the roofing company's facility, photos of employees installing a roof, a quote from a customer and a short message from the company's management. Formsystems hired a photographer to take many of the photos. The front and back also reinforce the customer's message about being a reputable firm: The line "Local Professionals You Can Trust" runs below the company logo on the front. The company's license number is printed on the back. The inside includes a photo of a roof on the left, which fades to white then displays a testimonial from a customer. The left pocket is imprinted with West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction's contact information. The right pocket features a die-cut slit so the company can insert a business card. Formsystems printed 500 of the six tiered inserts on its Minolta digital color printer, which outputs 50 color pages per minute. By using a digital printer, the customer can frequently update the inserts, which are printed on an 80# glossy stock. "We could print a small quantity, economically and quickly," says Webb. Speedy delivery was important. "They wanted it fast because they couldn't make money until they had a marketing piece in their hands," says Webb. The project took approximately 30 days, from the first meeting with the customer until the folders and inserts were delivered. Webb says the customer is pleased with the final product, and it's helped Formsystems, too. In addition to supplying other products, such as checks and invoices, to West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction, Formsystems has gained new accounts using the presentation folder as a sample. There are approximately 20 businesses in the same industrial park as the roofing company. "We can walk across the street and show their neighbors what we've done for West Coast Metal Roofing and Construction," says Webb. "That's clout. We practically own the industrial park now." Have a solution? Click here to be featured as an E-Weekly Solution of the Week