YouTube video by Adam Bensman (The Roof Strategist) explaining common homeowner confusion about insurance deductibles in roofing claims. Bensman reads policy language from a State Farm scope and uses a numeric example (scope $20,000 with $2,000 deductible → insurer shows $18,000) to show that deductibles are subtracted from insurer liability rather than being paid to a contractor; he gives sales-language and advises how to communicate this to homeowners, warns about 'deductible eaters' (fraud) and links to a follow-up video. The video includes CTAs to subscribe and to download a free sales video library.
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How do you handle it? When a homeowner tells you that they've already paid their deductible or it was taken off the top, this often throws a sticking point in the sale because the customer has this false mindset that because the scope said that their deductible was subtracted, that they've already paid it for some reason. Well, guess what? In this video I'm going to be teaching you how to overcome that. But you, my friend, have Cody K to thank because Cody commented on last week's video on door knocking competition. Same street, same neighborhood. And Cody commented, I'm going to read it to you here, I got to pull up my phone. He says, dude, please for the love of God do a video explaining how deductibles work and are written on the customer statement of loss, just like the one we got pulled up right here. And he says, I can't tell you how many times I tell a customer the cost of your roof is your deductible. And then I get met with, well, my deductible is already taken out. See, it's minused out right here. Or I already paid my deductible, it was taken off the top. Well, Cody, thank you for the comment and that's why I love when people drop questions and comments on the video. So as you have them, I'm here to help. Alright, drop a comment, let me know. And hey, speaking of dropping a comment and engaging, it would really help me help you if you did one thing for me right now and that's to hit the subscribe button and then that bell. I'm going to be adding in some more content here into the new year and it may go a little awry from our normal cadence and I want you to know exactly when new episodes are published. So hit subscribe and hit the bell and we'll get to it. And a quick welcome. I'm going to make this one short and sweet. Welcome or welcome back. My name is Adam Bensman, the roof Strategist and I am hoping that we know each other quite well by now. But if not, everything I do here on this YouTube channel and on the Roof Strategist podcast is designed to help you smash your income goal in roofing sales and to give every customer an amazing experience. And to help you do that, I have a free video library you should download right now. If you've not done it yet and it's available at theroofstrategist.com you can't miss it. There's a link in the video and podcast description. Now, let's hop right into today's video covering this whole deductible issue. I have an actual scope from State Farm pulled up and I have a section highlighted. It is important to reference this on the scope. You'll see this in various different language on scopes from all different carriers. This language I'm going to show you right now. Then we're going to scroll down to the sample that is provided. So. So we can educate customers that their deductible was not, in fact, paid to anybody because there was no check written. But I know it's confusing for some because they haven't gone through this process. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to read this right now. This is the most important part of the process. Pay attention. Let's get to it. If you select a contractor whose estimate is the same as or lower than our estimate based on the same scope of damages we will pay based upon their estimate. Okay, so what does this mean? If your contractor's estimate is the same or lower, we'll pay it the same or lower. We will pay based off the estimate. Okay. Now, if your contractor's estimate is higher than ours, you should contact your claim representative prior to beginning repairs. That's a supplement. But what does this mean? If it's the same or lower, then they will pay based upon their estimate. Meaning, as we scroll down here, let's get into this summary and start digesting some of this. If the sample scope, this scope right here, was $20,000 and their deductible is 2,000, that says that the job is 18,000. If we submit the invoice for 18,000, they pay off the lower estimate, which is 18,000, but they are not going to pay the full 18,000. They're going to subtract the amount that the property owner owes, which is, in this example, a $2,000 deductible. So the homeowner is still paying their deductible. Now, as we go through this line by line, you'll see in here it says less deductible and the deductible will be subtracted. We can tell the homeowner, hey, your deductible was not paid. It was simply removed from the total sum of the project because the insurance carrier requires you to contribute that am so they are showing you their portion of what will be covered. As you can see, Mr. Homeowner, state farm has not written us a check. You have not written us a check. What's handled Here is the total cost of repairs, less your contribution or your deductible. And as I highlighted above, remember, if you select a contractor whose estimate is the same or lower than ours based on the same scope of damages, we will pay based upon their estimate less the deductible. I hope this helps you. On the very next time you face issues with a customer already thinking that their deductible has been paid, please remember that it's important to communicate the fact that the deductible is a contractual obligation between the property owner, the insurance company, which has nothing to do with you. So their deductible is pulled out to show, hey, we are going to pay all of this and this is the part that you pay. And remind them that if you end up charging them less, the insurance company that sees that invoice will pay off that estimate, meaning the homeowner still owes the deductible. Now, if you need help with this or you need help with dealing with other issues around the deductible, want to link to you here a very powerful video to watch on beating deductible eaters and the scary truth about eating deductibles. Yes, it is fraud. In that video, which I'm going to link to right here, we'll guide you through how to communicate this clearly to homeowners so they are well aware of what is going on behind the scenes. When that contractor tells the homeowner, hey, we'll eat your deductible because the homeowner really doesn't know what's going on. So when we pair what I teach you in that video with this explanation, rest assured, more often than not those customers are going to get it and you're going to get that deductible paid. Hey, thanks for joining me in today's short yet sweet and powerful video. Thank you to Cody K. If you liked this video, give it a thumbs up and remember to subscribe to the channel and hit that bell. If you have any questions about the deductible or things you face, drop a comment. Tell me what what kind of stuff are you dealing with right now with customers and deductibles? I'd like to hear it because I can help. So drop a comment and tell me what issues are you facing with the deductible? Hey, thanks for joining me today. And just because our time is about to wrap up doesn't mean your and my time should. So what I want you to do right now is click here to get a free copy of my pitch. Like a pro roofing sales training video library sent straight to your inbox 100% free. And if you want to dive more into the can of worms of deductibles, click here to watch that video on Beating Deductible Eaters and I will see you on the next one.
