How To SMASH Your Storm Season Income Goals: Planning for Peak Earnings

"Make hay while the sun shines"… or in our case, make money while the storms roll in. Storm season isn’t just busy—it’s where roofing fortunes are made or missed.

As a roofing professional, you're in a unique role that affords you the opportunity to help people when disaster literally strikes, guiding them during a stressful and often confusing time.

But here’s what most reps get wrong:

They show up to storm season without a financial game plan.

The adrenaline is high, leads are nonstop, and checks are flying—but without income goals, it’s easy to blow past opportunity or worse, burn out (I've done both).

In this article, you’ll learn how to set storm-season-specific income goals that help you capitalize on chaos and set yourself up for the rest of the year.

What You'll Learn:

• Why storm season requires a different income planning approach
• How to set realistic yet aggressive income targets
• Time-blocking and lead filtering during peak periods
• How to protect your energy and avoid burnout
• What to do after storm season to secure your wins

Why Storm Season Income Goals Must Be Different

Look, I learned this the hard way during my first storm season. I was grinding 14-hour days, following up on every lead that came through, and somehow still missing my numbers.

The problem wasn't my work ethic—it was my approach.

Storm season isn't like regular sales cycles. You've got maybe 6-12 weeks to capitalize on this goldmine, but the volume can be overwhelming.

I remember a co-worker getting 47 leads in one day after a hail storm hit his neighborhood in San Antonio.

Sounds amazing, right? Wrong.

He was so scattered trying to work every single one that he closed maybe 3% of them.

Here's what separates the six-figure storm season producers from the busy-but-broke reps: they set different goals.

Instead of "work every lead," top producers focus on conversion rates and average deal size. They know decision fatigue is real—homeowners get bombarded with contractors, and you've got about 72 hours before they start tuning everyone out.

My breakthrough came when I started tracking daily conversion goals instead of just activity metrics.

Set a realistic target for qualified appointments per day, not total dials. Trust me, working 30 quality leads beats burning out on 100 mediocre ones every single time.

How to Set Aggressive but Achievable Storm Season Targets

Okay, here's where most contractors mess up—they just wing it and hope for the best. I used to do that too, then wonder why I'd have killer months followed by complete duds.

First, nail down your storm season window. In Texas, mine runs May through July, but yours might be different.

Don't try to stretch it longer than it actually is—I made that mistake thinking I could ride storm leads into September.

Reality check: it doesn't work that way.

Here's my formula that actually works: Take your annual income goal, add 30% for opportunity surge, then divide by your average commission per job.

If you want $150K this year and your average commission is $3,500, you need about 43 jobs. Sounds doable until you factor in the real stuff nobody talks about.

I learned to multiply my target by 1.5 because of no-shows, deals that fall through, and those painful 60-day insurance payouts. So really, you need to close 65 jobs to hit your goal. That breaks down to about 22 jobs per month during storm season.

Work backwards from there—if your closing rate is 25%, you need 88 solid appointments per month. That's roughly 20 appointments per week, or 4 per day. Now we're talking real numbers, not fantasy land.

Time Management During Peak Season

I'll be honest—my first storm season nearly killed me. I was answering emails at 11 PM, doing inspections until dark, and somehow still behind on everything. That's when I realized time management isn't optional during peak season, it's survival.

The game-changer was time-blocking my income-producing activities. From 8 AM to 5 PM, I only do three things: inspections, closing appointments, and follow-ups with hot leads. Everything else gets pushed to early morning or evening slots. Sounds rigid, but it works.

Here's what saved my sanity: the 80/20 rule.

Twenty percent of your leads will generate 80% of your income. I tag storm leads in my CRM with "hot," "warm," or "cold" based on damage severity and homeowner urgency.

Hot leads get same-day callbacks, warm leads within 24 hours, cold leads... well, they wait.

Delegate whatever you can afford to. Some people even go as far as hiring a virtual assistant for $15/hour to handle scheduling and basic admin work. $600/month could free up 10 hours per week for actual money-making activities. I was fortunate that my company provided that role for each sales rep.

Most importantly—and this took me three seasons to figure out—schedule recovery time before you need it. Block out Sundays completely and one evening per week. Burnout kills more storm season dreams than bad weather ever will.

Maximizing Commission Efficiency

Here's the brutal truth—I spent my first two storm seasons chasing every $8,000 roof job like it was the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, the smart reps were making twice my income on half the jobs. The difference? They understood commission efficiency.

Stop thinking about just closing deals and start thinking about closing PROFITABLE deals.

I learned to push upgrades like impact resistant architectural shingles, gutters, and ventilation work during every inspection. These add-ons can boost your average ticket from $12,000 to $18,000 with minimal extra work. That's an extra $1,500-2,000 in commission per job.

Track your numbers religiously. My close rate is a bit over 40% and my average ticket is $15,500. Knowing these numbers lets me work backwards—if I need 20 closes this month, I need 50 solid appointments.

Math doesn't lie, but gut feelings will cost you money.

Insurance timelines are your secret weapon. Most homeowners don't realize they have 12-24 months to complete repairs, but they think it's urgent. I use this to create natural urgency without being pushy. "Your adjuster mentioned the one-year deadline, so let's get this scheduled before winter weather hits."

Get supplements negotiated upfront, NOT after the job.

I've waited 90 days for supplement payments before. Handle all that during the initial claim process, which speeds up your payouts by 6-8 weeks minimum.

Protecting Mental Energy and Focus

Man, I wish someone had told me this before my second storm season. I was running on energy drinks and three hours of sleep, thinking I was crushing it.

Reality check: I was making terrible decisions and losing deals because my brain was fried.

Your "battle rhythm" is everything during storm season. I wake up at 6 AM, hit the gym for 30 minutes, eat actual breakfast, then start my day.

Sounds basic, but when you're working 12-hour days for weeks straight, these routines keep you sharp. I used to skip meals and wonder why I'd crash at 3 PM every day.

Here's what nearly broke me: constantly comparing my numbers to other reps. Social media makes it worse—everyone's posting their biggest wins while you're struggling with a tough week. Mute those groups during peak season and focus on your own targets.

Weekly recovery checkpoints saved my sanity. Every Friday at 4 PM, I review my numbers and plan the next week. If you're ahead of pace, take Saturday morning off. If you're behind, adjust your approach, not your sleep schedule.

Get an accountability partner who understands the grind. Our team has checks in every Monday, not to micromanage, but to make sure we're not burning out.

Sometimes you need someone to tell you to slow down when you can't see it yourself.

Post-Storm Season Planning: Securing the Bag

This is where I see most contractors blow it. They crush storm season, then act like the money will last forever. Imagine making $180K in three months, then file bankruptcy by Christmas. Don't be that guy.

First rule: don't celebrate until those checks clear.

A co-worker learned this the hard way when a job he thought was locked up got canceled in August, costing him $4,800 in expected commission. Keep following up on pending jobs until that money hits your account.

There's no sure thing in sales.

Here's my allocation system that actually works: 65% goes to future me (emergency fund, investments), 20% covers current expenses and business costs, 10% goes to charity, and 5% is fun money.

Yeah, it sounds boring, but this system let me payoff my house and triple my net worth in 16 months.

The biggest mistake? Thinking storm season will repeat exactly next year. Start building your pipeline for fall and winter now. I use August to nurture relationships with insurance agents and property managers. When storm season ends, you want steady work lined up, not panic mode.

Spend September reviewing your numbers brutally.

What was your actual close rate? Which lead sources produced the best ROI? I track everything in a simple spreadsheet—sounds nerdy, but it's the difference between repeating success and hoping lightning strikes twice.

Storm season is the Super Bowl of roofing sales. You can treat it like a lottery ticket—or like a business owner building real wealth.

When you go into it with a clear income goal, a weekly execution plan, and a post-season money strategy, you don’t just survive the storm—you leverage it to change your life.