Home improvement contractors often face a simple sales problem. Giving homeowners more product choices does not always make the decision easier. A contractor may offer a stronger product with better features, but the homeowner still needs to understand why the upgrade matters, what they receive for the added cost, and how that choice may benefit their home. That challenge became a key part of Greg Cummings’ rapid-fire conversation with Frank DeFrancisco, Former Product Manager at CertainTeed, during the past CertainTeed Business Building Workshop at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
DeFrancisco oversees Landmark Pro, a roofing product he placed in the middle of CertainTeed’s good, better, best offering. He explained that Landmark is the flagship line, while Landmark Pro offers homeowners a step up.
“Landmark Pro is the upsell to that. So better colors, better warranty, customers love Landmark Pro,” DeFrancisco said.
He also described Landmark Pro as CertainTeed’s fastest-growing and second-largest product line. His comments showed why roofing product sales training for contractors matters. A better product can create an opportunity, but contractors still need a clear way to show homeowners why the upgrade is worth considering.
That was also why DeFrancisco was at the workshop. His role went beyond talking about product features. He said he was training contractors to upsell Landmark Pro, while his coworker, Samantha Gillenwater, was teaching them to sell luxury products. The goal was to help contractors take product knowledge and turn it into a better sales conversation. Instead of asking homeowners to spend more without context, contractors could learn how to explain the added value in simple terms.
Looking back at the MetLife Stadium event, that lesson still carries weight today. Homeowners continue to compare products, prices, colors, warranties, and contractors before making large home improvement decisions. Contractors who can explain those choices clearly have a better chance of helping customers understand what they are buying, rather than letting the conversation fall back on price alone. That makes CertainTeed Landmark Pro sales training for roofing contractors useful beyond the workshop itself because the real test happens later, when a contractor is sitting with a homeowner and needs to explain the difference.
Greg Cummings’ rapid fire conversation with Frank DeFrancisco, Former Product Manager at CertainTeed
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, captured that lesson through his rapid-fire conversation with DeFrancisco during the event. Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. The short conversation offered a practical look at how product education can become more valuable when contractors leave with more than a list of features. They leave with a better way to explain those features to the customers making the final decision.
Frank DeFrancisco’s rapid-fire conversation with Greg Cummings showed that product training can serve a much bigger purpose than just teaching contractors what is inside a shingle. The real value comes when contractors can take that knowledge, explain it in simple terms, and help a homeowner understand why one choice may be worth more than another. At the CertainTeed Business Building Workshop at MetLife Stadium, that idea came through in the way DeFrancisco talked about Landmark Pro, sales training, and the direct conversations CertainTeed was having with contractors throughout the day.
DeFrancisco described CertainTeed’s roofing choices through a simple good, better, best structure. Landmark serves as the flagship option, while Landmark Pro gives contractors a clear step up when presenting to homeowners. That structure matters because homeowners can become overwhelmed when every product sounds different and the reasons for choosing one over another are not clear.
For the contractor, the job is not only to name the upgrade. The contractor has to explain what changes when the homeowner moves up.
DeFrancisco made that difference simple.
“Landmark Pro is the upsell to that. So better colors, better warranty, customers love Landmark Pro.”
Better color choices and stronger warranty value give contractors points they can bring into the sales conversation without making it harder than it needs to be. A homeowner can see the color. A homeowner can understand why warranty coverage matters. Those benefits give the contractor a clearer way to explain what the added investment is buying.
That is what makes Landmark Pro roofing shingles for homeowners part of a larger value conversation. An upsell should not mean asking someone to spend more just because a higher priced option exists. It should help the homeowner understand what they receive in return.
DeFrancisco also described Landmark Pro as CertainTeed’s fastest-growing and second-largest product line. That statement came directly from his interview and points to another lesson. Contractors may have a strong upgrade opportunity in front of them, but the product still needs to be presented in a way the homeowner can understand.
A good product can open the door. Clear communication helps the homeowner decide whether to walk through it.
Explore CertainTeed roofing products and contractor resources.
Knowing a product and knowing how to sell its value are two different skills.
A contractor may understand the materials, installation steps, and product features very well. That does not always mean the contractor knows how to turn those details into a simple answer when a homeowner asks, “Why should I choose this option?”
Frank DeFrancisco, Former Product Manager at CertainTeed
That was one reason DeFrancisco was at the workshop.
“I give a training on how to upsell with Landmark Pro with our co worker, Samantha Gillenwater. She trains on how to sell luxury products.”
His answer showed that CertainTeed was not only putting products in front of contractors. The company was also working on the conversation that happens between the contractor and the homeowner.
That is where roofing sales training for contractors becomes useful.
The homeowner does not need every technical detail at once. They need to understand what is different, why that difference matters, what they receive for the added cost, and how the choice may fit their home.
When contractors can answer those questions clearly, the sales conversation can move beyond price alone.
That matters because price can quickly become the focus of a home improvement sale when value has not been clearly explained. If two shingles sound the same to the homeowner, the cheaper choice may feel like the obvious one. But when the contractor clearly shows the differences in color options, warranty value, product positioning, and homeowner benefits, the decision becomes easier to understand.
The lesson from DeFrancisco’s training was not that contractors should push homeowners toward a more expensive product.
It was that they should be able to explain the choice well enough for the homeowner to make a confident decision.
Contractors do not always need to sell harder. Sometimes they simply need to explain value better.
Learn more about CertainTeed resources created for contractors.
When Cummings asked DeFrancisco what he enjoyed most about CertainTeed’s stadium tour, DeFrancisco did not begin with the football field or the VIP access.
He began with the customers.
“The interaction with the customers is the best.”
That answer brought the business lesson back to people.
Events like the MetLife Stadium workshop put product managers, trainers, company representatives, and contractors in the same space. Instead of product information moving in only one direction, contractors can ask questions, share what they are seeing in the market, and speak directly with people who work closely with the products they sell.
For CertainTeed, those conversations also provide an opportunity to hear directly from customers.
The stadium helps make that exchange more memorable.
DeFrancisco noted that many attendees are sports fans and come from the local community. At MetLife Stadium, contractors could enjoy being inside the home of the Giants and Jets while also learning about products and sales.
“It brings out the fun part about our job, right? Is that it’s not always just pen to paper.”
That line explains why the setting worked.
The learning still mattered. The business still mattered. But the experience did not have to feel like another meeting in another room.
The value of CertainTeed contractor training at MetLife Stadium came from combining useful education with an experience contractors could enjoy and remember.
Still, DeFrancisco made clear that the real goal was what happened after contractors left.
“We’re interacting with our customers, talking about our products, training them. And I feel like they actually get to take something away with this.”
That is the measure that matters most.
A contractor can enjoy the stadium for one day. The more lasting value comes when that contractor returns to a homeowner and can explain a roofing option more clearly than before.
That is when product training becomes business training.
A memorable venue may bring contractors into the room, but useful education gives them something worth carrying back out.
Discover more about CertainTeed and the contractor support behind its products.
Frank DeFrancisco’s rapid-fire conversation began with Landmark Pro, but it ended with a much bigger idea. The real value of product training is not only helping contractors know what they sell. It is helping them explain that value in a way homeowners can understand.
Frank DeFrancisco presents CertainTeed Landmark Pro sales training for roofing contractors
That matters because a contractor can carry many strong products and still lose the sale if the difference is not clear. Homeowners want to know what changes when they move from one option to another, why the added cost matters, and whether the upgrade makes sense for their home. Better training gives contractors more confidence in those moments.
The CertainTeed Business Building Workshop at MetLife Stadium gave contractors direct access to product experts, sales training, and a setting that made the day easier to remember. But the lasting value would always show up later, when those contractors returned to real sales conversations with real homeowners.
DeFrancisco captured that purpose when he said contractors could “actually get to take something away with this.”
That is what strong product education should do. It should leave the room with the contractor. It should help them explain an upgrade more clearly, guide a homeowner with more confidence, and make the sales conversation feel less like a pitch and more like a useful decision.
Landmark Pro was the product at the center of the discussion, but the larger lesson was about communication. When contractors can translate product knowledge into simple customer value, they are better prepared to serve homeowners and build stronger businesses.
Power100 reviews more than brand size or name recognition. For its 2026 Preferred Partner rankings, Power100 says it studied more than 3,600 companies serving the home improvement industry and used its five-layer ranking system to narrow that group to 15 leading strategic partners. The review looks at areas such as contractor results, customer experience, innovation, industry impact, sales and marketing performance, and company culture. This helps Power100 focus on whether a company creates real value for contractors, not simply whether it sells a popular service.
Power100’s mission includes helping CEOs become more effective by connecting them with strong technologies, services, and industry partners. Its Preferred Partner program seeks companies that do more than just deliver their core product or service. Power100 evaluates how those partners help contractors improve customer experience, operations, sales, innovation, and business growth. That gives home improvement leaders another way to find companies that may help solve real business problems.
CertainTeed currently describes Landmark PRO as a thicker, heavier step above Landmark, with richer Max Def colors and improved performance. Its product page also lists Class 3 impact resistance, Class A fire resistance, StreakFighter algae protection, and a multi-layer design. CertainTeed describes the standard Landmark as the base product in the Landmark family, while Landmark PRO adds features for homeowners seeking greater performance and a more premium appearance.
Some parts do, but homeowners should review the exact warranty terms rather than assuming every part is stronger. Both the current Landmark and Landmark PRO product pages list a limited lifetime transferable warranty, 10-year SureStart protection, and a 15-year 110-mph wind resistance warranty, with an upgrade to 160 mph available when CertainTeed requirements are met. One clear difference is algae protection. CertainTeed currently lists 30 years of StreakFighter algae resistance for Landmark PRO compared with 25 years for Landmark. Contractors should explain the exact coverage that applies to the product and roofing system being offered.
Color can play a real role in the homeowner’s decision because a roof changes the appearance of the entire house. CertainTeed says Landmark PRO uses its Max Def color palette to create richer contrast and stronger color blends than standard palettes. Homeowners can also use CertainTeed ColorView to preview roofing colors on a home before making a final choice. That gives contractors a way to show the visual difference instead of asking homeowners to imagine it.
CertainTeed teaches both. Its current education and credentialing program says contractors can learn about new products, installation guidelines, and sales strategies. The company also offers sales coaching and team training through its contractor partner resources. That supports what Frank DeFrancisco described at MetLife Stadium when he said he was training contractors on how to upsell Landmark PRO while Samantha Gillenwater was teaching contractors how to sell luxury products.
No. A useful upgrade conversation should explain the choices and let the homeowner decide which level fits the home, priorities, and budget. CertainTeed itself offers several levels within the Landmark family. Landmark PRO sits above Landmark, while Landmark Premium and Landmark TL offer additional steps further up the range. Frank DeFrancisco’s point was that contractors need to understand how to explain why an upgrade has value, rather than simply asking the homeowner to spend more money.
Yes. CertainTeed continues contractor education beyond live Business Building Workshops. Its LEARN platform offers free product training, installation education, building science content, and other courses. CertainTeed also provides in person education, credential programs, a Mobile Training Vehicle, online sales tools, and business resources for contractors. That supports the larger lesson from Frank DeFrancisco’s conversation: the best training should remain useful long after the contractor leaves the event.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Led by Greg Cummings, Power100 provides contractors, CEOs, and industry partners with a trusted place to learn from the people, companies, products, and ideas that are helping move the industry forward. Through national rankings, leadership interviews, event coverage, and real conversations with industry experts, Power100 helps deliver useful lessons to contractors and business leaders who can put them to work within their own companies.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
