1
Pick your brands
Select the manufacturers your company actually sells. The whole curriculum reshapes around your catalog — your team never studies a brand you don't carry.
Product-knowledge training and testing for exterior sales teams
Your reps sell the big brands.
Prove they know them.
Pick the manufacturers your company sells — CertainTeed, GAF, Owens Corning, Atlas, TAMKO, IKO, VELUX, James Hardie, Mastic, Alside, LP SmartSide, Andersen, Pella, Marvin, ProVia, Therma-Tru, Simonton, Okna, MI Windows, Masonite, JELD-WEN, Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon — and every rep trains and tests on exactly that catalog. No guessing at the kitchen table.
- 16
- manufacturers
- 27
- exams
- 1,375
- questions
- 80%
- pass standard
Curriculum covering the brands your customers ask for by name†
Every rep gets brand questions daily.
Most of them are guessing.
"Is Duration better than Timberline?" "Isn't Hardie the one with asbestos?" "Why is your Andersen quote double the flyer brand?" A rep who fumbles those questions loses the kitchen table — and the job goes to whoever sounded like they knew. Exterior Academy makes sure that's your team.
How it works
From new hire to proven expert, in three steps
2
Reps train by trade
Focused section exams for every product line — real objection handling, warranty tiers, spec-for-spec comparisons. Instant coach-style feedback on every answer, retakes until it sticks.
3
Test & prove it
Work through every section, then sit the ~80-question Master Exam — built from the brands you sell — at an 80% standard. Reps get a printable score report; owners see every score and attempt in one roster.
Built for owners and their reps
Everything a sales floor needs to talk products like pros
Manufacturer-accurate content
Every section written from the manufacturers' own public documentation — warranty tiers, product lines, credential programs, install requirements — and stamped with the date it was last reviewed against them. No folklore.
Your catalog, your curriculum
Company admins set the manufacturer list once; the entire team's training follows it. A GAF-only shop gets a GAF curriculum — not somebody else's.
Scenario-based, not flash cards
Written pitches scored against model answers in the exams — and a live AI homeowner to run the real moments against: "the other bid is $4,000 cheaper," storm-chaser knocks, insurance pushback.
Scores owners can act on
A live roster of every rep's best score, attempts, and Master Exam status. Assign specific exams, set your own pass threshold, and see who's ready for the field.
Proof that closes
Printable score reports for the office — and reps who can answer the question the other bidder can't. "Trained and tested on the products in this quote" is a differentiator most reps at the table don't have.
Works where reps work
Phone-first design for the truck, the supply house line, the ten minutes before a knock. Five-minute sessions move the needle.
New · AI roleplay trainer
Practice the kitchen table before it costs you one.
Your rep picks a scenario — door knock, price objection, "the other guy quoted cheaper," insurance holdout, brand-vs-brand shopper, financing hesitation — and a homeowner who pushes back. Then they sell, live — by text, or out loud with voice mode. The homeowner raises concerns one at a time, asks what a real homeowner asks, and only moves when the rep earns it.
- Six scenarios × four homeowner types — skeptical, budget-conscious, tire-kicker, ready to buy
- Runs on the brands your company sells — the homeowner has "read the forums" about them
- Scored debrief: Discovery, Objection handling, Product accuracy, Closing
- Quotes the rep's weakest line and gives the better one, word for word
- Flags wrong manufacturer claims against the curriculum — before a homeowner does
- Voice mode: talk it out loud on your phone and the homeowner answers back (beta)
- Owners see every session, every score, and can replay the transcript
The curriculum
Thirty-eight sections. One Master Exam.
1,375 questions across every exterior trade — multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, and written scenarios AI-graded against our model answers. Every sitting draws a fresh paper from the section’s question pool, answer order shuffles, the clock is real, and every result stays current with a 12-month retake.
S1 · Roof Anatomy & Key Components
S2 · Field Measuring & Estimating
S3 · Inspection & Damage Diagnosis
S4 · Siding Fundamentals
S5 · Windows & Doors Fundamentals
S6 · Gutters
S7 · Solar
S8 · Objection Handling, Competitors & Sales Practice
S9 · Insurance Claims & Storm Restoration
S10 · Financing the Job
S11 · Maryland Contracts, Licensing & Lead-Safe Compliance
S12 · Contracts, Licensing & Claims: Delaware, Pennsylvania & Virginia
S13 · Field Safety for Exterior Sales
S14 · CertainTeed Integrity Roof System
S15 · GAF Roofing System (Timberline HDZ)
S16 · Owens Corning Roofing System (Duration)
S17 · TAMKO Roofing System (Titan XT)
S18 · Atlas Roofing System
S19 · IKO Roofing System (Dynasty & Nordic)
S20 · VELUX Skylights & Sun Tunnels
S21 · CertainTeed Siding
S22 · James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding
S23 · Mastic Vinyl Siding (Ply Gem)
S24 · Alside Siding & Windows
S25 · LP SmartSide Engineered Wood Siding
S26 · ProVia Windows & Doors
S27 · Andersen Windows & Patio Doors
S28 · Pella Windows & Doors
S29 · Marvin Windows & Doors
S30 · Therma-Tru Entry Doors
S31 · Simonton Windows & Doors
S32 · Okna Windows & Doors
S33 · MI Windows and Doors
S34 · Masonite Entry Doors
S35 · JELD-WEN Exterior Doors
S36 · Trex Composite Decking
S37 · TimberTech Decking (AZEK)
S38 · Fiberon Composite & PVC Decking
Master Exam · ~80 questions, built from your selection
Thirteen core sections ship to everyone — trade fundamentals, contracts and licensing for Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, claims, financing and field safety. Brand sections and the Solar module follow your selection. New manufacturers are added continually — founding customers help pick what's next.
Where it pays off
Right answers win driveways, kitchen tables, and ladders.
Training lives on the phone in your rep's pocket — five focused minutes in the truck before the knock is enough to walk in sharper than the other bid.
- 5min
- sessions that stick
- 38
- trade & brand sections
- 1
- credential to show
For contractor companies
Stop sending green reps to expensive doors
Standardize what "trained" means. Invite your team, assign the sections that match your catalog, set your pass bar, and watch the roster turn green before the spring rush.
- Team seats with join codes & email invites
- Assign exams per rep; track every attempt
- Company-wide manufacturer selection
- Custom pass threshold (80% minimum)
- AI roleplay trainer with per-rep debriefs
For individual pros
Walk in knowing more than the company van
Subcontractor, canvasser, or lone closer — test yourself on the brands you pitch and carry proof the competition doesn't have.
- Full curriculum, self-paced
- Pick your own manufacturers
- Printable Master Exam score report
- Personal score & attempt history
- AI roleplay trainer, 10 sessions a day
Pricing
Founding pricing. Locked in while we grow.
Early teams get today's rates and a real say in which manufacturers we add next.
Individual
$29/mo
1 seat — for independent pros
- All 38 sections + Master Exam
- AI roleplay trainer
- Your own manufacturer selection
- Printable score report
- Personal score history
Best for small crews
Starter
$99/mo
Up to 5 seats, flat — for small crews
- Everything in Individual
- Team roster & invites
- Assign exams per rep
- Roleplay scores & transcript replays per rep
- Company manufacturer selection
- Custom pass threshold
Growth
$25/seat/mo
6–20 seats — for scaling teams
- Everything in Starter
- Lower effective per-seat cost
- Priority support
Enterprise
Custom
21+ seats, multi-branch
- Everything in Growth
- Custom rollout & onboarding
- Dedicated support
7-day money-back guarantee on your first payment — email us within 7 days for a full refund, no questions asked. One per customer; details in our Terms. Plans renew monthly until you cancel — cancel anytime from your billing portal. Prices in USD, plus sales tax where we're required to collect it.
FAQ
Quick answers
Are you affiliated with the manufacturers?
No — and that's deliberate. Exterior Academy is independent. Curriculum is authored from manufacturers' public documentation and re-checked against it on a review date published on every section, so your reps get accurate product knowledge without any brand telling us what to say. All trademarks belong to their owners.
What if we only sell one or two of the brands?
That's the core feature. Pick exactly the manufacturers you sell and the curriculum reshapes to match — a Hardie-only siding crew sees the Hardie section plus the core trades, nothing else.
Is this a certification?
No, and we're deliberate about that. Exterior Academy is training and testing: your reps learn the products, sit graded exams, and get a score report showing what they passed and when. It is not a certification, license, or manufacturer credential, and we don't publish it anywhere — the record belongs to the rep and to you.
How hard are the exams?
The pass standard is 80%, and company admins can set it higher. Questions are scenario-heavy — written pitches, objection role-plays, spec comparisons — because reciting features isn't the job; winning the kitchen table is.
How long does it take?
Each section runs 30–45 focused minutes; the Master Exam is 100. A rep working a section a day can pass the Master Exam inside two weeks — retakes included.
Can I try it before paying?
You can create an account, set up your team, and see your dashboard and curriculum before subscribing — exams and the roleplay trainer unlock with an active plan. There's no free trial, but every first payment comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee: email us within 7 days and we refund it in full. Founding teams that want a guided walkthrough can message us.
What is the roleplay trainer?
A practice homeowner, played live by AI, that pushes back the way real ones do. Your rep picks a scenario and a homeowner type, sells by text or by voice (talk, and the homeowner talks back), and ends with a scored debrief — Discovery, Objection handling, Product accuracy, Closing — including the exact line that hurt them and the better one. Product claims are checked against the curriculum for the brands you sell. It's included in every plan, up to 10 sessions per rep per day.
Which manufacturers are next?
The catalog grows continually — roofing, siding, and window/door brands are all on the roadmap, and founding customers get a direct vote on the order.