Tips Archives - Solar Exclusive

Category: Tips

The Different Types of Solar Leads

The solar industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years. Growing climate change has left many homeowners with the need to go green. Similarly, many solar companies have come up in an attempt to meet this need. This has led to a lot of competition in the industry and, thus, a great need for solar companies to hone their marketing strategies. Several solar companies have caught up with digital marketing and online lead generation, while others are still getting to it. In today’s article, we talk about the different types of solar leads and how they work.

What are solar leads?

Solar leads are likely customers that might convert into buyers at the end of your interaction. You can get solar leads in various ways, from website landing pages to local TV commercials and any other way in between. However, before you invest your money in buying or generating any other type of leads, you need to understand the available types of solar leads.

However, over the past few years, digital leads are slowly becoming the name of the game. Traditional ways, such as door-to-door sales and telemarketing, are slowly fading.

Is buying solar leads a good idea?

We all agree that you will require leads for your solar business to grow. However, you might be wondering. Do I buy my solar leads, or do I generate my own leads? Well, the answer to that question depends on the amount of money and time you are willing to invest in solar lead generation. Generating your leads is all good, but it will take some time before you start seeing the results. Are you willing to wait six months to one year until you make your first sale?

On the other hand, buying solar leads is quite expensive – well, depending on the type of solar leads you choose to buy. However, you will save a lot of time that goes with searching for prospective customers. The cost of buying solar leads fades compared to the time it would take to generate your own leads. Below are some advantages of buying solar leads.

Purchased leads are targeted leads. When you buy solar leads from a reputable solar lead generation company, you receive target-based leads. On the other hand, you will do a lot of work to generate your own leads before you reach your target audience.
Buying solar leads will save you a lot of time and resources. Buying solar leads gives your sales team hot leads, making their job of converting prospects easier. This will save time and valuable resources on your side. It also makes the job of your sales team more exciting and fulfilling.
Buying solar leads increases your conversion rate simply because it’s easier to sell to someone who is already interested in your product. When you get solar leads, you increase your conversion rates.
Buying solar leads delivers a good return on investment. Generating your own organic leads might appear cost-effective, but if you look deeply, it costs more than you think. For a start, you will have to put in a lot of work. However, when you buy solar leads, you are cutting through all that work.

If you decide to get solar leads, here are the different options you can choose from.

Preset Appointments

When you buy solar leads online, you want to reduce the amount of work you put in when generating them. You also want to increase the certainty that these leads will convert to sales. This is what buying leads in the form of preset appointments will get you. You will be outsourcing the lion’s share of the work to someone else, as they will also handle the appointments. All that will be left for your team is closing the sale. Not that closing is easier, but not dealing with the prep before is certainly a good relief. This type of solar leads provides a greater return on investment, but it’s more expensive than other options initially. If you have been dealing with solar for quite some time, you are familiar with solar appointment setting companies like Solar Exclusive.

Live Transfers

What you are buying here is basic information about prescreened leads that have already expressed interest in buying solar. This kind of connection between you and the prospects removes a lot of leg work. This is because you won’t have to do any actual prospecting. Live transfers have a high chance of converting because they have already expressed their interest in solar. All you have to do is get that phone call and close the prospects.

Real-Time Shared and Exclusive Leads

Buying solar leads gives you access to different kinds of leads. However, the other side of the coin is – so do your competitors. That’s why shared real-time leads are among the solar industry’s most competitive and hard-to-get leads. Shared leads are those leads that lead generation companies sell to more than one solar company. So, yes, you know who you should give a call to, but so does everyone else.

Compared to leads that cost a couple of bucks each, we also have exclusive real-time leads. Depending on the market in question, these leads can go from a few dozen bucks to a lot more. The biggest advantage of exclusive real-time leads is that no one else has them. That’s what Solar Exclusive gets, exclusive pre-qualified solar leads.

Aged Web Leads

These are solar leads that have expressed interest in solar before but not recently. While these might mean a cold lead in other sectors, they’re a good kind of lead in solar when it comes to cost-effectiveness. Aged leads are some of the cheapest leads you can buy because they are generally less prospective than real-time current ones. However, that might only be the case sometimes. People often spend months deciding what solar company they will go with. This means that aged leads are not cold at all. And yet their price remains the same.

So, while aged solar leads are still a bigger gamble, they can have the biggest ROI if they turn out well.

Canvassing Solar Leads

Some solar lead-generating companies have set up door-to-door sales operations to generate leads for them. They use the model of Multi-Level-Marketing. They sell salespeople kits to people to learn about solar door-to-door marketing and build salespeople under them. As you may imagine, these salespeople have low pay and are not well-educated on solar equipment, financing, or installation practices. They also don’t know how to take no for an answer.

Door-to-door marketing in some areas requires a permit, which presents a legal risk depending on local laws. Buying from companies that generate leads in this manner can be tricky regarding risk versus reward. While solar is likely to continue to be sold door-to-door for a while, it can tarnish your reputation and prevent consumers from wanting to do business with your company.

If you decide to work with a solar lead generator that does door-to-door sales, do the following:

Ensure they have a great sales education program. A certification like NABCEP’s PV Technical Sales Certification can help salespeople raise their knowledge to a national standard, giving accurate solar information to consumers.
Ensure they are following permitting requirements for the local area.
Ask how they are representing themselves to the homeowners. It can be confusing for the consumer to be sold under one company and have the installation done by another company.

Opt-in Web Leads

Opt-in means the consumer has opted in online to you calling them for a solar quote. This is the least risky way to win new business if you work with a TCPA-compliant solar lead generation company. The website the lead is generated on must have a disclaimer that gives you “confirmed written consent” to contact them.

So, if you choose to get opt-in solar leads:

Do your due diligence on the lead vendor – request to see their landing pages and check to ensure that they have a prominent TCPA disclaimer and name your company once you become a client.
Ask if all the leads you buy come from websites they own. If they don’t own their websites, be sure that they have a way to incorporate TCPA disclaimers on other websites that may generate leads for them.
Ask how many companies the lead will sell to and when. Some lead-generating companies will try to make more money from their leads by selling aged data. This means they will resell leads they have sold at a later date. A good way to vet this can be to ask the lead generator if you can buy leads. If they say yes, chances are that the fresh you buy from them will be resold to someone else down the road.

Types of Opt-in Web Leads

Organic Solar Leads

Organic refers to the unpaid section of Google search results. This is the area of Google that consumers trust the most. It is also the area consumers will gravitate towards if they are learning about solar. If you type some solar keywords into Google search that you think customers shopping for solar will use, you will notice a trend. You will notice that Google primarily likes websites with high-quality informational content.

Consumers who learn about solar before becoming a solar lead will set up appointments and close at a higher rate. However, generating leads this way is not a cheap or quick exercise. It can take you years of content development before your site is seen as authoritative on the solar topic. The time and financial commitment mean that mostly this tactic is only utilized on a large scale by the largest multi-state installers, lead gen companies, or solar marketplaces with nationwide installer networks.

If a solar lead gen company says they generate leads this way, ask them to see their websites and some keywords they rank for in the solar market. Partnering with a good solar lead generation company can pay dividends because consumers are becoming more and more comfortable researching solar themselves on Google.

Google PPC Leads

If you can’t get your site to rank up for a keyword in Google, you can get your wallet and pay for a spot in Google Ads. Google Ads require you to pay for keywords in a per-click model. If you search for a particular keyword on Google, you will see a little “ad” next to the paid listings – those are the Google PPC ads.

While you may need to pay a high cost per click, many good solar leads are generated using Google Ads, as this is high-quality traffic. Google Ads is an open playing field – the clicks you pay for directly compete against national lead gen companies, affiliate marketers, and other regional installers.

If you are thinking about starting Google Ads, be prepared to spend. You can hire in-house search marketing experts or hire outside agencies to manage $10k/mo+ budgets.

Facebook Solar Leads

Facebook is a cost-effective way to generate leads if you have high-quality shareable content. Nowadays, people are less likely to share their data under Facebook privacy settings, which means advertisers have lost information on their target audiences. Facebook’s goal is to create engagement, so if your content is not shareable, it won’t be shown as often. This means you should create a share to lower your cost per lead.

In conclusion, those are the different types of solar leads. All of them are tried and proven. However, we recommend that you do your due diligence before deciding on your solar leads vendor. Without proper due diligence, you risk buying low-quality solar leads that may not easily convert.

At Solar Exclusive, we sell high-quality exclusive preset appointments. With our solar leads, you can expect a high conversion rate with only a small volume of leads. We focus solely on solar leads and have worked with many solar companies. We know what works and what does not work. Get in touch with us today and get your pre-qualified solar leads.

Tips

The Role of Storytelling in Solar Marketing

The decision to venture into the solar business is a significant move, but the knowledge of how to get more solar leads is a pass. When transparency, facts, and figures are critical, only case studies can pass all these messages without confusing clients. And that’s where the art of storytelling comes in.

Telling compelling stories about the benefits of solar energy and how it has improved the lives of real customers can be a powerful solar marketing technique. People are more likely to remember and be influenced by stories than facts and figures.

A story is a tool of power

In a world where ads are the norm of the day, presenting a captivating and compelling story has the power to cut through many monotonous adverts. A great story lets you capture and engage your audience, giving you a chance to pass on your message. Once you have your audience’s attention through an engaging case study, you can present the facts and figures that make your solar energy package better than the others in the market.

Shapes brand personality

Brand personality is simply what consumers say about your products. In other words, it is the human character and values your brand represents. Creating an engaging brand story can make you stand out in the solar market, where numerous brands exist. People stop seeing you as a company but as a friend who knows their pain points.

Presenting a story that people can relate to helps draw prospects into your brand, turning them into loyal customers and advocates. However, a brand story should highlight the qualities that make it stand out among its competitors. It should bring out the values it stands for as a brand and the problems it intends to solve.

It helps build an emotional connection with the audience

Stories are more memorable than facts or figures, hence the effectiveness of the art of storytelling in solar marketing. Unlike statistics, human brains are believed to retain more information presented as stories. While statistics are essential in solar marketing, as you intend to show the consumer how much they can save upon installing a solar panel, passing the information as a story can be more impactful.

Additionally, the art of storytelling awakens empathy in your targeted audience. By presenting a brand that cares about their well-being, you make them care about what your brand cares about hence sharing your dreams and goals. As they enjoy being part of your story, your brand is making sales, the ultimate goal.

It is less aggressive and more effective

Professional marketers know those hard-selling tactics are no more effective than they once were, and consumers are tired of aggressive ads. The art of storytelling is the opposite of aggressive advertisement yet the most effective. However, your story should be catchy enough to capture the targeted audience’s attention effectively.

While you should transparently mention facts and figures in solar marketing, presenting these facts in a creative story can make them more entertaining than confusing. It makes the audience want to listen and learn, increasing the possibility of purchasing from your brand.

Works well with solar marketing techniques

Social media has found a central place in sales and marketing. However, one can incorporate storytelling to promote its effectiveness. Most social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, are perfect for posting shareable stories.

You can also request loyal customers to share stories about their experience with your products hence improving customer engagement. These true story testimonies are vital in promoting your brand image and sales.

Promotes positive association

Customers’ purchasing habits are emotionally driven and can be influenced by a simple story related to a brand. For example, the solar market is flooded with big and popular brands that promise and deliver accordingly. However, a small company can surpass them in popularity with a single brand story that uses a familiar face as a brand ambassador. In this case, customers want to be associated with a brand promoted by one of their own.

For a brand to create that crucial connection with consumers, it is important to present stories related to them rather than elsewhere. For example, homeowners would like to learn about cutting energy costs at home. Therefore, a home-based story will capture their attention faster than a factory-based story.

Can help a brand go viral

Content creators know that no one can guarantee a story will go viral since internet virality is random. However, telling a genuine and authentic story that customers can relate to is your only chance. If your brand story hits social media, you will have found a place in the industry.

Even when your story does not blow up on social media, shares from loyal fans, clients, and advocates are enough to promote the brand. The baseline is that stories will find a way to deliver the message in the long run. However, making easy-to-grasp content is vital in this case.

It makes a powerful information tool

The role of marketers is to pass on information about the products they represent. Since they have first-hand information and experience about the product in question, sharing this information and experience in a story makes it easy to understand.

Additionally, stories trigger neuro-associations; as the consumers navigate the world you have created in your story, they feel the need to purchase the product. It makes marketing easier as consumers no longer feel they are being advertised.

Makes content more human

Stories create a human connection, unlike logos or images. Although billboards, brochures, and other printed content are perfect marketing strategies, storytelling has a proven record of creating personal connections between consumers and brands. First, customers want to know the person behind the products they purchase, know the value they stand for, and their philosophy.

A story-based advert gives a company human values and attributes, making it more approachable. It is more effective than keyword-centered content that feels robot-developed.

In Conclusion

Storytelling stands out among other solar marketing strategies ever tested. Once you have identified consumers’ pain points, create stories highlighting the problems and solutions. Consumers like to identify with a brand that understands and solves their problems.

Tips

The Importance of Building Trust in Solar Marketing

One way to generate solar leads faster is to get known as an expert and establish trust with potential customers through transparent communication. Launching and building trust in new brands, ideas, or services in the solar market can be challenging, especially with big brands’ existence. Even once established, maintaining trust, in the long run, is not guaranteed.

Anyone who is into solar marketing, whether B2B or directly to consumers, knows that building brand trust takes time. Additionally, its demand goes hand in hand with competition, meaning that the expanding solar industry has increased competition. It is, therefore, crucial to building your confidence to secure a place in the competitive solar market.

Brand Awareness

Product experience is critical in creating a positive or negative brand reputation. Unfortunately, consumers will talk about the goodness or downsides of a brand with those who haven’t purchased it. However, history has it that good reputations tend to spread faster as consumers praise their experience with a given product.

As you grow in the solar market, try your best to earn positive customer testimonials. A positive reputation will increase brand awareness, which may generate leads through referrals.

Client Retention and Loyalty

Most clients will stick to a product they already know and love regardless of its price, hence the importance of maintaining consistency in quality. Although solar panels are durable and the client won’t buy another one soon after installation, it is vital to ensure they will still consider your brand if they need to increase the wattage.

Another important aspect of earning client loyalty is that, even when a product is out of stock, the customer prefers waiting until it is back on shelves than looking for an alternative brand. Others will quickly purchase a new product from a brand they trust.

Build Advocacy

Once you have earned a legion of loyal clients and fans, you will have built advocates for your brand. Usually, people enjoy sharing with family and friends about a product they have or had a good experience with. This word-of-mouth marketing is vital in solar marketing since people easily believe what friends and family say.

Although companies hire brand ambassadors to advocate for their products, people tend to believe information from someone they know or who has had experience with the product. However, ensuring consistency is vital to keeping word-of-mouth marketing actively.

Drive New Business

Generating new leads is vital in keeping a solar business running. One of the critical roles of loyal fans and advocates is to help develop new businesses. When they share their positive experience with a brand they have used, they lead customers towards the brand, knowing or unknowingly.

Additionally, having your brand trusted in a market flooded with similar brands earns it positive reviews on social media and other marketing platforms. In this case, you must ensure that your brand receives positive reviews as much as possible. Also, respond to negative reviews prudently and professionally.

Increase Marketing Receptive

Introducing a new product in a market with big and established brands is not always a smooth venture. Some products face poor reception, especially when they don’t meet consumer expectations. However, building brand trust in the target market gives a new product a better reception. Customers believe that, since a brand has good products in the market, even the new ones are ok.

Building your brand trust in the solar market is critical, especially when you plan to expand your product portfolio. Homeowners and landlords prefer companies that offer full-package solar installations. With an established solar energy business, you can easily introduce solar accessories, such as inverters, adapters, cables, etc., with a welcome reception.

Customer Engagement

Companies spend significant amounts on advertisements and product awareness. Unfortunately, most customers skip most ads, especially if they are disappointed by the brand. However, research shows that customers with high brand preference pay attention to its marketing communications and advertisements.

Additionally, customers do not fear sharing personal information with a trusted brand. Others would prefer receiving notifications on new products, offers, or upgrades, creating another channel for marketing to potential clients.

Brand Defense

Experienced marketers know that it is impossible to please everyone, and mistakes happen too. Suppose one customer has a bad experience with a product and goes to social media with all sorts of negative reviews; its good reputation can come to its rescue. As much as a brand has earned the majority of customer trust, the bad reviews lose credibility.

Also, an established brand trust serves as the brand’s livelihood in times of reputation crisis. As stated earlier, mistakes happen that can mess with the brand image. At this point, only loyal customers continue purchasing from the brand, allowing the company to recover.

Long-term Cost Savings

Established brands know the secret to cut costs while building brand trust. In addition to ensuring unwavering customer loyalty, building brand trust help in reducing operating costs in the long term. For example, with high numbers of regular customers, a company will enjoy increased marketing efficiency, hence doing away with unnecessary marketing.

Innovation, however, becomes less risky as customers do not fear trying new products from reputable brands. This helps trusted brands introduce new products and services with ease without the fear of poor reception. Although a new brand might need some advertising and product awareness campaigns, it is less costly than an unfamiliar brand’s product.

Increased Goodwill

Goodwill is considered an investment that adds value to a brand. For example, reputable and trusted companies are more likely to attract investors and creditors faster than unknown or upcoming brands. Also, goodwill sets your brand apart from competitors and protects you in times of crisis.

Another benefit of increased goodwill is that it increases your brand value, especially when you want to sell it. A known and loved brand will sell faster and for more than a newly founded one.

Final Thought

One thing the internet and technology did is to increase customers for business and offer variety to the customers. In a world where customers have choices, you need to make your products the preferred choices by building your brand trust.

Tips

How to Sell Solar to Commercial and Multi-Family Owners?

Selling solar to commercial and multi-family owners is more complex than selling to residential customers. There are many differentiating factors that set the sales process apart for commercial and multi-family owners. The motivation for commercial clients to consider solar installations is different from that of residential customers, and they also evaluate solar proposals differently. Therefore, as a solar installer, you should approach the process a little differently, too.

When it comes to selling solar to commercial and multi-family owners, you need to think out of the box and come up with some fresh and unique ideas to generate commercial solar leads and be able to convert them successfully into your valued customers.

Selling Solar To Commercial Clients – How To Approach The Process

Commercial solar lead generation has made it easier for solar installers to access property data and contact information of the property owner in recent times. This easier access to critical data has transformed the process of making solar sales and sealing the deal with the clients.

With plenty of data now available, solar providers can now simplify a couple of aspects of the sales process. They can easily:

Gather information and critical insights on properties and their owners.
Directly contact decision-makers and give them the proposal for solar installation.

That’s exactly how the process should proceed. First, you need to build solar lead lists containing the contact information of various property owners in your targeted region. Second, you should prepare very personalized pitches to convince your prospects and seal the deal.

Create Your Leads List

Selling solar to commercial and multi-family owners should ideally start with creating your personalized solar leads list. You need to make sure you’re selling solar to prospects who are genuinely interested in your offering or at least should be interested in it. You also need to ensure that you are reaching out to the right people who are actually responsible for making the call in the end. So, your leads list should include decision-makers who are potentially looking for solar energy solutions or need them.

When you have created a very targeted list of commercial solar leads, you are on your way to pitching your product efficiently and securing sales eventually. While you can buy leads lists from lead generation companies, it’s in your best interest to use online tools and databases that allow you to filter out the most qualified leads and provide you with all the information you need about them.

Such tools let you do a search with different criteria, like property type, size, and age. You can shortlist commercial buildings, multi-family properties, and all their sub-classifications using these tools. Furthermore, to go hyper-targeted, you can single out properties based on the geographic location you are targeting. You have the option to search for commercial properties in particular states, cities, counties, neighborhoods, and streets. In fact, you can even look for an exact address and gather details of the property owners, including their contact information like phone numbers, mailing addresses, and emails. You can also get these details for the decision-makers at the property-owning LLCs.

You may also filter results based on the types of owners and tenants and the properties’ sales history. Apply all necessary filters for commercial solar lead generation, and you’ll get a list of all the commercial properties that match your search criteria. Export the contact information of property owners to a spreadsheet, and you’re all set to start preparing for the outreach.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

Once you have the leads list, you must be getting anxious to reach out to your prospects and blow them away with your sales pitch. But before you do that, here are some common mistakes most marketers make when selling solar to commercial and multi-family owners. Make sure you avoid them.

1. Not Asking The Right Questions To Present A Tailored Solar Sales Pitch

When you ask the right questions, you’re in the driving seat to come up with a proposal that addresses your prospects’ needs and will instantly grab their attention. When you understand what they are looking for, you can offer them a more compelling solar deal that will put you a step closer to winning them.

Ideally, you should be asking questions about the owner-occupant relationship, the lease structure, and the financial considerations and objectives of the involved parties.

2. Not Knowing Who Is The Real Decision-Maker

When you ask the right questions, you’re also able to connect with the actual decision-maker who will make the final call. So, you should always look to determine who the real decision-maker is, as they are the ones whom you’ll be pitching to. When you know them better, it will help you pitch better and grab their attention to have that dotted line signed.

3. Not Using The Right Tools

One critical aspect of the successful approach to commercial solar sales is the use of the best tools and technologies available. It includes not only the technologies you’re proposing for the commercial solar project but also the proposal design tools – software in particular – that you’ll be using. Today’s sophisticated software allows solar installers to look into multiple scenarios quickly and come up with the most compelling solar design and proposals for their clients.

Create A Convincing Solar Sales Pitch

Finally, with all the data and information from the leads list available, you need to craft a winning pitch. A deal-closing sales pitch to sell solar to commercial and multi-family owners should have an engaging story combined with relevant, powerful data insights.

Before you craft your sales pitch, ensure that you’ve done all the research and identified salient data insights to grab the attention of your prospects. Build your narrative around those impressive data insights and try to win the trust of your prospects.

In a winning sales pitch, you can reference their properties and assets with information like purchase dates, property construction, last renovation dates, and the size of the buildings. Explicitly explain to them how your service can add value. For instance, you may want to tell them the total cost of installing solar panels and an estimate of the total savings they can get in terms of the number of panels and energy coverage. You can also reference your past successful projects to win their trust.

Conclusion

You may have the best, most qualified commercial solar leads, but selling solar to commercial and multi-family owners is complex. That’s particularly true if you are still exploring this market. However, if you follow the best practices and approach the sales process the right way, you have a better shot at closing the sales.

Tips

5 Closing Methods to Help Your Solar Sales Team Succeed

The art of selling sits at the heart of every business. So, for your solar business, you want to ensure that your sales team is fully equipped for their task. As solar marketing experts, we take you through the 5 closing methods to help your sales team succeed. We also give you some bonus tips at the end to help you convert your commercial solar leads.

Sell Solar Panels on Power Not on Price

Competition is already stiff in the solar industry. It feels like a new solar installer enters the market every week. So, while it might be tempting to compete on prices, you might be playing a losing game. Solar prices are already falling, and there is no need to hasten their descent. Rather than battling with your competitors on price, focus on building value in your solar services. Train your sales team to provide value to your prospects instead of focusing solely on making sales. Train your staff on how to show their expertise to prospects and how they will take care of them after installation. Let your sales team know that consumers are not necessarily looking for the cheapest solar. They are looking for great quality value, and if they give them that, they will choose your solar company over the competition every time.

Create a Sense of Urgency

Going solar is already a sense of urgency for some solar customers. What is more urgent than a looming global threat of climate change anyway. However, even the most loyal green customers could use some encouragement and a little incentive to take immediate action. For instance, you can give your sales team the go-ahead to offer a small, limited-time discount. In the months of fall and winter, a sense of urgency can come from the fact that solar installation lead times are shorter. Who does not want a good deal? Tax incentives will expire, and net metering policies will change. If you train your sales team well, they will surely find a way to finely build a sense of urgency in their pitch, despite the timing.

Ask Questions, Then Ask for the Close

Many solar salespeople fail at closing the deal because they spend too much time talking and not enough time listening. Many customers hate the feeling of being sold and like buying. You will find that every customer has their objections and set of reasons for not going solar. Understand what your client desires to achieve by going solar, and show them how your solar will help them meet their needs. Overcome their objections by providing honest, simple answers that show the value of going solar. If you do all these things, closing the deal will be as easy as asking.

Get Smaller “Yesses” Before Going for the Big “Yes”

Let your sales team use the sales process to establish a common ground. Let them get a series of yesses. Yes, solar will help you save money. Yes, solar will add value to your home. Yes, climate change is a serious issue. Yes, fossil fuel prices will increase over the long term. Therefore, you want your sales team to try to get prospects in the habit of agreeing with them. This way, when the time comes to pop the big question, they will already be nodding their heads.

Attempt Multiple Trial Closes

Trial closes are the most important keys to sales success. However, many salespeople don’t understand how to use them effectively. Thus, your sales team needs to be aware of this technique. From the minute a sales meeting or call begins, the end goal is to close the deal. So, if the meeting is meant to be an hour long, do not wait until minute 55 to attempt a close. Trials closes should be attempted multiple times throughout the meeting. The goal of a trial close is partly to close the deal as quickly as possible – if possible- and also to identify all objections that the prospect has. This way, they can be addressed before the next trial close. Attempting multiple closes throughout the sales meeting helps ensure that by the time the meeting is winding down, there will be few objections to deal with. A final loss attempt will have the highest chance of success.

Bonus Tips

Use Technology

To make the closing process easier, your sales team can use modern sales technology like customer resource management tools. These tools will give your sales team a competitive edge when it comes to closing. Providing them with as much information as possible before a sales meeting. This means information on any objections left unmet and information on what kind of closing technique works in a similar situation or on a previous sale. This way, your salespeople will go into meetings fully informed.

Prequalify Your Leads

A faster way to qualify your codes is to prequalify your leads. Despite its newfound popularity, not everyone has warmed up to solar. So, it is important to do your due diligence as you would with any other product to find people who are more likely to entertain a conversation. If red flags come up, you can save yourself some time and move on to the next prospect. You can even use solar marketing experts like Solar Exclusive to get pre-qualified leads and preset appointments.

Ready to Take Your Solar Sales to The Next Level?

Following the above tips will take your solar sales through the roof. Training and empowering your sales team will ensure they deliver the best results. Do you want to make your solar sales team work easier? You can do so by getting them highly qualified, pre-qualified leads from Solar Exclusive. We are a solar marketing agency that focuses solely on solar and helps solar companies get commercial leads. So, you can bet we know the ins and outs of solar marketing. We know what works and what doesn’t. Talk to us today, and we will elevate your solar business.

Tips

Why and How to Keep in Touch with Loyal Solar Customers

The key way to build brand loyalty is by maintaining great customer service. Good customer service creates customers who are loyal to your brand. Loyalty is built on the consumer expectation that a brand will continue to offer quality products.

Loyal solar customers feel shielded from suspect products offered by competing businesses. However, achieving a loyal customer doesn’t come on a silver plate. Solar marketing experts have to establish ways of interacting with them. Interacting with your loyal customers is the best way to keep them.

Why Solar Providers Should Keep in Touch With Loyal Solar Customers

Loyal Customers are Good Advertising Agents

Most loyal customers will share the benefits of doing business with your company. They will suggest your products to people they know might help. Keeping in touch with them will help you address any claims they may present.

You can maximize the potential growth of your company through your loyal customer referrals. Interacting with your loyal customers lets you update them on new arrivals. Solar marketing experts create memorable experiences each time they interact.

Assistance

By keeping in touch with your loyal customers, you can listen to their success stories. You can suggest an upgrade or new arrivals to them. Similarly, you will be able to listen to their complaints. A good solar provider responds to claims and concerns genuinely.

Offering assistance to your customers will win you more trust. Ideally, offering technical assistance will help you point out possible mistakes in the installation. This will help you avoid making the same mistake in the future.

Determining The Quality of Products

Keeping in touch with your loyal customer lets you rank your solar products. You will find out whether your product gives competitive value in the market. You can also find out if they are better quality than their nearest alternatives. These findings will be solid as they will be based on true testimonials.

In case of any concern, the company responds accordingly. The company may choose a product of a different brand or upgrade the current one. This will help to maintain your local customer, who may be one of your advertising agents.

Alert Them on New Products and Offers

Most solar providers will update their loyal customers on upcoming products and offers. This maximizes the opportunity for the growth of your company. These offers may not necessarily help your customer, but they may refer their friends.

Ideally, keeping in touch with past loyal customers is equally important. Due to the advancing technology, the product you once sold them may be outdated. As a result, they may opt to upgrade their solar appliances with yours.

How to Keep in Touch With Loyal Solar Customers

Earning trust

The trust you earn from your customer depends on your performance. It would be best if you met your deadline time of solar package deliveries. However, there can be a non-avoidable inconvenience at times. It has to be addressed with honesty and the necessary measures deployed.

Nevertheless, the trust that you will have built with your customers will make them patient with you. This will increase your chances of getting in touch with your customer the next time they require your product.

Emails

Solar marketing experts will always send emails to their loyal customers. They will send them emails on upgrades and promotions from time to time. These emails are related to the customer’s interests.

They will always observe market trends and technology. They send emails to their customers on upcoming technological advancements. This way, the customer can also share their concerns and reviews on the product.

Published Sites

Most solar providers should have websites that everyone can access. Some loyal customers may be passive. Such customers will visit your site frequently to keep them posted. You will list all your products and services on these sites.

In addition, many customers will have questions related to your product. You can put up a section on this site that offers virtual assistance to your customers. The major merit of virtual assistance is that it offers help 24 hours a day.

You should also provide a review section on your site. This will let your customers express their concerns about your company’s solar accessories. The company can then follow up on both negative and positive feedback.

Social Media Platforms

The main method of utilizing media platforms to get in touch with your loyal customers is through ads. Solar marketing experts will make ads on new products and upgrades. Then publish the ads on social media platforms for customers to see.

Most solar providers will have pages on social media platforms. These platforms include Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They can keep in touch with loyal customers by sharing freely on their pages.

Good Relationship

Loyal customers frequently appear at your business if you create a good emotional relationship. You should also provide your company’s official number. Letting them know you are ready to assist them would be best.

You should also advertise your loyal customer’s business and services. If possible, you should follow each other’s pages on social media platforms. By doing so, you are assured of getting in touch frequently with your loyal customer.

A solar provider can cement a good relationship with its loyal customers by rewarding them. You can also offer them regular offers on your products. These will motivate them to come back to your store frequently.

Company’s Official Phone Numbers

Most solar providers will share their credentials with their loyal customers. These customers can call them anytime for help. Some customers will even call these numbers to order a delivery. A good solar marketing expert will return the client’s call promptly.

Solar companies will also have available electricians at the customer’s request. In the case of an emergency, a customer calls that number.

Conclusion

The best investment a business can make is directing its resources toward improving customer loyalty. A loyal customer will always refer people to your business. Referrals are the best form of marketing. Keeping in touch with your loyal customers at least shows some gratitude.

Tips

12 Smart Ways to Increase Your Solar Sales

Did you know that solar energy accounts for 2.8% of total US electricity? Crazy, right? With all marketing efforts and the rise of several solar companies, we are not yet at 5%. There seems to be a lot to be done in helping the country go green and raising solar awareness. In this article, we cover 12 smart ways to help you increase your solar sales.

Understand the Local Market

A common mistake many solar companies make is jumping straight to direct mailing and promoting via their websites before understanding what customers think about solar energy. Customers in different markets have different beliefs about solar energy. To get some insights into what customers think, you can conduct focus group surveys. The survey results can vary from one market to another. In one market, customers may feel solar is expensive, while in another, it may be complex for them. With this information, you can better strategize on how to market yourself.

Set Yourself Apart

In a market so full of solar companies, it is very hard for prospective customers to identify which company suits them best. This means you need to make your brand unique and attractive to the right audience. You can start by selling a unique proposition for your solar brand, that “special” feature that provides economic value and long-term benefits to consumers. If your solar has high capacity, more output, or durability, explain to your prospects how these features will benefit them more than other brands.

Educate your customers

There is a considerable knowledge gap in the solar industry, more so among potential customers. And before customers buy a product, they like to gather as much knowledge as possible. When these customers do a web search, the first things that come up are just sales offers that don’t guide customers on how to make an informed decision. Therefore, if you develop and publish customized content, this can attract potential clients.

Do proper follow up

Never let your solar prospects cool down. Make a call within one minute when you receive prospects – this is one of the biggest drivers of lead conversion. Send your first email 20 minutes after getting the lead to appear more personal. Do a follow-up call and leave a voicemail within 30-60 minutes. Make the third call within 1-2 hours and make the fourth call within 5 days. Be persistent in your calls but do not annoy the prospect.

Use Ad extensions

To get more ad clicks if you are selling products online, use the ad extensions feature in Google AdWords and Bing to get more clicks on your ads. Ad extensions will allow you to make your ad bigger with a more “clickable” place without having to pay anything extra.

Use Customer Testimonials

Using customer testimonials is a proven technique that works in marketing, especially digital marketing. In today’s social media environment, customer feedback has become more important. Your happy customers can provide you with the social proof and trust that can help prospects turn into leads. Satisfied customers sell any advert or sales copy. Publish testimonials on your landing pages, pricing pages, or even on your homepage. This can work well if you are focusing on generating residential solar leads.

Create a Sense of Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is an old successful marketing technique. Things like “limited time offer” and “end of discount” persuade customers to make a buying decision quickly. Many prospective customers are more likely to respond positively to time-sensitive incentive offers. For example, you can offer a discount on the solar installation cost, offer free shipping, or some other financial incentive to persuade customers to purchase solar.

Offer a Many Back Guarantee

Most of the time, customers hold back on their buying decisions to avoid the risk of financial loss. Why should these customers buy your solar system? What if the solar system does not work for them? If small purchases have the risk of “buyer’s remorse”, what about investing $ 25,000 plus in solar? Thus, to overcome this obstacle, offer a complete money-back guarantee. When the potential risk factor is removed from the prospect’s buying equation, the chances of them buying from you are higher.

Target Similar Audiences on Facebook

You can use your buyer persona information to find people who are similar to them. You can apply this tactic on Facebook to target lookalike audiences. All you need to do is to upload your buyer information to Facebook, which cross-references its own data and creates matches based on your specified criteria. This technique allows you to expand your reach with little effort on your side.

Optimize Your Landing Pages

Optimize your online ads to match your website’s landing page for call-only ads to encourage customers who actually browse the website and shop online. Running call-only campaigns on Facebook and AdWords’ is more effective than traditional landing pages. Many customers do not have the patience to spend several minutes just browsing pages on their phones, they just want to access the products that interest them.

Add an Opt-in Pop-up

Another effective way to generate solar leads is to add opt-in pop-up offers because they are not cold leads. Opt-in offers encourage people to sign up for newsletters, mailing lists, or loyalty programs. When prospects fill out a form asking for more information on solar panels and their installation, this indicates that these leads are more likely to convert.

Use Remarketing

Remarking your content to push a time-sensitive promotional offer has proven to be an effective way to increase sales online. This is because remarketing keeps the “brand recall value” in prospects’ minds. Remarketing also closely aligns with how consumers these days prefer to shop online – wherever they want to do it and whenever they choose.

Those are some of the strategies you can use to increase your solar sales. They are tried and tested and can significantly boost your solar sales. Some are specific, while others are more general in nature. However, if you are still looking to increase your sales through lead generation, we are ready to work with you here at Solar Exclusive. We offer highly-qualified commercial solar leads with high conversion rates. Join us today and set your business up for success.

Tips

Is Digital Marketing Effective for Solar Leads?

As the world is shifting towards clean and environmentally friendly energy, there is a demand for solar energy. The solar industry is growing drastically globally, and by 2021 the solar photovoltaic installed capacity was at 302 GW. It’s projected that by 2030, the capacity will skyrocket to 1TW. Such predictions and massive expansions make solar sales an excellent opportunity to venture in.

However, getting solar leads isn’t easy because most people are used to quick energy like fossil fuels, meaning making people switch to solar energy may take a while. Solar agents must incorporate a digital marketing strategy to educate their audience before selling them solar panels. It’s because most people think solar energy requires much capital to install compared to other energy sources.

Here are digital marketing strategies that are effective for commercial solar lead generation:

The Ultimate Digital Marketing Strategies for Effective Leads

Solar agents need to inform their solar leads more about their products because, without proper product knowledge, people won’t buy them. Digital marketing will help companies provide customers with the information they need to promote their products. Since we are at an age where people access the digital world, solar agents can use the platform to sell their products.

Let’s check the digital marketing strategies solar agents use for effective commercial solar lead generation.

Capture your Commercial Solar Leads

You can create a landing page to get your prospects’ information and contacts who respond to your promotions or ads. With such information, you can get into the lead with time using email marketing or phone marketing. You can easily take charge of commercial solar lead generation if you attract globally. Moreover, with this funnel, you will be able to educate your prospects since they are in the database unless they opt out.

Take Advantage of Google Ads to Generate Commercial Solar Leads

As a solar agent, you need to use Google Ads as an effective and popular online advertising platform to capture prospects’ attention. With Google Ads, you can target specific people based on gender, location, interests, and age. This means you can easily connect to a target audience and offer a product that solves their problem.

Here are the benefits of using Google Ads to generate commercial solar leads:

Massive audience: Google’s search engine gets over 2 trillion searches yearly, which adds up to nearly five billion searches daily, making it the best platform to create ads.
Solar agents can control the solar ad campaign: With the proper training, you can start the solar ad campaigns and end them when you want. Through this, you can budget the money and set aside time to make the campaign successful.
You will get quicker results: When using Google Ads, your company increases the chances of ranking top on the search engine page and getting fast results.
Increases conversions: You will experience conversion rates when people click on your landing page.

The best thing about Google Ads is that they are easy to use, and you can set up the campaign yourself. To create the ad, follow the given information on the Google Ads website, and you are good to go.

Use Local SEO for Commercial Solar Lead Generation

Did you know local SEO (search engine optimization) helps your local prospects to find the solar products they are searching for online? Yes, it does. Most businesses use local SEO to reach their targeted prospects and help them make purchasing decisions.

Almost 46% of search queries made, according to Google, have a local intent, meaning as an agent with the SEO know how you can rank a question like “how to make my solar panel more effective” or “the best solar company near me.”

You can either do it yourself if you have the knowledge or hire an SEO expert to ensure the local SEO is well applied to convert to local search. The expert may also advise using solar videos and content explaining solar energy’s benefits.

You should take SEO seriously because most searchers consider the first page results more relevant, so they don’t search beyond the first page.

Use Facebook Ads for Commercial Solar Lead Generation

Facebook, the largest social platform with over 2.2 billion active users, can use it for the lead generation of your solar panels. You can post photos, educational posts about solar equipment, or share news. With Facebook, you will reach more global prospects, making it an effective platform for solar marketing.

Here are the reasons why you should consider Facebook ads for solar lead generation:

You can create a targeted audience depending on your product.
Because of its massive database, you can identify your prospects based on location, interest, location, and lifestyle.
Facebook ads are cost-effective and can easily qualify leads.

Pay-per-click Type of Advertising (PPC)

Pay-per-click is a very effective mode of advertising, where the advertiser (the solar company) pays a small fee whenever an audience clicks on their ad. PPC is also an effective way to generate leads because you will pay when someone shows interest in your product. As a solar agent, you use this method because it generates quality commercial solar leads.

The PPC campaign is also easy to set up, and you can use ads or Google Ads as long as you use the right keywords and attractive visuals and create an ad copy that will persuade your targeted audience to purchase.

Conclusion

Digital marketing is effective for solar leads and closing more sales. You can attract potential commercial solar customers with compelling ad content, a landing page, and a fully optimized online presence. You can also use social platforms for advertising your products and sharing educational content as you engage with your audience.

To add commercial solar leads, you need a digital marketing strategy to make sales. Digital marketing will help you reach a vast audience and educate your market as you build trust in your online presence. Even after getting the targeted result, continue using the digital marketing strategy.

Tips

Is Email Marketing Effective for Commercial Solar Lead Generation?

The experts believe that email marketing is among the most effective techniques for marketing a solar business. Even when everyone is on social media and most businesses rely on social media marketing, a vast majority of marketers are of the opinion that email marketing gives you a better ROI. In addition, around 70% of internet users in the US prefer business communications via email.

Email marketing is a powerful tool that converts 3x more customers than social, and those converting through emails are likely to spend 17% more compared to others. Now, if you’re not using email marketing to grab solar commercial leads already, these stats might be shocking for you. But email marketing does bring you results and can be an effective marketing tactic for attracting new valuable leads and converting them.

Wondering how email marketing can be helpful with commercial solar lead generation? Let’s explore some benefits of email marketing for solar businesses and find out how you can set up an effective campaign.

How Can Email Marketing Help Solar Companies?

As mentioned earlier, email marketing can be helpful for solar businesses in generating commercial solar leads and attracting new clients to boost sales. In fact, email can outperform various other marketing techniques in terms of engagement, conversions, and other important metrics. Here is how effective email marketing can help your solar business.

1. Cold Emails For Solar Ensure You Don’t Miss Out On Even A Single Opportunity

Most solar installers offer services in particular cities or areas. The audience they want to target is very limited. If you prepare a list of your prospects in that area, you just can’t afford to waste even a single opportunity for lead generation and convert those leads into your customers.

To approach every single prospect while making sure you don’t end up spamming them, cold emails should be the best approach for you. Even if you send just one thousand emails each month, you’ll have reached out to ten thousand prospects in your targeted area after just ten months.

With mail tracking, it’s possible to identify the engagements from the first round, and then you can grab the responsive commercial solar leads to target in your next round of emails. A targeted approach from here will allow you to cash in on every single opportunity out there.

2. Businesses Can Run Extremely Targeted Marketing Campaigns

Most traditional marketing channels like billboards and TV ads help you reach a broader audience. A large portion of them might not even be interested in your offering. Internet marketing, and email marketing, in particular, lets you take a much more targeted approach to your marketing efforts. Most of the time, you target your email campaigns at people who have shown an interest in your services and will be more likely to take the desired action.

You can design your email campaigns for various groups within the email list or even for specific individuals. Depending on their characteristics and where they exist in the sales process. For instance, if someone has just signed up for the company’s newsletter. They may receive an automated email to thank them for the subscription and inquiring about if they want to know something about the company and the solar systems it offers. Such a targeted approach will help build lasting relationships with your customers and boost conversions simultaneously.

3. Customized Content and CTAs Bring You The Results

The relatively smaller potential customer base can be further subdivided to tailor your content and CTAs for a specific group or individual prospects, increasing the effectiveness of a commercial solar lead generation campaign. For instance, you can send out targeted emails with educational content regarding your commercial solar offerings, their benefits, the reduced pricing, and why they make more economic sense. Once they start taking an interest, you may start sending them sales emails featuring customer testimonials, ROI analysis, pricing for different products, etc.

So, depending on who will be receiving your emails and how you want them to engage with you, it will be easier for you to customize your content for a relatively smaller audience in the commercial solar market. It will, in turn, increase the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

4. You Always Stay Top-of-Mind

Solar companies can use email marketing effectively to keep their brand visible and build awareness. Your communications will also help keep you in the minds of your potential customers. Your emails will serve as a reminder, helping them recall your company and the solutions you have on offer.

It is important to communicate regularly with your target audience, as not everyone visiting your website or signing up for the email list will be prepared to go into a contract immediately. But with regular communication, you can convince them to buy your solar services and enforce a decision.

How To Do It The Right Way?

So yes, email marketing can be effective for generating solar leads. But not all marketing campaigns are made equal, and you can’t expect them to create the same impact. If you want your email marketing efforts to return big on your investments, you should be aiming for perfect execution.

Here are a couple of quick tips to see that happen.

1. Don’t Overdo It

Remember, not all of your prospects like frequent emails – especially when they are in important positions in their companies. Therefore, you should rely on data analytics to decide how often you should approach your potential customers with your marketing emails. Particularly, try to figure out how many emails it takes on average to convert a prospect from your target market. Also, figure out the number of emails unsubscribers receive on average before they decide to part ways.

With data supporting your decision, only send as many marketing emails to your target audience as they can easily digest and start thinking about your business. Never try to overdo it!

2. Give Your Prospects What They Are Looking For

You want to sell solar panels to your prospects, and a majority of them might even need a solar solution but just aren’t ready for it yet. They also know that you want to sell your product to them. So, there is no point in telling them the same thing over and over again. Instead, you should better keep them engaged with pertinent, entertaining content to build a trusted relationship and try to answer their possible concerns bit by bit. It will help ensure that when they are ready to buy, they will contact you before anyone else.

You should also reward your subscribers with special offers like free consultations, discounted installations, e-books, and more as a token of appreciation for staying in touch.

Email marketing can be an effective, low-cost marketing solution for generating commercial solar leads. It’s just how you carry out your campaigns that will make the difference in the end.

Tips

3 Customers To Target For Solar Installers

Recently, the solar industry has shown enormous growth. People are installing solar panels and shifting to solar energy for different reasons. Some do it to save money on power bills; others for the environment. Those in companies are doing it to save on operational costs.

If solar companies want to succeed in marketing with commercial solar lead generation, they must identify the product and know the users to target. As a solar marketer, you should try to dig into the problem despite trying to close sales. For instance, you must know what your market believes, fears, and what motivates them. When you don’t look at this, you will be selling your products to everyone, which is more or less like selling to no one.

Commercial solar lead generation is leaping due to a lack of proper information. It’s not like people are not ready to buy the solar, but the solar agents cannot close the sale. So what are they supposed to do to close the deal? Solar agents and contractors should identify their customers’ personas. Let’s check out three types of solar customers and their motivation and pain.

Customers To Target For Solar Commercial Leads

Advocates Of Climate Change

Climate change advocates are willing to do anything to save the environment. They are on the first line in recycling and composting. They are keen on preserving the territory, so they probably save to purchase electric cars.

This group of environment enthusiasts is well-educated, young, and informed about climatic change. They know well that they cannot save the universe, but feel their responsibility is to make the world different. They also teach and wish their children would follow in their footsteps.

Environment enthusiasts are tired of how most leaders around the globe take bribes and how polluting countries do nothing about it. This kind of customer paying a little more for solar won’t hurt since they know it will make a difference.

These people are among the best commercial solar leads because they are not installing solar to save money but to save the environment. They will take pride in telling their friends about solar. So if you target environmental activists, they will market for you.

Pain points

They don’t like how climatic change has been politicized because they believe science proves it, so they are tired of debates about whether humans contribute to it.
They think if nobody does anything today, the future will be a disaster.

Motivations

They want to be on the front row in the climate change fight.
They will purchase solar panels to make a statement.

Energy Independence Seekers

For this group of people, getting energy from another source gives them joy. They want to control their consumption and storage of electricity; that’s why they can’t get to buy the battery.

Most energy independence seekers are old, maybe semi-retired, and financially independent. They are content in their smaller homes; since they love being in control, they may grow their food too. Another reason they will be willing to install solar is frequent power outages in their neighborhood.

They feel happy after checking the electricity bill, knowing they have not used or have used less electricity.

Pain points

Constantly frustrated by power outages.
They have experienced increased power bills and feel it’s time to stop them.
Electricity bill fluctuation makes it hard for them to plan the budget.

Motivations

They want to be in control and have peace of mind when power is concerned.
They don’t want to rely on an undependable source of power.

Calculating Frugal Investors

These groups of people are the most common solar leads. They are prospects who are careful about how they spend their money. They will buy solar not because they want to change the climate but to save some money.

Most of them are working and have kids in school. Their homes are large, and they spend heavily on electricity bills because of heaters and PVC, so they would love to conserve energy. They follow government rebates keenly.

They know how much they spend on power and whether they’re on contract. This kind of customer keeps records of the smart meter readings waiting for payback. Good quality is what they look for, and they won’t mind spending more to get it.

Pain points

They are very committed to their work, so the agent has to explain why they need the solar installation.
They have doubts because of the solar installers who over-promise and then under-deliver.
They are worried because they have read or heard how solar companies fail to return the warranty issues, and they don’t want to fall victim.

Motivations

They are looking for a good investment return; they’ve probably learned the ROI for solar panels is about 2-3 years.
They want to cut and control the power bills.
They look forward to every rebate.

Advantages Of Using Solar Energy

As a solar agent, you should educate your commercial solar leads on the importance of using solar power. Check out its benefits.

Save money. Once you have installed your solar panels, you can save the electricity bill. It’s also a wise investment since it adds value to your home.
Reduce carbon footprint. Solar power reduces carbon footprints and the use of fossil fuels. It’s also more environmentally friendly than any other form of energy.
Low maintenance. With solar panels, you won’t have to worry about high maintenance costs after installation. Most companies offer up to 25 years of warranty. All you need to do is wipe it from time to time.
Low waste. Solar energy is renewable. It produces no waste products or emissions. You will never run out of power as long as there is the sun.

Conclusion

For the solar installation market to boom, the companies and agents should use the best strategy in their market. They should know it’s not about the company, but the customer and the pain points. Identify the market, and show them you understand their pain and frustrations. The three groups of solar installers (climate change advocates, thrifty spenders, and energy independence seekers) are driven by different reasons, so each group has a separate campaign.