How To Cultivate Strong Relationships With Your Solar Leads
Solar leads are buyers interested in switching to solar energy and typically generate other leads via landing pages, radio ads, TV commercials, and toll-free lines.
A good relationship with these potential buyers is highly important, starting with generating the best solar leads. How one interacts with the leads should be more of being there to support them throughout the entire process rather than just selling them the solar power system.
Here are some tips for developing strong relationships with your solar leads:
1. Appeal to customers
Going solar may present a strong value proposition for your prospect, but in today’s cutthroat solar sales environment, you will need to do more to stand out. A rising body of research supports what most sales professionals already know. If your prospect likes you and feels a connection with you, they are significantly more inclined to conduct business with you.
It can be difficult to define likeability, and many people believe that you either have it naturally, or you don’t. But there are a few unambiguous guidelines that, by science, consistently make a salesperson likable. People are liked by those whom they identify with. Start by posing inquiries that demonstrate a sincere interest in your prospect and their particular circumstances.
Try complementing your prospect for certain qualities in addition to asking thoughtful questions. It can be about their house, loved ones, or pet. It will demonstrate attention to detail and give them confidence, making them like you more.
Science also teaches that emotions spread easily. Take advantage of this by being enthusiastic and energetic throughout your pitch. Laugh and smile! A prospect will return the favor with good emotions that increase their likelihood of purchasing if they sense your optimism and believe you are genuinely excited to speak with them.
2. Mirror the Customer
Mirroring is one such tactic that, while it may not initially feel natural, is scientifically proven to increase likeability. When someone mirrors, they essentially copy what they hear or see. It may involve mirroring your prospect’s body language and reiterating their words. Almost every prospective client will ask questions or voice reservations during a pitch. Many of these questions have been asked to you more times than you can count.
Even though you’ve probably heard it all before, you don’t want your prospect to think that you’re dismissing their worries as unfounded. Instead, you should give them a sense of being heard and demonstrate your sincere comprehension of their perspective. In this situation, mirroring is useful. When you address their worries, simply repeating what they said will make them feel as though you are truly listening, which you are.
3. Build trust in your pitch
Of course, being likable doesn’t help much when trying to sell solar. Additionally, you must build trust. We discussed social proof and how many potential customers still view going solar as a risky investment. Because of this, you must incorporate trustworthiness as a fundamental component of your brand and incorporate trust into every solar sales pitch.
According to science, customers are far more likely to make a purchase when they believe their salesman is an industry expert. Your professionalism and self-assurance in your business, yourself, and product will be helpful in this area. Provide facts and solid data to support your statements if you want to make your pitches more credible. But don’t just give data to your audience. Instead, showcase your knowledge by telling your audience true stories.
To demonstrate social proof, you may, for instance, offer client testimonials from the past. People will be more inclined to believe you when they can see how effectively you’ve worked with past clients and the outcomes they obtained from working with you, whether they are potential investors or clients. Our minds are wired to connect with stories as humans. It’s crucial to explain your motivations, whether you’re giving a speech, a keynote address, or anything in between. When we comprehend how our story relates to the stories of individuals around us, connections begin to arise. Avoid getting so caught up in analytics and stats that you neglect to highlight the human element of your company.
4. Show interest in your leads
People are more likely to like and trust businesses that genuinely care about their problems. People who provide you with their information should be contacted by your sales staff, ideally as soon as possible after receiving it. Personalize your initial communication with a lead. Don’t thank them for their email address or other contact information in an automated, cookie-cutter form letter. Have a salesperson send a personalized note as a follow-up. Mention how you found the contact’s information and use their name.
Ask them questions about themselves:
- What are their goals with solar power?
- What concerns do they have about energy use?
- What do they know about solar?
Encourage them to ask questions about your business, but avoid making a hard sell. The goal is to show that you are interested, not to try to sell them something.
5. Reflect on their concerns.
You can develop empathy and relationships with others, including your leads, by actively listening to them. Reiterating or paraphrasing the other person’s concerns and asking them questions to gain a deeper understanding are two essential elements of active listening. Leads are more likely to feel connected to your business when your solar sales professionals take the time to improve on certain traits that make them stand out from the rest.
Conclusion
With each passing year, solar energy gains popularity. Installers will continue to be in high demand as solar marketing spreads. Consider implementing any of these strategies if you want to increase your solar leads. Applying even a few of these suggestions can increase the number of organic solar leads you generate for your solar business, including residential and commercial solar leads. It can also increase the number of high-quality solar leads you convert into paying customers.
