How to Sell Solar for Beginners

Setting Yourself Apart in Solar Sales

if you're a solar sales professional then stop right there i want you to watch this video first before you go on any more appointments or send out any more proposals because i'm going to be teaching you five things that will set you apart from all the other cheap solar salesmen hi everybody joe ordea here for solar surge and for the past eight years i've been helping families get their home set up to survive a loss of the electric grid and at solar surge we do renewable energy solar power and many times battery backup as well to help people become totally energy independent now today's video is actually geared towards those that are in the solar sails profession i've been getting some feedback recently about joe i like your video shared it with my sales team and so i wanted to speak to sales professionals particularly those of you who are just starting out and i'm going to teach you a few things that will help you close more deals ultimately but more importantly set yourself apart from the other solar sales people that are out there now in the past three or four years solar has gotten so popular and the financing options are so attractive now that there are tons of new sales professionals coming into the solar industry and many of them are coming from other in-home sales like alarm system sales door-to-door cable subscription sales directv and a lot from the auto industry as well and i hate to say but a lot of these sort of cheap and outdated sales tactics have come in from those industry into our solar industry as well so in today's video i'm gonna be teaching you how to set yourself apart and really position yourself as a solar expert as opposed to just another sales person

Become a Trusted Advisor and Educator

all right the first thing is you're not there to sell anybody anything in today's day and age consumers have got as much information as they wish to avail themselves of meaning that they already pretty much know what the product is that you're going to be offering and how much it's supposed to cost because a quick google search can reveal that so don't feel that you're there to go and and convince them and push them and sell them on something what you really want to do is be positioned as the trusted advisor and expert so you can help first uncover what the customer's needs and goals are and then be able to match the correct equipment the correct solution to meet those goals that's the position you want to be in the trusted advisor the consultant you're not there to sell anybody anything so in the information age people don't want to be sold anymore but people do want to buy and your responsibility as the trusted advisor is to help the prospect make the most informed most accurate buying decision

The Power of Education

now the way you do that is through education right and that's why it's so important that you really know your stuff in terms of how the systems work and how the equipment works and the pros and cons of each different equipment choice that you have you see by educating your prospect on how solar energy works how the different solar equipment works how the net metering process works that education is going to bond you it's going to bond you to the prospect and solidify your position as that trusted technical advisor but in order to earn that trust you have to know your stuff and that's why it's so important to do your research ahead of time on the different options that are available to you so you know the right solution to prescribe based on the situation and based on your unique prospects goals and challenges so in order to get this right then your engagement needs to start first with needs analysis

Conduct Thorough Needs Analysis

okay the first step in all professional selling is needs analysis if you don't know what the goals are or what the problems are that need to be solved how can you ever prescribe a solution this is why you never want to go in with a pre-scripted sales pitch and just pitch and pitch in pitch until you first stopped asked the prospect questions to uncover what their true needs and goals are so as i mentioned in my previous video for buyers there's all sorts of different motivations for going solar you know some people like the electric bill offset and so for them it's mainly just a dollars and cents calculation as far as what's the dollar for dollar return on investment other folks more like myself they like the safety and the security knowing that regardless of what the situation is outside you and your family are never going to be without power so that type of buyer is mainly concerned with self-sufficiency and security but you're going to want to ask them up front what is your goal with looking at solar power are you looking to help the environment are you looking to cut your electric bill are you looking to protect your family from a loss of the electric grid very very different motivations but you need to uncover what that motivation really is and then once they've identified it ask them to elaborate on it for example if the customer is primarily concerned with battery backup to protect from a power outage ask them about how often they lose power what was the last time they lost power what was the experience like did they lose their food were they unable to flush the toilets in other words keep them talking keep them remembering the experience because this is going to help you out you know once you get to the end of the conversation as far as reminding them the motivation for going down this path in the first place but the key point is you have to start your sales interview with needs analysis

Mastering Product Knowledge, Financing, and Objections

all right the next thing that you have to do is you need to do your homework on the equipment that you're offering now i know that many of you out there you only have maybe one or two different brands of equipment to offer and you know as the saying goes if the only tool you have is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail but you don't want to be there pitching why your solution is best if it in fact may not be the best thing okay and if you have multiple options available you want to really take your time and study how those systems work are you proposing a string inverter system are you proposing a micro inverter system are you proposing a dc coupled hybrid system or are you proposing an ac coupled hybrid system and if so why if you don't know what those terms mean then go back and watch the solar surge channel where we teach you about different types of solar and battery backup systems and some of the pros and cons of each at the very least go to the manual manufacturer's website for the major system components that you're offering and read the spec sheets and understand the basics at the very least at a user level of how what this equipment offers and how it's positioned competitively with the other leading products that are on the market

Discuss Financing Options

all right the third thing you're going to want to do is make sure that you discuss the different financing options and the pros and cons of each with your prospect for some people that are early in life you know maybe they're a brand new homeowners or newlyweds they may not have enough savings to to practically be able to make an outright solar system purchase but these types of buyers generally are great candidates for doing solar financing because they can use their monthly electric bill savings to cover the cost of a solar loan payment so they can get the solar without really having to pay out of pocket for it if you have an older prospect who's nearing retirement or is is retired generally those type of buyers have access to cash and credit where if they wanted to purchase the system outright they are in a position to do so so let your prospect know you know mr prospect if you can make me a direct offer i may be able to offer you a more competitive pricing that way you can avoid all of the closing costs and the bank fees that are associated with offering solar financing so definitely make sure you have that conversation with your buyer as well

Overcome Pricing Objections

okay the fourth thing that you're going to need to learn how to overcome is the pricing objection and i found that the best way to explain this to the prospect is this mr prospect i'm not going to be the cheapest price out there there are always going to be cheaper price companies out there usually they're upstart companies that are just getting going and they're throwing out very very cheap bids trying to build their business however what you need to consider is that this investment in solar is a 25-year investment and so it's not just a matter of what is my cost to get it to you today but it's how confident are you that i'm going to be around and my company is going to be around to service and honor this warranty over the next 25 years when you position pricing in that context typically pricing is never going to be your issue you might also ask the prospect did he hire the cheapest contractor to build his house did he buy the cheapest brand automobile available and in almost every case the answer to these questions is no so don't worry about having the cheapest price or the lowest bid just go ahead and tell them that you're not going to be the cheapest price and tell them why and then let's move on to closing

The Art of Closing the Deal

all right and then finally you're going to have to close your prospect now i know i said earlier in this video that you're not there to sell and that's true you're not there to sell you're there to educate and provide your expertise in service of the client's goals but once you've done that and you have the right deal on the table then you do have to close because as a sales professional until the contract is signed you can't help them and you can't earn anything for yourself so yes every one of these engagements should if you've got the right solution it should end in a closing and this is something that you might have to practice and also you may have to ask multiple times okay this is perfectly normal okay on average a salesperson has to ask seven times until they get a yes so you may want to start early in the process when you're first sitting down mr prospect if i'm able to get you what you need at the right price is there any reason we can't go ahead and do a project for you today okay and then again at the end of your presentation so based on what you're telling me you need a system to perform x y and z and this particular model is going to be the right solution for you ideally when would you like to have something up and running and if they tell you such and such you know two three months from now then great then you can go into well then the next step would be to get you credit qualified or the next step would be to get you to sign here on this work order but you do have to close the problem is you don't want to be perceived as a pushy salesman trying to push your solution on them the first thing you got to do is you make sure you understand what their true needs and goals are you need to make sure that your competency is there so that you can prove that you are best suited to match their needs and requirements with the available equipment and then it should just be a matter of getting through a few objections and closing the deal

well folks this has been five things to know as a new starting solar sales professional as always if you're getting good value from the information on solar surge channel please click that like button as well i know i say it like a broken record click the like button but it's important because there's like 2 billion or something videos on youtube so if youtube doesn't see people clicking and interacting and commenting and all that then it just buries the video and it moves on to something else so i appreciate you for clicking that like button also subscribe to the channel if you haven't already that way you won't miss any of the new videos that we're putting out you know we're trying to get three or four videos out every week we're on like an every other day type of drip we don't always hit that but we're trying to get three or four new videos out for you every week well thanks again for tuning in today as always i'm joe ortea encouraging you to get prepared and be empowered thanks for watching and we'll see you again soon

Solar System Technical Features

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the primary role of a solar sales professional according to the video?

A: The primary role is to be a trusted advisor and expert, educating prospects on solar energy, equipment, and net metering, rather than just selling them a product. This involves uncovering their needs and matching them with the correct solution.

Q: Why is understanding different solar equipment types important for a solar sales professional?

A: It's crucial to understand how different systems (e.g., string inverter, micro inverter, hybrid systems) work, including their pros and cons. This knowledge allows the professional to prescribe the most suitable solution based on the prospect's unique goals and challenges, thereby establishing trust and expertise.

Q: How should a solar sales professional address pricing objections?

A: Professionals should acknowledge they may not offer the cheapest price. They should emphasize that solar is a 25-year investment, highlighting the importance of company longevity, service, and warranty reliability over the initial cost, comparing it to other significant purchases like homes or cars.