Getting solar leads is crucial for sustaining a solar installation business. However, as the competition among solar panel companies grows, generating quality solar leads has become a tough row to hoe.
In such situations, an effective strategy can aid you in bringing in solar leads. The absence of it can drain all your resources and make all your efforts go in vain.
To ensure that you are heading in the right direction, there are a few dos and don’ts that, if followed, can result in fruitful solar leads and thus help your business thrive.
So, let’s dive into them.
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What is the difference between generating solar leads and buying solar leads?
Before we head to the dos and don’ts, it is imperative that you first get a clear understanding of “generating solar leads” and “buying solar leads.”
While on the journey of finding the right solar leads for your business, you might have heard the term “buying solar leads.” This may cause you to become perplexed. Don’t be. It all depends on whether your business is capable of generating organic solar leads. Or opts to buy solar leads from a company that sells lead services at an affordable price. But here is a twist too.
Solar companies are not selling leads directly to the customers; instead, they are selling them to solar installers. This means that you will be competing with your competitors to reach out to potential customers first.
Being on this journey, you might find yourself paying for a lead just to reach out to that person who is hiding behind a mask. Or you may buy the leads from that person with a higher payment and close the deal (only if possible).
Do’s for Generating successful Solar Leads
Understand Your Market
As a rookie in the solar panel industry, generating solar leads might seem like a daunting task. But all you need to do is take a baby step.
First, do an in-depth analysis of your niche market and try to find out who your target audience is. Every home or building has a unique photovoltaic system requirement and budget. The “one size fits all” policy does not apply in today’s time.
As an example,
Do you know that across America there are different types of solar panels based on their application in residential, commercial, and industrial areas? These are Monocrystalline solar panels, Polycrystalline solar panels, Thin-Film solar panels, Amorphous Silicon solar panels, and many others. And among these, monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels are in the greatest demand in the residential region.
This is why it is imperative that you have a thorough understanding of your customers so that you can encourage them to opt for your services.
Design an Optimized Business Website
Have you ever considered how your customers might find you? If your answer is “website,” then you are right! Every solar lead company has a professional website that is very neatly designed, has a user-friendly interface, easy navigation, a clear agenda, and a call-to-action button form. You should have too.
The longer visitors stay on your site, the more likely it is that they will become future customers. After all, isn’t that what you’re after?
Moreover, it is also substantial to make your website highly optimized from an SEO perspective. The reason for this is that if your site does not appear on the first page of search results, your chances of connecting with customers will be minimal.
To score your site higher in search results, make sure you integrate the right keywords into your website that users are using for a particular query, for example, “solar panel installation in New York.” Furthermore, you can even take advantage of these WordPress SEO plugins to enhance the technical and on-page SEO of your site.
Establish a Strong Social Media Presence
In today’s era, having a strong social media presence for every business is vital, and the solar industry is no longer the exception. Many a time, it has been seen that customers check out the company’s social media handles before making a final purchase.
Therefore, it is high time that solar companies start investing their time and resources in building a robust digital presence. How?
First things first. Create accounts on all popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and start posting quality content (posts, images, videos, or any other infographic) on a daily basis. This way, you will be able to educate your customers about the latest technologies or trends in the solar business and how they can benefit from them.
You can even start an #askQA round where you will be answering your followers’ questions. This will increase your credibility among them. Once you have a decent audience base, you may market your products and services and communicate with your consumers on a regular basis.
Note: building an online presence takes a significant amount of time. So, don’t be impatient. Remember, consistency is the key here.
Conduct a Dedicated Marketing Campaign
Social media is a strong tool for producing organic leads in the long run. But if you want to generate immediate results, you can take the help of paid marketing campaigns. To create a campaign, first, track the geolocations of clients looking for solar panel installation services. Then start running advertising in those regions on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This way your future audience will get acquainted with your company’s services and will reach out to you.
Provide Free Consultations
Another effective strategy to get organic solar leads is to provide free consultations. Educate your consumers about emerging solar developments and their benefits free of cost. Customers will only be interested in your services if they believe they will benefit them in some way.
To begin, you can comprehend their requirements, budget, and constraints (if any). Then, create an action plan and begin offering consultations.
This will help you in two ways:
- first, it will boost your company’s reputation with customers.
- second, it will raise the possibility of converting them into loyal customers.
Give Existing Customers a Referral Bonus
A referral bonus is an excellent way to generate more solar leads for your business. Offering a significant referral incentive to an existing client who promotes your company’s services to new consumers is a useful tactic.
This may be carried out in following multiple ways,
- providing extended warranties.
- a percentage on the deal.
- providing complimentary presents.
Motivate existing customers to invite their colleagues and friends to inquire about solar installation. This would acquiring the leads process simpler since they would have immediate social validation.
Follow Standard Guidelines and Regulations
Aside from photovoltaic (PV) regulations, each state in America has its own federal and state criteria for providing solar services. Following them can help your business function effectively in the long term, with no intervention from officials. These include:
- Reaching out to your potential customers.
- Awareness campaigns related to your services.
- Offering the right quotations and warranties.
Create a Powerful Sales Team
While a marketing effort may only offer you prospects, converting them into prospective clients is up to your staff. A finely-tuned solar sales force is critical for the success of a solar firm, and you must begin working on them right away.
They not only play a role in lead conversion on the front end but also give constant backend assistance in all of your targeted marketing initiatives to locate more and more of your clients.
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Leads Follow-up
This is the moment your perseverance will be tested. You cannot unwind after a meeting. When you have quality traffic, a follow-up is mandatory! Most transactions need at least 5 follow-up contacts and organizations that follow up first close 35-50% more deals than those who follow up second.
Technology, like the auto-dialer systems, can assist you to accomplish this much faster than doing it manually.
There is one more thing to consider: following up with your consumers is a difficult task. You won’t even notice you’ve created an annoyance zone for your soon-to-be-converted consumer. So, make sure you follow up on a continuous and persistent basis following a certain sequence and not just daily.
Don’ts for Solar Sales
Don’t Use Jargon Terms
Don’t use jargon or terms that are not understood by customers. It might confuse them. As a sales representative, your duty is to educate your potential clients about your services not to scare them or mislead them. Remember, in sales, it should be a win-win for both parties.
Don’t Make Any Quote Without a Site Assessment
The “One size fits all” policy does not hold in this business. This means you can’t quote the same for every coming customer. Send your sales team to the site so that they can assess it better and then make a final quotation based on the number of panels required.
Don’t Make Unsupported Claims
Displaying installation-specific content only generates ambiguity. Terminology like “average output,” “annual yield and savings,” and “return on investment” is very dependent on the site and equipment deployed.
Don’t Take Energy Production as Energy Use
Promising that the installed solar panels will meet the customer’s power use without even examining their electricity bills is risky. Because there is nothing like an “average home,” professing to pay costs almost always results in misunderstanding and frustration when the program fails to operate as planned.
Final Words
So these are some of the dos and don’ts that might help you generate a steady pipeline of solar leads organically, allowing you to float your solar business. However, it is important to remember that solar lead generation is a constant process that changes with shifting market trends and government incentives. So, keep these considerations in mind and follow the aforementioned points.
And you will notice your company’s name expanding over time!
