Renewable energy is of great interest to many people these days. As a result, it is a growth industry in the US. Couple technology and process advancements within the industry with government incentives and growing consumer awareness and you have a favorable climate for turning more solar leads into sales.
What follows is the first part of a multi-part series of tactical and practical advice for solar energy companies wanting to successfully grow their market share.
More Good Leads – More Sales
Lead generation is important and can be generated by any number of strategies including:
- Direct Marketing & Sales
- Purchase of Qualified Leads
- Community Education
- Trade Shows
- Word of Mouth
There are many ways to obtain leads. The big test comes in converting a good lead into a sale.
To do this, many companies are buying leads and freeing up their in-house sales folks to handle follow-up. This does not mean you should abandon your efforts to generate leads. It simply means that purchasing and converting good leads can be an effective way to increase your sales.
Think of it this way. Each valid lead has the potential of a $30,000 – $60,000 sale. Therefore, increasing your solar company’s solar lead conversions by 1 percentage point translates into increased sales of 10% to 20%.
Follow-up and Don’t Procrastinate
The most important steps to converting a good lead into a sale are:
- Contact the customer, quickly
- Ask questions – Find out what’s important to them
- Schedule a consultation that is convenient for them
- Develop a proposal
- Close the sale
Careful Listening Makes for More Sales
A good lead should tell you how and when people prefer to be contacted. Pay attention to that. If you are not provided this information, make it a priority to ask this after identifying who you are and the purpose of your call.
Companies that do not listen to what their customers tell them do not succeed in the long-term, unless there are only poor alternatives.
The age of your lead will tell you a lot about how they get their information. The ways in which people get their information and communicate with one another have changed. Speaking on the telephone is still a viable option, but if a potential client tells you that they prefer email or texting, act accordingly.
Follow these tips when contacting the customer, and don’t forget to check out our next blog on scheduling a consultation.
