Each item listed below shows that I can use relevant information, select creative and appropriate methods for accomplishing communicative goals and adapt to the needs of the situation. My assignment was to write 5 blogs based on the research I gather for solar sales. My blogs lay the foundation of the basics of solar sales along with giving tips on how to become successful, speed up the selling process, and what your sales pitch should look like. I then had to incorporate a communication theory to help guide my blogs. I decided to use the communication accommodation theory and the functional group theory. I did this project second semester of my senior year and my targeted audience was both my professor and those looking to get some insights on solar sales.
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Solar Sales 101
By: Jack Pettit
In blog one, we’re going to run over the basics of what it means to be a solar salesperson. When it comes to learning about solar sales, or any sales job, you have to stay motivated in order to sell. There are two different types of solar sales: inside sales and outside sales. Inside sales mostly consist of working from the office and spending most of their time calling potential customers, or inquiries to set up a time to meet.
I personally wanted to become a salesman for the specific reason of not sitting in the office. Outside sales mostly consist of going from door to door, business or residential, and asking the person in charge if they would be interested in purchasing solar panels for their source of electricity. As you gain experience, you move into a more senior position that entails more detailed home visits. An outside salesperson could go to over 100 doors in a day, gather information from interested homeowners, and have a clientele list in no time.
Lastly, we have a canvasser which is a specific position for an outside salesperson. A canvasser is someone who pays interested homeowners multiple visits trying to convince them to go solar. Holden stated, “A salesperson in this role must prepare extensively for meetings, get to know the house and homeowner, communicate potential costs, and answer questions about energy bills and the nuances of installation” (Holden). This position is no joke because you have to know your product on an intense level and close as many sales as possible.
Now, you’re probably wondering what skills a solar salesperson needs? There are a number of skills that are useful, including time management, data management, and clear communication. Times can get very hectic and it’s important to be able to track down important information when needed and be able to manage a busy schedule. You have to be able to coordinate calls and visits with busy customers or potential future customers. From Holden’s empirical article, Ahlman stated, “Arriving late to an appointment or double-booking someone for a call can quickly sour a relationship” (Holden). Another main skill that a solar salesperson needs is to be able to quickly and clearly explain the amount that would be saved if they were to become buyers. Also from Holden’s empirical article, Vorobyova stated, “Communication and self-awareness helps. You have to know how to talk to pretty much everybody” (Holden). Speaking is also very important because you want to make sure they can hear and understand you.
It is important to understand the barriers to success when it comes to being a solar salesperson. Outside salespeople could likely travel to different areas, depending on where their customers are located, meaning they would need some sort of transportation. Solar salespeople also come from all kinds of backgrounds, and a college degree is not required. If you find a company to work for, they will make sure to prepare and train you before throwing you out into the field. Your income also depends on who you work for and where you work. Some companies pay salaries, some pay compensation, and some pay both. Ideally, making both salary and compensation is what you would want.
You now know the basics of selling solar! I explained that there are two types of solar sales: inside sales and outside sales. Inside sales and outside sales are very different yet very similar to each other. The main objective of both types of solar sales is to sell. The major difference between the two types of sales is prospecting. Inside sales prospecting consists of calling or emailing prospects from the office whereas outside sales prospecting consists of going door to door. I also pointed out some skills that are needed when working in solar sales and explained why these specific skills are needed.
Reference PageHolden, C. (2020, August 31). What’s it like to be a solar salesperson at a residential installer? What’s It Like to Be a Solar Salesperson at a Residential Installer? | Greentech Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/cleantech-careers-solar-sales-at-a-residential-installer
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Why Solar Sales is a Great Career Path
By: Jack Pettit
Welcome to Blog number 2! This blog is going to talk about why solar sales can be an excellent career choice for those looking to get into sales. There are three main reasons why becoming a solar salesperson is worth your time and energy: First, the industry is growing rapidly and faster than ever. Second, the money is fantastic and motivational. Third, falling in love with your job and loving what you do has never been easier.
The first of the three reasons is that the industry is growing rapidly and faster than ever (Top 4 Reasons). Renewable energy is beginning to outgrow coal and nuclear energy industries (Top 4 Reasons). There are incentives for governments, businesses, utility companies, and homeowners to go solar which is why we see so many doing so. “Renewable energy is the path for a sustainable future. The development in this field is progressing rapidly and solar energy is at the heart of this development” (Almusaied et al.).
The second reason is that the money is fantastic as well as motivational. Like any sales job, there is always competition and room to grow. The amount of money you can make has no limits but depends on how hard-working and motivated you are on a day-to-day basis. Those who have a strong work ethic, dedication, motivation, and a flexible schedule are making anywhere from 100k-300k annually (Top 4 Reasons)! Now if that’s not motivational enough, maybe the last reason will be.
Falling in love with your job and loving what you do is the third reason solar sales is a great career. When selling solar, you have a mission you can really get behind. According to SunPro, “Renewable energy is the future of our world, and as the name suggests, it is inexhaustible, which means when other sources are gone, solar will still be going strong”(Top 4 Reasons). Solar energy is our future and will always be around, making this industry a mission anyone can get behind. You are helping governments, businesses, utility companies, and homeowners save money and potentially eliminate what they are paying each month for electricity. Along with that, you are selling clean energy which everyone can agree is a great investment for the future. You will be able to feel a sense of pride in what you do on a day-to-day basis because you are helping people save money along with helping the environment.
To conclude this blog, we talked about how rapidly the solar sales industry is growing and how much room there is for you to grow within the industry. We talked about the potential income to be made when motivated, hard-working, and dedicated and how the sky’s the limit. Lastly, falling in love with your job and loving what you do is everyone’s main goal when trying to find their career path. Selling solar is a great opportunity to live comfortably and feel good about what you do because you are helping others save money while helping the environment.
Reference Page
Almusaied, Z., Asiabanpour, B., & Aslan, S. (2018, April 1). Optimization of solar energy harvesting: An empirical approach. Journal of Solar Energy. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jse/2018/9609735/ Jones, M. (2022, April 14). Top 4 reasons to consider a career in solar sales. ADT Solar. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.goadtsolar.com/news/4-tempting-reasons-to-consider-a-career-in-solar-sales/
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How to be Successful in Solar Sales
By: Jack Pettit
There is a lot that goes into becoming successful when selling solar. Your knowledge of the solar industry should be superior and you should always be mindful of the location you’re trying to sell at. You should always be dressed professionally and you should always be mindful of your surroundings. It would also be beneficial to have some knowledge of communication theories to help guide you when making sales.
A very important element that goes into being a successful solar salesperson is gaining as much knowledge about the products and field as possible. You should study the industry and other competing companies so you are able to explain to the customer why they should purchase your product in comparison to any others. You should find multiple different things within your company that sets you apart from others.
When starting off in solar sales, you should be mindful of the location you are trying to sell at. Clients are more likely to invest in solar panels if they live near other homes that have them and have heard from real people about their advantages of them. Starting off in one specific community will allow different clients of yours to communicate and spread the word about your products allowing you to gain a bigger customer base. Using the communication accommodation theory, “Communication is influenced not only by features of the immediate situation and participants’ initial orientations to it, but also by the socio-historical context in which the interaction is embedded” (Giles & Ogay). This means that your interaction with your current customer could either be enlightened or marred by past interactions with customers in the area. This is why it is crucial to always represent yourself in a professional and polite manner.
Because solar sales are predominantly done door to door, appearance is a big factor. Some people are very cautious of who they open up their doors to, so if you want to be successful it is crucial to look professional and well put together in business casual clothes. The logo of the company should be visible on clothing or any other objects you choose to bring with you. In doing all of this, you hope to be welcomed by the customer and interest them in what you’re trying to sell.
Solar sales representatives need to be outgoing, charismatic, and most importantly genuine. They should truly believe and love the product they are trying to sell. When pitching your products, you need to spend less time talking and more time listening. Understanding and utilizing the HURIER model can be very beneficial when in front of customers. HURIER stands for hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and responding (Green et al.). You will need to be able to address any concerns and answer any questions the homeowners will have. You should find out the homeowners’ main reasons for going solar, and then continue to assure that your products are what’s going to help them achieve exactly what they hope for. You also have to be aware of factors that make a home the perfect candidate for solar energy. You need to be honest with the homeowners and talk about factors such as; how much sun the home gets, the location of the home, and if the roof is in the right condition to be able to maintain these solar panels for as long as possible.
Having an understanding of how to effectively communicate to homeowners, or any customer is also very important when trying to become successful in solar sales. Using the functional group communication theory, “When communication plays a promotive role, it allows the group to successfully accomplish the functional requisites” (Salazar). This means your communication style should promote their knowledge of what you are trying to sell. You also have to understand that no homeowner is ever going to make a big decision like this without consulting their spouse (Doochin). The best time to pitch your products is when everybody living at the home is present to hear everything you have to offer, and because there is a lot that goes into solar sales, you should try your best to simplify your pitch so it’s not so overbearing to your customer. The communication accommodation theory demonstrates how we change our language and the way we communicate depending on who we are communicating too.
Another helpful tip to becoming a great solar salesman would be to make sure to stay in touch with your clients before, during, and after the installment process. The client should feel confident in the fact they made the right choice for their home after everything is finalized.
You now know how to become successful in solar sales! Your knowledge of your product should be superior. You should always be dressed professionally and represent yourself professionally along with being mindful of your location. You also gained some insights on some communication theories that you can do some further research on to help get a better understanding. Understanding communication theories can only benefit a salesperson!
Reference Page
Core – aggregating the world’s Open Access Research Papers. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/147103741.pdf
Functional Group Communication theory – sage publications inc. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://edge.sagepub.com/system/files/77593_8.2ref.pdf Jonathan Doochin – 2.2.2015, Jonathan Doochin -, By, Doochin, J., Jonathan DoochinJonathan is the CEO of Soligent, & Jonathan is the CEO of Soligent. (2019, September 9). Getting homeowners to the yes: 8 expert tips to speed up the solar sales process. Renewable Energy World. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/getting-homeowners-to-the-yes-8-expert-tips-to-speed-up-the-solar-sales-process/#gref
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Tips to Help Speed up the Selling Process
By: Jack Pettit
In this blog, we’re going to be discussing valuable tips that will help you speed up your selling process, including concentration, simplification, a sense of urgency, and having the right audience, because these with help you become more efficient which ultimately leads to success. I will be explaining what each term means within the sales industry. After reading this blog, you should be able to incorporate these three tips and hopefully become successful!
The first tip is concentration. Pick out a specific community or neighborhood to start in and build a concentrated customer base through referrals and networks. Referrals and networks are essential because the customer comes to you. In order to get referrals and networks, you have to have a combination of concentration and utilization of the communication accommodation theory. If you remember in blog 3 I explained, “Communication is influenced not only by features of the immediate situation and participants’ initial orientations to it, but also by the socio-historical context in which the interaction is embedded” (Giles & Ogay). There was a study done at Yale University and recently published that provides evidence that people who live around people who have already purchased solar are more likely to buy (Graziano & Gillingham). In areas like this, the customer decision time is decreased from 8.9 months to three months. This time is shortened because customers can see and hear real testimonials from those around them.
The next tip is to simplify your sales pitch. There is an abundance of information for prospects to learn and overwhelming them with all this information can lead to them having tangents and doubts. Using the communication accommodation theory, “convergence is a process where people tend to adapt the other person’s communication characteristics to reduce the social differences” (Communication Theory). This is why you need to simplify your pitch and just explain clearly how much the results will cost.
Another tip is having a sense of urgency. When giving your sales pitch, it is easy for the customer to say they will look at the proposal later and then in most cases forget. This is why having a sense of urgency can help drive success, but you don’t want to be pushy. You have to find the happy medium between being pushy and having a sense of urgency. According to Doochin, “Create a sense of urgency by pointing out when tax credits are expiring, state credits are limited, or when you are offering a special for the month” (Doochin, 2015).
The last tip is to have the right audience. When you are providing a solar consultation you want to make sure you have all of the decision-makers in the room. If you are dealing with a married couple, you should set up a time to meet with both of them at the same time. Usually, people don’t make expensive decisions without talking to their significant other about it (Doochin, 2015). This is why you want to make sure you have all the decision-makers in one room. This is also important because you want to be there to convey the right message and answer questions. If you only speak to one of the decision-makers, odds are they will forget some important details when passing the message to their significant other. Overall you want to work to simplify your process, concentrate on a specific market, convey a sense of urgency, and make sure you are speaking to the decision-makers. These tips will help you get the customer to yes much faster.
Reference Page
Graziano, M., & Gillingham, K. (2014, October 7). Spatial patterns of solar photovoltaic system adoption: The influence of neighbors and the built environment ‡. OUP Academic. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/joeg/article/15/4/815/2412599?login=true
in Cultural Communication, P. (2014, July 7). Communication accommodation theory. Communication Theory. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.communicationtheory.org/communication-accommodation-theory/
Jonathan Doochin – 2.2.2015, Jonathan Doochin -, By, Doochin, J., Jonathan DoochinJonathan is the CEO of Soligent, & Jonathan is the CEO of Soligent. (2019, September 9). Getting homeowners to the yes: 8 expert tips to speed up the solar sales process. Renewable Energy World. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/getting-homeowners-to-the-yes-8-expert-tips-to-speed-up-the-solar-sales-process/#gref Sparks, B., & Callan, V. J. (2002, April 26). Communication and the service encounter: The value of convergence. International Journal of Hospitality Management. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/027843199290019R
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Sales Pitch
By: Jack Pettit
A key component to becoming successful in solar sales is having a good sales pitch and knowing exactly what to do when in front of the customer. James stated, “In door-to-door sales, rejections will be inevitable. Even the top salespeople do not have a 100% close ratio” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022). Door-to-door sales can also be dangerous as some customers verbally abuse executives, along with calling the police, letting their dogs lose, or even coming to the door with a gun. With that in mind, you still have to make sales but remain safe. On the flip side, a lot of people are too polite to tell you no. You don’t want to waste your time so you want to ask questions that will help you determine the level of interest the potential customer has. James stated, “Even before your sales pitch, for example, you can say, “I think I understand what your problem is, and how solar can help. I’ll tell you a little about it, and you just let me know if it will be useful for you or not” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022). Overall, you shouldn’t spend more than 20 minutes talking and giving your sales pitch.
You want to be able to read cues that prospects give and try to sense if they are serious about buying or not. Being anxious about your sales pitch can lead to not noticing these cues, so letting go of that anxiety and paying attention to the prospect’s body language is key. When giving your sales pitch, you want to continue observing the prospect. Pay attention to their eye contact and their body language. If your prospect seems as if they want to shut the door on your face, wrap up, and go knock on the next door.
Another key component to remember is that you are trying to sell, not convince, convincing does not work. People don’t get convinced by people that they don’t trust, so gaining their trust is important. A way to do this would be to figure out what their needs are or what their situation is. Gaining their trust should come first and your solar product should come second. This is important because once you know their story, you will be able to connect with them and explain how your product can make their lives easier.
Steps to a Successful Sales Pitch
- The Opener
- Your opener is the most important part because it is your chance to make a great first impression. “As the cliche goes, “The first impression matters,” and you only have 7 seconds to make that first impression. In nearly 93% of the cases, prospects will judge you based on your non-verbal communication” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022). Your non-verbal cues are just as important as the tone of your voice. “Nonverbal communication is the act of conveying a thought, feeling, or idea through physical gestures, posture, and facial expressions” (Nonverbal Communication). After knocking on the door, you want to take a step back so you don’t seem intrusive. Once the prospect opens the door, you want to introduce yourself with good posture and a firm handshake.
- “Good morning. I’m John from XYZ Service. I was just passing by, and noticed that the front of your house and roof are south-facing. Does the house heat up a lot during the summer (Pause, let the prospect answer.)? Have you ever done an energy audit to see how much energy your house is absorbing, and if it’s affecting your electricity bill? If you want, I can fix an audit sometime this week, and it will be free” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022).
- The presentation: Developing trust
- When giving your presentation or “sales pitch” you want to do so through storytelling. “Storytelling is a non-invasive approach that helps door-to-door salespeople relate to a prospect by sharing a real-life example about the product that solved a customers’ biggest need” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022).
- “I came over to your neighbor Kevin’s house the other day and we talked about how solar can save him money on his electricity bill. He agreed and told me that a relative of his had XYZ Solar panels installed on his home a year back and ended up saving $xx! He used that money to take his family to a vacation. I was really glad to hear that XYZ Solar is helping people save money and achieve their dreams” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022).
- Building Credibility
- Credibility is built through involving your prospects in conversation. You want to identify their problems and explain what you can do for them and how you can do it for them. “Do you think that your current electricity bill is higher than it should be?” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022). This is a great question to ask because in most cases, the answer is yes. You can then move forward by explaining what you can do to help them.
- The Closing
- Your closing pitch should stay customer-focused and you can do this by explaining what solution you think will be best for them (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022). When building credibility you will offer multiple solutions, but when it comes to the closing you want to identify the best solution for them.
- Customers have relied on us for 15 years to save energy and money using the XYZ Solar Panels. Based on the position and size of your home and roof, I recommend the ‘[xx] Energy Plan.’ I will tell you all the financing options so that you can choose the one that suits you the best, and don’t have to shell out a lot as upfront cost. We have a promotion running this month with free installation. It means you can save the entire cost of installation. So, what day and time works best for us to come do the install this week?” (Solar Door-to-Door, 2022).
Your goal when giving your sales pitch is to make the customer feel comfortable. You know the criteria that goes into making this happen. I have broken the sales pitch down step by step and have given some examples of what you should say. It is important to know that you want to develop trust and credibility but also maintain trust and credibility!
Reference Page
Nonverbal communication. GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/nonverbal-communication Willie JiangIn the fight against the climate crisis. (2021, October 9). Solar door-to-door sales pitch tips with examples. SF Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.solarfeeds.com/mag/solar-door-to-door-sales-pitch/#The_Opener
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Supplement Paper
By: Jack Pettit
As a senior at St. Norbert college and graduating this may, I’ve had to start thinking more and more about what my future holds and the career I hope to pursue. I have always been a very active person who can not sit still for long periods of time. Taking that into consideration, I knew I wanted to get into sales. Getting into sales would allow me to use my competitive traits and get me out of the office. Perfect! When thinking about my project and what I wanted to create, I immediately thought about solar sales. Prior to this project, I had been doing a tiny bit of research on what exactly solar sales is because I was intrigued by the amount of money to be made. This is what led me into creating what I created. I decided to write five blog posts based on the research I found on solar sales. My blog posts go in this order, Solar Sales 101, Why Selling Solar is A Great Career, How to be Successful in Solar Sales, Sales Pitch, and Tips to Speed up the Solar Sales Process. For someone like myself who is looking to get into solar sales and may have a lot of questions because he/she has no idea what it is about or consists of, my blog is the perfect foundation for gaining some insights on the topic.
My first blog is titled Solar Sales 101 because I wanted to start by learning the basics of selling solar. I started doing some research and as I got deeper and deeper into my research I found myself becoming more intrigued than ever before. After I had the basics down, I wanted to know why solar sales is a great career to get into. My findings show that the industry is growing rapidly and faster than ever. This is because it is a rather new industry and it is our future. Being able to put myself in a position to grow is a key attribute to the career I want to have. Well, there is always room to grow and improve when it comes to sales but solar sales as an industry is growing faster than ever. It’s like knowing two birds out with one stone.
If I want a career in which I can grow, then I need to find out how to be successful. This is why my third blog post talks about what it takes to become successful when selling solar. To me, the most important part to becoming successful in solar sales, or any sales, is motivation and dedication. You need to be dedicated enough to learn your product inside out and motivated enough to keep selling. With that said, every salesperson has a sales pitch. That is why I decided to write my fourth blog on sales pitch. I always thought your sales pitch had to be long and hit on every aspect of what you’re trying to sell. I learned quickly that the shorter your pitch, the better.
Lastly, the main goal of any sales job is to sell, but the best of the best sell quickly. This is why my fifth blog post is about speeding up the sales process. My biggest takeaway from this blog is that you want to make sure you’re speaking to the right people. What I mean by this is that you want to have all of the decision-makers in the same room when you are presenting them your proposal. This will help keep everybody on the same page and will give you a chance to read the room and see if both are interested in what you’re selling.
Originally, I planned to use three communication theories and utilize them where I found them most appropriate. I decided to only use two theories and those theories are the communication accommodation theory and the functional group communication theory. I decided to incorporate the communication accommodation theory because when you are selling a product, odds are that the customers don’t have much knowledge about the product. This means they won’t know the correct terminology, therefore you have to accommodate to make it makes sense. We have to change our language and the way we communicate depending on who we communicate to. I decided to incorporate the functional group communication theory because it explains how you need to communicate. When you are in sales, your communication has to play a promotive role so your customers can successfully accomplish the functional requisites (Salazar). Understanding this theory and understanding how to utilize this theory in the field is critical to selling products, services, or even ideas.
To conclude, my blogs lay a great foundation for understanding solar sales. I’ve explained the basics of solar sales along with why solar sales is a great career path to get into. I’ve also explained how to become successful and how to sell faster along with what your sales pitch should look like. As I said, I’ve only layed the foundation. My blogs are not meant to make anyone experts, but they are meant to give you some insights on solar sales to let you decide if this is a career path for you. I even included some communication theories that I believe to be important to learn and understand. These are only two out of many theories and I would strongly recommend doing some research on not only the communication accommodation theory and the functional group communication theory but the other theories out there!
Reference Page Functional Group Communication theory – sage publications inc. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://edge.sagepub.com/system/files/77593_8.2ref.pdf
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