Top Questions Your Solar Sales Script Should Cover
The use of photovoltaic systems is becoming increasingly popular across the globe. Yet when it comes to solar sales, clouds of greenhouse gas may be blurring a prospective client’s vision. They might wonder why it’s worth their time and money to commit to a positive environmental impact.
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It’s your job to make them aware that solar power is a highly useful and cost-effective form of renewable energy. However, there’s a lot to think about: what with technical specifications, regulations, and a complex sustainable energy market, sales agents can’t be expected to know or remember everything.
That’s why all agents need a comprehensive and engaging script that addresses the key questions a prospect may have.
The top questions your solar sales script should cover:
- How much does it cost?
- How will it reduce my bills?
- How does solar energy work?
- How effective is it?
- Where should solar panels be installed?
1. How much does it cost?
Although your script will help you explain the overall value of solar installations, most prospective customers will be thinking first and foremost about how it’ll affect their pockets. Therefore, the script must address the question of cost, which is likely the first thing you’ll be asked about.
Investing in solar is a massive decision for residents and businesses to make. The potential advantages of solar power are generally well-known, but this is not always enough to get people to part with large amounts of money or company profits.
You’ll need to explain that although it may sound expensive, it isn’t. The actual technology isn’t as ground-breaking as it used to be, and so the costs involved in installing solar panels have dropped significantly. Solar panels have also been shown to increase the value of homes and buildings and can help with tax breaks, which offsets the cost.
Yes, the initial investment to install a solar power system can still be quite hefty, but the long-term saving is very much a positive. And with this long-term advantage comes a long lifespan—most solar panels have a lifetime of around 30 years.
2. How will it reduce my bills?
Having established the initial cost, the next thing they’ll want to know is how it applies to their own individual situation. To drive home the point of solar power’s value, you can now start a conversation about the customer’s energy consumption.
The best sales pitches include figures and estimations that are personalized to the prospective client. But unless you have the details of their existing bills and energy expenditure, you won’t be able to demonstrate how solar can save them money.
When they ask for specifics, get them to show you an electricity bill that details their usage. Experienced agents should be able to identify spikes in spending and ways to curb those spikes, but they can also make use of a solar energy calculator.
This tool allows anyone to input electricity usage information, and outputs a number of approximate savings and benefits of installing a solar power system. It’s efficient, clear, and enables them to make a quick calculation.
To save time on calls, you can gather some basic information regarding their energy use during solar lead generation. This may be through surveys or contact forms. You can then prioritize leads that have provided actionable information and are most likely to benefit from solar energy.
Free to use image sourced from Pexels
3. How does solar energy work?
Be prepared to answer some technical questions. Not all customers will want this information—some may not be interested in the science behind solar power, as long as it saves them money! But there will be people who want details. They may also want to know how the panels are installed.
Obviously, agents aren’t scientists, so it’s unreasonable to expect them to have in-depth knowledge. They do require a working understanding of the technology, with a sound script providing backup for tricker questions. You can also direct them to your website, or another resource, for further information.
Plus, although someone may be keen to invest, they’re probably not well-informed about science and technology matters. You should, therefore, make the pitch as simple as possible while providing a lead with sufficient information that may lead them to conversion.
4. How effective is it?
If customers are going to be persuaded to invest in solar energy, they will also want proof that it does what you claim. Luckily, there’s an abundance of evidence to prove that the technology is effective. And, of course, the positive impact on the environment should be a selling point in itself.
We know that solar panels can convert up to 15% of solar energy into usable electricity for homes, commercial buildings, and complexes. You can demonstrate this through reports and case studies that show the efficacy and eco-friendliness of solar panels.
You may find that your solar leads have some preconceived ideas surrounding renewable energy, so make sure your script makes it easy for you to dismantle such notions with statistics, figures, and the spread of information.
Since solar power is the source of 60% of the world’s renewable energy, you have the facts on your side when telling customers how popular it is!
Free to use image sourced from Pixabay
5. Where should solar panels be installed?
So, you’ve guided your potential customer to the point where they’re seriously thinking about investing in a photovoltaic system. They understand the costs, the potential cost savings, and have at least some idea of how the whole thing works.
Now, they’ll probably ask you about the optimum place for their system to be installed. And you can tell them that, contrary to popular belief, it’s not as simple as just picking areas that get loads of sun and targeting those areas for solar panel installations. A lesser-known fact regarding solar power is that it works best in regions with low levels of wind and humidity.
It’s advantageous to increase contextual knowledge around solar power systems, such as conditions that produce the most solar power. This will help your solar sales script feel less like a sales pitch and more of a learning opportunity.
Your script should also equip you to deal with queries about regulations surrounding the use of solar power. These are vast and ever-changing, so it’s a case of checking them regularly and updating your information accordingly. They’ll also depend on certain details such as the lead’s location and average energy consumption (which you now know).
Free to use image sourced from Pixabay
Tips on Improving Your Script
We’ve covered the main questions your solar sales script should contain. But here’s a question to ask yourself: “How can I keep improving my script?”
To give yourself the best chance of conversions, it’s essential to optimize every aspect of your pitch. Think carefully about the language you use in the script. Does it encourage agents to be engaging, enthusiastic, and empathetic? You want prospects to listen intently and pose more questions regarding solar power. And you want them to perceive you as an authority on the subject.
It goes without saying that the information in the script must be correct, so you should review it regularly and ensure everything’s accurate and up to date. This includes any figures and statistics, as well as technical information about the product you’re selling. Make sure you maintain communication with your company’s product team to be aware of any changes.
The overall customer experience is central to getting conversions, and customizing your script to its intended audience will increase the scalability of your sales pitch. It’s well worth talking to other agents and to your customer service team to see if there are any common questions or issues raised by customers. You can then add these to your script.
Final Thoughts
While the benefits of solar are vast, they won’t do the selling themselves. A strong solar sales script, coupled with the sales agent’s knowledge, empathy, and professionalism, will help you increase sales.
You don’t need to be a quiz maker to tackle the questions that your script should cover—just put yourself in a prospect’s shoes and consider the things they’re likely to ask. You can also use information from previous interactions to identify common queries.
As well as emphasizing the value of solar solutions, try creating scripts that are customized to particular profiles. This will help you engage the prospective customer and speed up the process of a solar pitch.
About the author
Yauhen is the Director of Demand Generation at PandaDoc. He’s been a marketer for 10+ years, and for the last five years, he’s been entirely focused on the electronic signature, proposal, and document management markets. Yauhen has experience speaking at niche conferences where he enjoys sharing his expertise with other curious marketers. And in his spare time, he is an avid fisherman and takes nearly 20 fishing trips every year.