Every successful sale starts with getting your prospect to care about the problem you are solving. In solar, this can be tricky because most homeowners don’t stay up at night fretting about their electricity bill.

What are some best practices for creating a connection with a solar prospect and driving real engagement with your sales pitch?

1. Reframe electricity bills

Most homeowners have become accustomed to paying their monthly electricity bills almost without looking at them. Start by educating the homeowner about what they’re currently spending on electricity, which can be significant. Try to familiarize the homeowner with the key terms you’ll use to compare grid power and solar power, such as monthly payment, kWh rate, and lifetime savings.

2. Offer a choice

People are used to having different options available in almost all purchase decisions, and they intuitively understand that competition and more significant optionality typically mean a better deal. Framing your pitch as offering an alternative in a traditionally monopolistic market will immediately put you on the homeowner's side and make them receptive to your proposal. You're not there to sell; you're there to offer a choice.

3. Focus on savings

Once you’ve established baseline costs and conveyed that the homeowner has a choice, quickly turn your attention to savings. Everyone is interested in saving money, so focus on how much money the homeowner can save immediately (monthly payment, kWh rate) and over the life of the solar project (lifetime savings, effective kWh rate). Translating savings amounts into tangible things like a new kitchen or a college education can help make savings real and tap into a buyer’s emotions. You’re not selling solar; you’re offering cheaper electricity.

4. Sell certainty

In most states, the cost of electricity has increased over time. It is crucial to incorporate this into your pitch and convey to your prospect that their electricity bill in the future is likely to be more than they are paying today. You can frame solar as an opportunity to lock in a lower rate today and ensure a predictable and stable electricity bill for many years. Analogies can be helpful here--ask the homeowner if they would sign up to pay the same rate for gas for the next 20 years, and they’ll understand the value you are offering.

5. Discuss environmental benefits

While all customers will be motivated by saving money, many homeowners will also be interested in positively impacting the environment. Ask the prospect if they are interested in the environmental benefits of the proposed solar system--even if it isn’t a primary motivator, most people will feel good about switching to a clean, carbon-free power source. When discussing the environmental impact of their solar system, use metaphors like # of miles not driven by a car or acres of forest planted so that the CO2 savings are tangible and easy to understand.

6. Pitch independence

If a customer isn’t interested in the environmental impact of their solar system, you can pivot to discussing the benefits of generating and consuming their power. Ask the homeowner if they know where their power comes from and how far the electrons must travel to get to their home. Many homeowners will be excited to swap anonymous and distant power sources for a power plant they see daily on their roofs.

7. Bottom line: The cost of doing nothing

EverBright makes it easy to operationalize these best practices with a professional and attractive sales proposal that lays out the key points that drive urgency and engagement in a solar sale. On the standard proposal template, EverBright has “The Cost of Doing Nothing,” which succinctly articulates why the homeowner's current state of the energy market is sub-optimal. Partners have told us with “The Cost of Doing Nothing” page, their sales reps can craft a clear and compelling pitch that consistently creates buy-in from prospects.

Do you use other approaches to create urgency with your solar prospects? Do you want to learn more about how EverBright can help your team drive more engagement at the beginning of the sales process? Apply today to see how EverBright’s flexible and highly competitive financing solutions integrate seamlessly with our solar system design tool!