1. Prospecting Leads for your
Solar Business
How to Generate Leads &
Identify Customers
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2. Lead generation is the
starting point of the sales
funnel, every successful
lead adds to the top and
bottom line, so it is
important that you plan
ahead.
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3. It Pays to have a Robust Lead
Generation Program
Leads
1000 ATTRACT
Prospects
INTERACT
100
Customers
10 CONVERT
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4. Lets begin by analyzing the lead generation
process and breaking it down into relevant
components, we need to ask some basic
questions;
How do I
reach out to
Who are my them in a
Potential cost effective
Customers manner
What are What do I
their key communicate
purchase to them
motivations
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5. Step I – Customer Profiling
For a small & medium business with limited or non-existent market research
budgets, customer profiling is an iterative process.
Most small scale solar businesses are local; they usually start out posting
advertisements in the classified section of local newspapers or participating in
local events to generate leads.
Information on Leads should be captured in Contact Forms where depending
on how exhaustive our questionnaire is substantial information on the
potential customer can be captured:
Demographic Data Psychographic Data
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6. Step I - Customer Profiling,
continued…….
• Demographic Data (What You’re Like)
– Name
– Age
– Address
– Phone number
– Pin Code
– County
– Income
– Marital Status
– Homeowner
– Profession
– Qualifications
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7. Step I - Customer Profiling,
continued…….
• Psychographic Data (What You Like)
– Lifestyle indicators
– Interests
– Motivations
– Attitude
– Hobbies
– Social Status
– Liberal / Conservative
– Technologically savvy
– Urban / Rural
– Race
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8. Step II – Understanding Customer
Motivations for buying Solar
Economics
Liberal
Democrat
Solar Energy
Independence
Customer
Sierra Club
Member
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9. Surprising Facts About People Who
Have Gone Solar
• They do it primarily for the ECONOMICS
• Solar attracts both Ultra Liberals & Ultra
Conservatives alike, but the average solar owner
is somewhere in between
• Most Solar owners perceive themselves to be
‘savvy’ spenders
• Most decision makers for solar energy at the
household level are Men
• Most are not tree huggers but are technologically
savvy
• They see Solar as a ‘smart’ investment
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10. Step III – Cost Effective Ways to Reach out to
your Customers
• Now that we have determined the profile of our
customer; we have to find cost effective media to reach
our customers:
Medium is
the Message
Cost v/s ROI
Traditional
Social Media
Media
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11. Step III – Cost Effective Ways to Reach
out to your Customers, contd………..
• Traditional Media Tools:
– Local classified advertisements
– Participation in Community Events and
Trade Shows
– Flyers & Door Hangers
Referrals &
– Signs endorsements
from your current
– Data Services customers is the
most invaluable
– Stickers lead source
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12. Step III – Cost Effective Ways to Reach out to
your Customers, contd………..
• Social Media Tools:
– Website
– Google Adwords
– Facebook
– Google+ Referrals &
– Twitter endorsements
from your current
– YouTube customers is the
most invaluable
– Inbound Marketing Services lead source
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13. Step IV – Communicating with your
Customers
Motivation
Economics
Motivation Motivation
Energy Political
Independence Affiliations
TARGETED
COMMUNICATION
MESSAGES
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14. Step IV – Communicating with your
Customers, contd………..
Communication Don’ts:
– Messages related to payback & ROI don’t
appeal to the ‘political affiliation’ segment
– Messages relating to Environmental Benefits
do not appeal to the ‘Economic’ minded group
– Messages relating to ‘being tech savvy’ does
not appeal to ‘Energy Independence’
segment.
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15. Step IV – Communicating with your
Customers, contd………..
Communication Do’s:
• Focus a different message to each
segment;
– ‘Environment’ Benefits Segment; talk about
the effects of global warming, hurricane
Sandy….
– ‘Economic’ Benefits Segment; dwell on ROI,
payback and other analytical measures
– ‘Energy Independence’ Benefits Segment; no
dependence on ‘Big Business’, pride….
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16. And Finally Nurture every Lead..
• Show a ‘Quick’ response time; Industry data
indicates that leads receiving a call-back in two minutes or
less were four times as likely to convert to sold as an average
lead.
• Your Sales-Cycle may spread over 4-8
weeks, it is important to communicate &
engage with the customer at every level, to
address his quest for information and
assuage his concerns
• Telephonic interaction & site visits are crucial
• Using CRM tools to capture information and
track all touch points with the customer
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17. For Further Information
Contact:
bijou.Lulla@yoursolarsalesman.com
the author is a Solar Sales Consultant
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