5 Ways to Generate More Solar Appointments

   In the solar industry, solid leads are the lifeblood that keep companies alive. It’s crucial to have a steady flow of leads from diverse sources, in order to ensure enough volume to allow your business to thrive. Below are 5 ways to keep high quality leads coming in consistently: 

• Get active in your community
• As you probably already know, solar often sells itself. It’s better for the environment, more cost effective, it’s cutting edge technology, and darn-it, it looks cool. It’s often just a matter of getting in front of people and explaining how easy it can be to go solar. 
• Getting involved with groups in your community is a perfect way to take that first step. Go to the community meetings. Volunteer at the church bake sale. Sign up for a bird watching walk. Join a Wednesday night kickball team. The more people you connect with, the broader your network becomes. Of course a connection doesn’t mean a sale, but you’re still increasing your reach by expanding your network.
• When you meet someone organically, you get to tell them about what you do in a natural and sincere way. For people who are already interested in solar, they’ll automatically become intrigued when they learn that you work in the solar industry. For folks who don’t know much about the subject, they’ll naturally turn to you when it’s time to learn more. 
• Seek partnerships
• Since solar is a product for the home, there are many other products and services that can be tied in. Anyone who is already at a customer’s home for another service can become a lead generator. Call up other local businesses and offer them referral bonuses for anyone they send your way. 
• All they have to do is mention to their customers, “By the way, it looks like you’ve got a great roof for solar. Is that something you’ve ever considered? We have a partner we work with who can get you more information, I’ll pass along your contact info.” For anyone who signs up, your partners will make some easy additional money from their existing client. 
• Good businesses to target include energy efficiency companies, electricians, painters, roofers, plumbers, pool maintenance companies, window cleaners…. You get the idea. The possibilities are essentially limitless. 
• One other benefit of this approach is that it will connect you with the employees of the local businesses as well. When you explain your partnership proposal, it doubles as an opportunity to talk to a prospective customer about their own home. 
• Leverage Social Media
• Social Media is everywhere these days, and a successful solar consultant needs a strong online presence. Don’t be afraid to ask customers, or even prospective customers, to connect!
• Update frequently. Try to make your page into a community. Ask your existing customers if you can feature photos or stories about their home. Share relevant news and articles about solar and sustainability. Promote local events. Stay engaged, and your online presence will grow. 
• Look for community pages on websites like reddit or facebook. If you can find out where people in your community are spending time online, you can use those forums as avenues to connect with potential customers. 
• Use hashtags to get your message seen by a wider audience. Not everyone knows how to use hashtags effectively, but when done properly it can really boost your message. Tag any potential search term someone might use to find you (ex: #solar, #NJsolar, #utilitybill, #savings, etc). You can also search these tags yourself to try to find other people having these conversations.
• Don’t neglect your Referral Garden
• Everyone knows referrals are important to any solar business, and yet it’s surprising to see how many sales reps don’t maintain regular contact with their existing customers. Putting an emphasis on these relationships will help your business in several ways. You’ll protect your reputation, improve your practical solar knowledge, and keep the door always open for referrals. 
• Some sales people push hard for referrals as soon as a customer signs the contract. While this is a fine time to ask for referrals, remember that many of those potential referrals simply can’t be harvested right away. More often than not, the process resembles growing a garden. You’ll need to plant the seeds early by asking your customer if they know anyone else who could benefit from going solar. Even if you don’t get any referrals on the spot, those seeds will develop at their own pace, and some may be ready sooner than others. You need to check on your garden regularly to see if any new sprouts have developed. Sometimes it may take a random visit from a relative or chat with a neighbor to make your customer realize, “Hey, I should refer them to my solar company.” That’s how regular touchpoints can help you enjoy the fruits of your labor, months or years after the initial sale. 
• Use a reliable lead supply and marketing service
• A healthy solar business uses a mix of organically generated leads and pre-qualified leads. This allows you to keep your business humming with a steady input of sales from various channels. When organic leads aren’t filling your schedule, find a reliable service to supply you as many leads as you need to keep your teams busy. Every lead is a potential new revenue stream. Even leads that don’t pan out provide a chance for your staff to sharpen their skills.
• Messaging is important. If you’re not sure you are putting out the most effective message you can, consider consulting with a specialist to help you nail down the perfect marketing strategy.