How to Increase Your Solar Sales

Everyone’s different. It’s simple enough to say, but it’s a bit harder to internalize when it comes to your sales practices. All sales people develop their own styles that seem to work for them, which is great because everyone has strengths and weaknesses and different preferences. The downside is that in many cases we’re actually just developing a routine that makes us feel comfortable, rather than developing the most effective sales strategy. We get so comfortable with our own style, we can have a hard time adapting to different types of customers. Take a moment to read the article below, and you’ll be ahead of the game for your next solar appointment.

This subject has been studied numerous times, and it’s been described in many different ways. For our purposes, we’re going to focus on one of the most popular versions of this concept: D.I.S.C. profiles.

There are four main personality types: D (dominant), I (influencer), S (steadiness), and C (compliant). It may sound crazy to think that just four categories encompass all humanity. And it is. In reality, each person is their own unique blend of these personality types, with all kinds of other influences and preferences sprinkled in. However, from a sales standpoint, it’s helpful to think of these four categories as representing the dominant personality types.

D: Dominant

• People who fall into the “dominant” personality category like to be in control. They value directness and efficiency. They often place a premium on time. These types of people are typically not as interested in small talk or building rapport. They would rather get down to brass tacks quickly, so a decision can be made and they can move on. For these types of customers, it’s often best to allow them to set the pace of the appointment. Any attempt to retain control over a dominant personality can be seen as antagonistic, which can make the individual more closed off and less receptive.

I: Influencer

• Influencers are fans of people. They enjoy chatting and getting to know others. They place a high premium on trust and relationships. Their decisions are frequently based more on emotion than on logic. For these customers, the most important piece of the puzzle will be building solid rapport. When an influencer feels that they can trust you as a person, they’re likely to be very receptive to a logical proposal, because their brains have already “vetted” the idea from an emotional perspective.

S: Steadiness

• People within this category can actually be the hardest to motivate. They’re known as thoughtful and understanding, but they are resistant to change. For these personality types, it’s best to try to mirror their energy and make them feel comfortable. If you can achieve that, you can suss out their other motivations and try to appeal to those. This personality type also values loyalty and dependability, so keep in mind that they might like to move a little more slowly than other customers.

C: Compliant

• Also described as the “calculating” personality type, these people are very logical and detail oriented. They won’t respond as much to chatty sales reps; they’d rather just dive into the numbers. One thing they have in common with the Dominant personality type is that you will not be able to convince them they need solar. Instead, they must convince themselves. Give them all the numbers and data they need to make their decision. They can be more challenging on the front end of a sale, but once they are in they’re typically very steadfast and likely to follow through with the project. People with this personality type are often happy to share their research and findings, so if you have one customer who did a lot of research before signing up, use them as a resource. Ask if they would mind sharing their knowledge with future customers of yours, as an existing customer can sometimes be the best person to convince a Compliant person to take the plunge.

As stated above, most people are not pure archetypes of these personality profiles. People are almost always a mix of all four, and everyone responds to outside stimuli in different ways. There’s no silver bullet that will guarantee success when it comes to solar sales, but it can be very helpful to take a moment to analyze who’s on the other end of the phone line, or sitting across the kitchen table from you. If you’re able to adapt your sales strategy to different personality types, you’ll close a higher percentage of leads than if you’d played each one the exact same way.

CJ Flaherty

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