The Top Three Ways to Lose Residential Solar Clients

Ethical, effective selling is a skill that can be developed and refined through cultivating knowledge and experience within a community of practice. One surefire way to build expertise when selling directly to homeowners is to spend some time understanding how human psychology influences the sales process, particularly on items that are viewed as significant and expensive (like solar systems). Taylor Jackson, instructor for the new HeatSpring course, The Psychology of Solar Sales – How to Win Deals and Influence the Future, walks us through the three common ways that he’s seen sales people lose their clients.

Mistake 1: Failing to Manage Expectations – Overpromising, Underdelivering, and Losing Trust

Building a relationship with a client is all about building mutual trust.  Yet human psychology predisposes us to distrust the people we meet, and actively look for evidence that they won’t live up to our expectations.  As a result, effective expectation management can make or break a sales process.  Even if twenty things have gone well, overpromising and underdelivering a single time can sour a client relationship.

Great sales consultants consistently manage client expectations of the sales process and their operations teams.  They underpromise and overdeliver on every issue, no matter how trivial.  They also hold clients accountable for meeting mutually agreed upon expectations – showing up for meetings, being responsive to calls, and helping coordinate with install teams.  These habits build mutual respect based on the principle of reciprocity and set the stage for a partnership with your client that goes beyond the install, from referrals to great testimonials. 

Mistake 2:  Talking About Solar’s Benefits Before Addressing Client Anxieties

Sales consultants often think that their job is to convince clients of the benefits of solar.  This approach disregards human nature.  Clients are naturally loss averse. They’re naturally more worried about solar causing them problems than they are excited about potential new benefits. 

Learn to listen to your client’s concerns first, then educate them about how solar works so they feel secure in the technology and process.  Only after you’ve addressed a client’s anxieties about roof leaks, warranties, company stability, a new technology, etc. can you truly get them excited about joining the solar revolution.

Mistake 3:  Trying to change your client’s beliefs instead of building on them

Every client has a unique journey toward solar.  Great solar communication is about understanding that journey and helping usher it forward.  The science of psychology has demonstrated conclusively that people rarely change their minds once they’re made up, yet many solar sales consultants try to debate their clients about the best reasons to go solar.  

Great consultants instead try to understand a client’s existing motivations for considering solar and then build on their motivations.  Clients naturally want to be consistent with their motivations.  If a client has shared that they want to minimize their taxes with solar, or improve their home value, sales consultants must connect their solar recommendations to that motivation whenever possible.  Instead of trying to force new beliefs on their clients, great consultants show a client how their existing beliefs support the decision to go solar. 

Has your sales team ever made one of these mistakes?

Enroll in the Psychology of Solar Sales to learn dozens of other common mistakes and new techniques for generating more deals and happier clients.  

Heatspring is offering a limited number of seats at a dramatically discounted rate – the first 50 enrollments will receive $510 off the total price – so pre-order today! 

Visit the course page here and set up your sales team to start 2023 fresh with code salesleader2023.

Have questions? We’re just an email away at info@heatspring.com!