When a person or business is interested in solar, do they want someone to swoop in and sell them a solar power system, or someone who will be there to support them throughout the process? When building leads in the solar industry, it’s often worthwhile to focus on establishing relationships rather than making the final sale. Closing a sale is a plus, but getting a customer to buy, trust your business and come back for more is even better.
Know how to get leads for solar contractors is only the first step. Here’s how solar sales representatives can nurture leads and strengthen your solar contracting business overall.
Why Use a Solar Lead Nurturing Strategy?
The most significant benefit of lead nurturing might be that it convinces a potential customer to purchase from your company. If your team doesn’t take the time to reach out to people who have given you their contact information, it’s unlikely that any of those leads will convert to customers.
To understand the importance of lead nurturing, you need to get inside potential customers’ heads. People might come to your company at various points along the sales funnel. A few might be close to converting. They’ve researched the benefits of solar panels, and are nearly ready to purchase and install a system.
The vast majority of leads are likely to be at the top of the sales funnel. They’ve heard about solar power, they’re curious about sustainable energy and want to know more about the cost of installing a system. The top-of-the-funnel leads aren’t sure yet what they’ll do or the steps they’ll take.
If you nurture leads at every stage of the decision-making process, you have a greater chance of turning them into customers. By meeting your leads where they’re at, showing them you understand the solar industry, and explaining how you will solve their problems, you can build long-lasting relationships with them.
How to Nurture Leads in the Solar Industry
Whether you’re trying to nurture leads at the top or bottom of the sales funnel or somewhere in between, here’s what you can do to build relationships and trust with them.
1. Show Interest in Your Leads
People are more likely to trust and like companies that show a genuine interest in their concerns. Have your sales team reach out to people who give you their information — ideally, soon after collecting it.
Personalize the first contact with a lead. Don’t send an automatic, cookie-cutter form letter thanking them for their email or other contact details. Have a representative follow up with a customized message. Use the contact’s name and mention how you came across their information.
Think of that initial contact as a first date with the lead. The goal is to see if the lead responds and wants to continue building a relationship with your company. Ask them questions about themselves:
- What are their goals with solar power?
- What concerns do they have about energy use?
- What do they know about solar?
Encourage them to ask questions about your company, but don’t come on too strong with a sales pitch. The point is to demonstrate your interest, not push them toward a sale.
2. Teach Your Leads
Leads at the top of the funnel are likely to have plenty of questions about the benefits of solar power or renewable energy in general. Providing these customers with informative and educational material is a way for your company to establish itself as an authority and build trust.
Answer people’s questions and provide them with resources that help them gain insight into solar power’s value. Then, they’ll be much more likely to return to you for more information in the future, when they are ready to invest in a solar power system.
3. Reflect Their Concerns
Active listening allows you to establish empathy and build a connection with others, including your leads. Two crucial components of active listening are repeating or paraphrasing the other person’s concerns and asking them questions to establish a better understanding. When your solar sales representatives take time to practice this habit, leads are more likely to feel connected to your company.
Here are some ways you can use active listening skills in sales.
- If a lead seems worried about the age of their roof: You can say something like, “Your roof is older. It makes sense to wonder if it can support a solar system.”
- If a lead expresses concern about roof repairs with solar panels: Try saying, “A roof might need repairs at some point. Here’s how to do it with solar panels…”.
- If a lead asks about the cost of solar: You can say something like, “The upfront cost can be high, but you’ll save money in the following ways…”.
4. Be There for Your Leads
Encourage leads to reach out to your team whenever they have a question or concern. Being there for your leads can mean giving them tools to get in touch quickly, such as an online chat feature or text messages. Ensure the sales reps assigned to each lead know to respond ASAP when they get a message, particularly if the lead is a new contact you want to nurture or someone near the bottom of the funnel who is nearly ready to convert.
Cultivate Relationships With Leads With Dataforma
The secret to business success is building and maintaining relationships. The more points of contact your company has and the more proactive it is about establishing genuine connections with leads, the more likely companies or individuals are to become customers. If a lead becomes a paying customer, they might refer their friends or colleagues to your business, helping you grow.
Dataforma’s solar software gives your company the tools you need to manage customer relationships, keep leads warm or hot and sort leads. Request a free demo today to see it in action.