This is the twelfth article in our Commercial Solar Success series.
It’s tough in the commercial market. Businesses can take their time in making decisions and what’s worse is they can have multiple decision makers – some of whom are not always able to be contacted directly. Business decisions are often made at board meetings so it’s absolutely imperative that your proposal speaks loud and clear.
You will absolutely need to ensure that your proposal is carefully prepared in alignment with industry standards and that it makes your company look professional and capable of solving every possible issue that a commercial customer could conceive.
In addition to this, awards, testimonials, case studies and endorsements are some of the most powerful tools you can use to convince business decision makers of your superiority. The other thing you need is social evidence. If a golf club is struggling financially (or not) and they see that dozens of golf clubs around the country (and close by) are installing solar panels, they are much more likely to invest the dollars than if none of their peers have made the investment before them. Another example is proximity-based social evidence. If 10 businesses in the same suburb have all put solar panels on the roof, you’re much more likely to make a sale in that suburb than in a place where solar hasn’t caught on yet.
How solar keeps businesses at the top
One thing many successful solar businesses make sure they mention, is how solar effectively increases profits. Then also by comparing your prospect to a similar business (even a competitor) who has installed solar, you can really get them geared up and ready to buy. After all, businesses too suffer from “keeping up with the Jones’ Pty Ltd”.
If you can communicate how solar savings translates into higher business profits, you’re sure to win the sale. Profit is extremely valuable and takes a lot of investment in overheads etc. to achieve. So if your customer has less to pay on their power bill, they’ve effectively “stolen” profit out of thin air. Using the typical example of 30% profit, your typical business has to spend $7 to make $10 back, giving them a $3 profit. With the solar on the roof, they now only spend $6 to make the same $10 back, increasing profits to $4 (33% increase)!
What you need to tell your commercial prospects to win their trust and earn the sale
You need to communicate to your customers how many similar businesses (either by industry or location) have been installing solar panels. As part of our ProfitVoltaics package, SunWiz offers you an independently verified, custom-designed brochure of systems to show your prospect which:
- Match their industry or;
- Match their postcode
This makes it extremely easy for you to get your prospects converted into sales.
Find out what a commercial consultation with SunWiz could do for your business
Previous article in this series: How competing your way to the bottom ruins solar businesses
Next article in this series: How much is $1 in profit worth?
Check out our report on Commercial PV Success if you’re serious about the commercial sector