Intro

Pitch Intro

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The Intro to your pitch should include an introduction of yourself, what you are doing there, and some sort of hook. Depending on saturation levels you might want to add some other strategic tactics into your pitch such as pre-addressing concerns. It’s essential not to overcomplicate your intro as it will result in a confused and distracted homeowner. Each part of the sales cycle has its own unique importance. Many reps fall into the bad habit of feeling like their success is directly linked to their intro, which can be true to a small extent, but don’t reinvent the wheel and instead focus on improving your delivery. With that said, the intro to your pitch is extremely important as it’s the first impression they will have of you. It’s very appropriate to tailor your pitch to the market you are selling in. For example, a particularly saturated market might require an extremely direct approach, while an unsaturated market might invite more of an educational approach. Here are two examples of intros to a solar pitch that you should use. Consult with your manager on which one you should use.

Un-saturated Market:

In un-saturated markets, you can get away with building a little more value first. Many people will swear by a very direct approach like the next one, but this pitch is great if you're in a market with a lot of misconceptions about solar and want to first explain the benefits of the program before mentioning solar. Remember, we aren't avoiding saying the word "solar"! It's very important that within the first 30-45 seconds you clearly mention that this is SOLAR. Too many people will avoid saying it and in so doing confuse the customer, seem misleading, and set a bad appointment for the closer.

Hey how are ya? Good. Real quick, my name’s _____ with Aveyo. I’m taking it you’re the homeowner?  Yes.  Awesome, I’m the person in charge of running the energy reports for all these homes (or mention the neighborhood name), and we’re out here because we’ve gotten quite a few neighbors who’ve been pretty frustrated with the rate increases that have been happening with _______ (power company). There should’ve been a notice sent out about the price increase coming up, did you guys see that come through?-- it would’ve been by mail or email. No

Saturated Market:

In saturated markets you'll want to be quick to the point and pre-address the customer's smokescreens. Here is a good example:

Hey, real quick, my name is ______. I'm in charge of running the energy reports for this area--you've probably had like 15 of those solar guys stop by in the last couple of months... does that sound about right? [lightly joking] Yeah, a lot have stopped by. Super annoying I'm sure! I've been talking with your neighbors, and if you're anything like them, they decided not to go solar in the past because they didn’t want to take out a big loan, and just weren't super interested.[Use 2 most common smokescreens] Do you guys kind of fall into that same category as well? Yeah... honestly I'm not interested! I totally understand, let me show you why they heard me out. A LOT has changed!

Here is another example of an effective opener:

Opening Statement: “Hey, how are ya? Real quick. I’m here about the [power project] [work in the area] rate increases].”

Question of Intrigue: “Is this still the Henry residence?”

You will want to initially avoid saying the stereotypical sales person phrase of, “Hi there, I’m Caleb with Solar.” Saying your name or that you are with Solar right away turns them off because they ARE CONDITIONED through HABIT to think you’re a salesperson and shut down. The last 20 guys have said that exact same thing! Every salesperson before you has done it. 

You will want to be short and to the point; end this step of the approach

with a question to make sure they are engaged. Try to keep this verbiage

exactly as you see it above. This is the most important step of the whole

sale! If you do not engage them, they will not be listening to you; therefore,

no sale. 

Example: “Hey, I’m Jim with Solar, how are you doing?” (DON’T SAY THIS)

Tip: If you know their name before knocking on their door, it is usually very effective to address them using their name. “Great. Is this still the _____ residence?”

Explanation: The reason why we ask for their name is because it gives

credibility. Studies show that when you’re an acquaintance of someone,

they are more likely to listen to you. [12] Think of when AT&T or someone calls you and they say, “This is AT&T, we’re calling to perform a survey…” it’s

likely that you will hang up immediately. On the other hand, if someone

calls you and asks, “Is this Mr. Jones?” You are going to say YES. You can’t

hang up on someone that KNOWS you. They have your attention, and you

give them more time.  

You can interchange the words in the bracket with market specific language. It’s best to sound local. 

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Intrigue and Curiosity In Intro

There are many ways to create curiosity. Use this step to validate yourself

as a trusted advisor in the neighborhood. Name dropping, referencing a circumstance that they should be aware of already—you need to have them connect your presence being there with something they are already familiar with. When you can do this it creates a trust deposit in their mind. The

more trust deposits you can make, and quickly (you don’t have much time

here), they more they’ll listen to you and ultimately buy. There should be

something important going on relevant to them and they should want to

know about it. Ask one of the following: 

•if their neighbors have told

•if they’ve gotten a notice on what’s going on from their utility company

•if they have seen the white

•if this is still the Jones’

•seen trucks in the area

•if they lived here when the

•if they’ve been informed on digital meters

•heard about the frustrations of other neighbors’ high bills

•if they’ve looked at their rates/utility bill recently

•if they’ve heard of mandates needing to be met

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Explanation

You need the customer to know that you’re the professional and you know what you’re talking about because you are there for a specific reason. Once you have them listening, you need to validate your presence. The best way to validate your presence is asking those above questions of Intrigue.

There are many various options listed, but it’s critical that you use a

question to capture their attention. 

Question of Intrigue: “Were you here when [Utility] (say utility name) swapped out the meter?”

Keep this in mind as you start to practice and memorize your sales pitch:

“Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than Þve hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.”

― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

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