As the busy season approaches, solar and home improvement businesses are gearing up for the influx of sales activity. It can be a high-drive time, ramping up inventory, training staff and managing a growing pipeline of projects — however, it’s important not to ignore customer relationships.
A customer-centered strategy creates sales opportunities and fuels business growth, due largely to the fact that people trust other people over advertisements. While repeat customers are fairly rare for solar businesses, your reputation and referral programs can be key drivers for customer acquisition and increased margins.
"Reputation is the foundation of any successful business." – Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group.
- Go the extra mile whenever possible for your customers. Take initiative to offer personalized solutions, check in on how they are feeling throughout the process or throw in exclusive project add-ons. You’ll end up seeing a return in both customer satisfaction and business reputation.
- Referral and rewards programs can be powerful tools, but only if you have a finely-tuned sales process and offer services that make customers want to write home about you.
- Check out our blog post on the benefits of referrals and perfecting your sales process as resources to get you thinking.
"Business success is built on reputation, and reputation is built on trust." –Unknown
- Focusing on your business reputation means you don’t have to compete on price alone. When customers choose you out of trust, and because they know you do high-quality work, there is no race to the bottom on pricing — which translates into more business at a higher margin.
- Being upfront with customers is another way to build trust, one that often gets less attention. Make sure to have clear communication through the good and bad, the permit delays and the project milestones. Be available to answer any questions that come up throughout the process.
- A great step for building credibility is to register for a Recheck ID, a verification platform that builds accountability into the solar sales process.
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." –Warren Buffett, CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
- Invest in customer service team training. These teammates are the voice of your business and often the first touch points for customers who need assistance. Setting dates for recurring training sessions can make sure it never slips through the cracks.
- Training extends to all employees, so investing in your talent positions you to have representatives that champion your business values and serve as a positive extension of your reputation.
- Be creative in your voice and advertisements; it’s never too late to stand out from the crowd. Puns in copy, taglines, giveaways or community events are excellent ways to build your brand.
Financing applied for and processed through the Mosaic platform is originated by Solar Mosaic LLC or one of its lending/financing partners. Equal Housing Lender