I’ve supported solar sales professionals with software for a decade now. But I’ve never tried to sell solar. I’ve been wondering lately how I’d do. I’m pretty sure I’d fail hard for a while.
Selling isn’t easy. Nobody wants to be sold…nobody wants to sign a contract without full confidence and trust. But at the same time, nobody wants to buy from someone who’s afraid to ask for the sale.
Responsible prospects will need to understand the investment opportunity well enough to make a confident decision. But responsible prospects are probably disciplined in their time allocation and are committed to keeping their minds on their core responsibilities and interests…they don’t want to learn the nuances of module-level electronics (unless they’re Silicon Valley nerds, but let’s focus on mainstream buyers).
In the fascinating lecture series Your Deceptive Mind, Steven Novella mentions that the human brain is essentially a uniquely-human brain outside a primate brain outside a mammal brain outside a lizard brain. Different parts of our brain respond to different things and move us further away from or closer to a decision on going solar (for example). Steven also mentions that when rapport is established, a prospect’s ability to critically disect a sales pitch is straight-up physically inhibited. My point here is that humans are friggin’ complicated, and selling effectively to different prospect profiles requires adept sensitivity to human psychology.
I have huge respect for solar sales professionals. Who’ve honed their craft over years of experimentation (with plenty of awkward failures), reflection, and adjustment. I’m honored to support your work.
Michael Bishop, 6/14/16