How To Set Solar Appointments (For Remote Appointment Setters)

Like every other business, the solar power industry needs better sales opportunities. With solar appointment setting, it is achievable.

Appointment setting is a sales process by which a sales personnel contacts pre-qualified leads and sets up appointments. Appointment setting in the solar industry helps to reach potential customers and convince them why they need solar panels to set an appointment.

However, as an appointment setter, you might wonder how to set solar appointments or whether setting solar appointments is effective or not. Setting solar appointments can be easily done by calling the prospects and pitching solar solutions. 

This blog will teach effective strategies for setting solar appointments to improve your appointment-setting skills.

Setting Solar Appointment As A Remote Appointment Setter

The solar power industry is growing rapidly. Most people are considering solar panels to save money on their electricity bills. More than half of solar users say that solar covers their 75% of electric bill. 

Reaching many prospects and setting appointments are crucial to growing a solar company. It’s easier to reach more solar prospects daily on the phone than the door-to-door approach. However, it’s difficult for solar company owners or sales reps to set solar appointments over the phone. That’s where an appointment setter comes in.

An appointment setter is someone who sets appointments using telemarketing skills. They support the sales function of a business. Appointment setters initiate telephone conversations to engage leads or potential customers sourced from a database.

A remote appointment setter works from home or a remote location and makes multiple calls daily from the list of leads. Although they work remotely, their solar appointment-setting process is similar to traditional appointment setters.

As a remote appointment setter in the solar industry, your job is to connect potential customers with solar solutions. But how do you set solar appointments? Using cold calling, you can start the solar appointment setting process.

Let’s look at the effective strategies for setting solar appointments that can make the best out of your appointment-setting efforts.

1. Know Who You Are Calling

Having human-to-human interaction is the number one thing that turns leads into appointments. Proper interaction will build trust with your prospects. For that, you need to know who you are calling.

Building trust is important in an appointment-setting process. If your prospects don’t trust you, they will unlikely book an appointment. Make your prospects feel you know them to make them interested in listening to your offers. 

Before calling, research the prospect thoroughly. Find out where the prospects live, how much electric bill they are paying, whether they can set a solar panel on their roof, and whether they can afford one.

Start the call by introducing yourself and your solar company and asking for the prospect by name. It will grab their attention and they will understand you know them. If they feel a human connection with you, they will be eager to listen to what you will say next.

2. Draft Scripts for Each Solar Call

You can generate a list of qualified solar prospects with lead generation services. Research on prospects’ location, demographics, and energy consumption patterns to understand them and their needs. You can personalize your pitch more effectively by identifying their needs and concerns. Prospects only book an appointment if they find value in your solar offerings.

A perfect script for appointment setting needs to contain these four parts:

• Greetings & Introduction
• Purpose of Call
• Responding to Objections & Concerns
• Securing Dates for Appointment

Proven scripts can engage people and make them interested in your offers. Make sure to convey your key solar solutions during each call. Try to grab the prospect’s attention using a solid introduction and state the purpose of your call.

Each script must showcase your expertise in the solar industry and that you can fulfill their needs. Highlight the benefits of solar solutions by addressing their objections and concerns. 

Furthermore, add a clear call to action directing solar prospects to schedule an appointment. Avoid writing word-for-word scripts. Practice your scripts constantly to sound natural and connect prospects personally.

3. Pitch at the Correct Time

There is no easy answer on what is the right time to pitch. It depends on your goal, the nature of your project, and the prospects you are pitching to. But understanding when to pitch is crucial for appointment setting success. 

Before making the call, research factors such as time zone differences and local preferences to determine the correct times to pitch. Pitching at the correct time can significantly increase your chances of setting an appointment.

The best time to call a prospect is right before lunch. People usually finish their tasks before they go to lunch. So, if you call and pitch between 11 a.m. and noon, you will get more time to speak with your prospect without distractions. Also, calling right before the end of the day can be helpful.

Don’t call prospects at an unusual time. They might feel disturbed or annoyed by that. Avoid calling at midnight. Prospect might not be available on holidays and local events. So, make sure you don’t call on those days.

4. Build Their Interest in the First Few Seconds

Getting in contact with someone immediately is important. Buying a solar panel is a critical decision for people. Many won’t be ready or interested in listening to your solar offerings. You must capture their attention in the first few seconds to build their interest. 

Starting with a bold statement, shocking fact, provocative question, or statistic can grab prospect’s curiosity and make them want to hear more. Storytelling helps to capture interest. Tell stories based on each prospect’s problems so they can relate to them emotionally.

Highlight the gap between their current situation and the desired outcome after taking a solar panel. Create urgency using words like limited, now, or today. It will motivate them to book an appointment.

Moreover, you can mention your customer reviews, testimonials, or ratings. Show your impact and growth in the solar industry using numbers or data. Relevant and specific social proof influences people’s interest.

Lastly, be clear and concise in whatever you are saying. Make sure prospects don’t get confused or bored with your pitch. Convey your message clearly and straightforwardly to build their interest in your offerings.

5. Find a Suitable Call Schedule Draft

Planning a suitable call schedule can be time-consuming. However, managing a call schedule is crucial for productivity. 

If you can’t reach a prospect on the phone or a prospect is not ready to buy solar panels, you can schedule the call for another date. Collect all those prospect numbers and make a call schedule draft so you don’t miss any prospect.

People’s perspective changes over time. So, if a lead is not interested in solar initially, schedule a follow-up call later. Allocate time for follow-up calls, balancing the number of calls made daily. 

6. Record The Conversation & Improve Your Skill

Record and listen to all previous conversations in your free time to improve your appointment-setting skills. Listening to the conversations, you will understand prospects’ pain points, goals, and objections more clearly. It will improve your responding, question-asking, and conversation-guiding skills.

Reviewing your calls, you can determine your previous mistakes or lack of pitching and identify improvement areas. Also, it will improve your focusing ability so that you can focus more next time while talking with prospects. Pay close attention to your tone of voice, objection handling, and effectiveness of your pitches.

Furthermore, you can find cues and clues your prospects gave you during the conversation. It indicates their level of interest, engagement, and readiness to buy. Listen to them attentively and adjust your pitch. Continuous self-assessment and improvement will help you become an excellent appointment setter, and you can set solar appointments more effectively.

Conclusion

Unlike lead generation, appointment-setting services aim to arrange sales meetings between qualified prospects and the sales team to discuss and close deals.

Setting solar appointments remotely can be challenging, but doing it properly will bring success. Appointment setting works well for the solar industry with good communication and negotiation skills.

Knowing your audience, making scripts for each call, choosing the right time to call, engaging prospects immediately, and improving your skills continuously can help you become a top appointment setter in the solar industry. 

So, to grow your solar business, start setting solar appointments and generating more sales.