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Solar
Marketing and Sales
Business Growth

The Psychology of Solar Sales - How to Win Deals and Influence the Future

by Taylor Jackson • Last updated 10/2022

Course description

This course launches Monday, January 2nd. Get $510 off available only for the first 50 registrations. Use the discount code - salesleader2023. We intend for the course to offer NABCEP accreditation hours, pending review by NABCEP

The Psychology of Solar Sales shows you how to apply ten key principles from the the science of psychology to the solar sales process to generate more agreements and turn satisfied clients into your biggest marketing engines.

The course also covers technical information that you need to master to be able to succeed as a sales consultant, including how systems are designed and installed, as well as solar incentives and financial mechanisms and more. As the course covers these topics, it focuses on how to relate the technical to the personal. There's only one part of the sales process that will never change - human nature and human psychology.

How do you know what financing option you should recommend for a client based on their motivations and concerns? How do you educate a client about their utility bill without their eyes glazing over? How do you discover and build on your client's motivations for considering solar?

The evergreen skill of solar sales is actually very basic: how do you influence clients to go solar?

It’s simple, but somehow, most solar sales courses never answer this fundamental question.

The foundation of the course is teaching you ten experimentally validated principles of psychology - principles that have been verified through numerous scientific studies - and how they can impact the solar sales process. However, this isn’t just an academic or theoretical exercise. With every psychological principle, the course walks you through common, real world examples of how you can apply your newfound knowledge to improve client interactions. Once you understand these principles, you’ll see them in action everywhere in your everyday life, and you’ll be able to use them to help you overcome any roadblock you encounter in selling solar systems in your market.

Additional Topic Areas Covered:
The life cycle of a sale from start to finish, from an initial sales call to proposal to post-install referral call
Sample scripts for every type of client communication
Residential system design and construction, including all of the major components
How to explain what each component does for your client, and the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches
How to deep dive into utility bills, usage, and net metering
How to size a system that's right for your client
How solar systems are financed, sold, leased, or PPA'ed, including tax credits and incentive structures
The most commonly asked client questions and how to address them

You’ll leave this course with the technical background and communication skills you need to take advantage of every interaction with a client, close more deals, and create a referral network of happy clients.

Ready To Sign Up Today? Click Here to Enroll

Full course outline

Welcome - Orientation Materials

This course is self-paced, so you don’t need to be logged in at any specific time. You can get started immediately after you enroll and the course materials will remain in your account with minimum guaranteed access for 12 months (1 year) after enrollment.

  • Official Course Launch Date - January 2nd, 2023
  • Set up email notifications and your student profile
  • Introduce yourself on the discussion board
Module 1 - Big Picture Introduction

  • The Psychology of Solar Sales - How to Win Deals and Influence the Future
  • Solar Basics - And How to Explain them to a Client (16 seconds)
  • Basics of Solar Design and Install Quiz
  • Presentation Materials
  • Introduction to The Solar Sales Cycle (16 seconds)
  • Solar Sales Cycle Quiz
Module 2 - The Basis of Effective Communication - The Principle of Framing

This module introduces the principle of "framing" and the "framing effect." Solar sales consultants can frame their clients' choices in ways that dramatically impact client decision making, for better or worse. -Specific examples of words that sales consultants should banish from their vocabulary, and alternative word choices that promote sales. -How to become an effective storyteller when explaining technical topics -The use of framing techniques at key decision points to help clients make the best decisions for them.

  • How Storytellers Rule the World - Understanding the Principle of Framing (16 seconds)
  • Framing Quizlet
  • The Cost of Not Saying "Investment" - Framing You Should Never Use, and Words You Can Say Instead (16 seconds)
  • Framing Word Choices Quiz
Module 3 - Why People Don't Change - Loss Aversion, Confirmation Bias, and How to Overcome Them

  • When $100 is better than $200 - The Principle of Loss Aversion (16 seconds)
  • Loss Aversion Quiz 1
  • Loss Aversion Quiz 2
  • You Can't Change Their Mind - The Principle of Confirmation Bias (16 seconds)
  • Confirmation Bias Quiz
Module 4 - Why People Actually Do Change - Cialdini's Principles of Influence

This module introduces the principles of influence introduced by psychologist Robert Cialdini in his bestselling book "Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion." For each principle, we evaluate ways to use it to drive the solar sales process forward.

  • The Gifts That Keep on Selling - The Principle of Reciprocity (16 seconds)
  • Don't Fear Commitment - The Principle of Commitment and Consistency (16 seconds)
  • Most People Like Yourself Love this Principle - The Principle of Social Proof (16 seconds)
  • You May Not Like It, But You Have to Like Your Clients - The Principle of Liking (16 seconds)
  • Leveraging Expertise - The Principle of Authority (16 seconds)
  • Making Solar Deals Abundant by Leveraging the Principle of Scarcity (16 seconds)
  • Divided We Fall - The Principle of Unity (16 seconds)
  • Reciprocity Quiz
  • Commitment and Consistency Quiz
  • Social Proof Quiz
  • Liking Quiz
  • Authority Quiz
  • Scarcity Quiz
  • Unity Quiz
Module 5 - System Components Deep Dive and How to Relate Technical Knowledge to Personal Values

In this module, we review the major types of solar system install components, how they work, and how to explain them to a client. We refer back to the principles of psychology so that you can find the emotional content of each technical component, so you can use the education of your client as an opportunity to drive the sales process forward.

  • Roof Types, Roof Attachments, and How to Frame Risk (16 seconds)
  • Module Rails or (Railless) and Talking about the Aesthetics of Installs (16 seconds)
  • Module Types and How to Talk about Right-Sizing a 30 Year System (16 seconds)
  • String Inverters vs. Optimizers vs. Microinverters - Inverting The Inverter Question - (16 seconds)
  • Monitoring Systems - Client Knowledge (of Power) is Power, (16 seconds)
  • The Final BOS - Understanding Conduit, DC Connectors, Combiners, Disconnects, and Circuit Routing (16 seconds)
Module 6 - Sales Process Deep Dive

  • Initial Sales Call Script (.rtf)
  • Pre-qualification Call Script (.rtf)
  • Proposal Script (.rtf)
  • Referral Call Script (.rtf)
Conclusion - Feedback and Additional Resources

This is our last module but you still have access to the all of course materials for 12 months (1 year), so keep working and you'll be able to complete the course at your own pace. After your year of access expires you can optionally extend access with a HeatSpring Membership. Enjoy the course and keep in touch!

  • 1 Year of Access to Course Materials
  • Feedback: 2-minute Exit Survey
  • Consider Joining as a HeatSpring Member
  • Certificate of Completion: Request a Certificate

Instructor

Taylor Jackson

Finial Solar

Taylor Jackson is a clean energy executive and consultant, serial sustainable entrepreneur, and Fulbright scholar, based out of Asheville, North Carolina. He served as Chief Operating Officer at Joule Solar as it grew from a local residential installer in New Orleans to one of the top developers and EPCs in the country. In 2019, he left Joule to found [Finial Solar... Learn more

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Frequently asked questions

How does this course work?

This 1 module course is delivered entirely online. This course is self-paced and you can set your own schedule to complete the materials. During your year of access the instructor will be in the course answering questions on the discussion board every Monday. After successfully completing the course, you will be able to generate a certificate of completion.

How long do I have access to the materials?

Students can pre-order but will not be able to access the full course materials or earn a certificate of completion until the course is fully published. Once the course is published any students who have pre-ordered will then have access to the course materials for one year (365 days). After the one year of access expires, access can be extended by joining as a HeatSpring member. A single membership extends access to course materials for all past enrollments.

Is there a certificate of completion?

Yes, when you complete this course you are eligible for a certificate of completion from HeatSpring. You can download your certificate as soon as you have completed all of the course requirements. Students can easily share their verified certificates on their LinkedIn profiles using our LinkedIn integration.

Can I register multiple people?

Yes please visit our HeatSpring for Groups page to get a group discount.

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