How Solar Companies Can Increase Sales With B2B Lead Generation

Whether you’re looking to boost solar panel installation, help companies with financing, or emphasize the importance of system maintenance, an efficient B2B lead generation strategy can increase solar company revenue.

In this post, we’ll touch on:

• B2B appointment setting services for solar companies 
• Where to start with solar appointment setting services
• Stats to consider for solar B2B appointment setting
• Marketing collateral for solar companies
• Solar-specific keywords 
• A case study from a solar partner

Many industries benefit from B2B appointment setting services, especially solar companies. The goal of B2B appointment setting is to get you in front of potential customers so you can close more deals and grow company revenue. After signing on with Abstrakt’s appointment setting services, our sales experts:

• Spend a month nailing down your message and building a list of your target audience
• Build a healthy, sustainable sales pipeline
• Nurture leads to schedule appointments

The new client implementation process is a crucial component of setting up quality B2B appointments. Here are some questions to consider during your implementation period.

Each solar company is different in the value and services they provide. Identifying the fundamental values and services your company offers allows sales development representatives (SDRs) to shine a good light on your company. 

We’ve worked with many solar companies throughout our 11 years of business, and many companies like to highlight the following services:

• Solar design, engineering, and installation
• Site evaluations
• Site and shade studies
• Financing options
• Turnkey service
• Inspection service
• Monthly, quarterly, and monthly reporting
• Warranties

Every company has its own perception of “quality business.” So, although a prospect may be interested in your company’s solar services, they may not fit your company’s criteria. 

Before your SDRs start cold calling on prospects, we suggest that you determine qualifiers to ensure you’re getting the best business opportunities possible. For example, many of our solar clients have a qualifier of at least 10,000 square feet because it ensures they’re getting a quality business opportunity rather than occasional project work.

With B2B appointment setting, ROI isn’t immediate. It takes a lot of time and trial and error to figure out your target audience’s wants and needs. Here are some solar appointment setting statistics to consider when you start your B2B sales efforts.

Solar deals vary depending on trends in your market and the scope of the project. On average, solar companies can expect a deal size of roughly $388,000. We often find that after a deal closes, the solar company and its new customer continue to work on projects together, which generates more company revenue.

B2B appointment setting can be tricky because it may take a while to pinpoint who is in charge of managing the state of the building. When starting with appointment setting services, inexperienced sales teams believe you should start at the top of the chain of command, such as C-level professionals. However, this is more ineffective than it is effective and could leave a negative impression of your business. Most C-level executives don’t have the time to nail down the logistics of a six-figure solar deal—they come in at the end to sign the paperwork. 

When pitching solar solutions to a business, the best initial point of contact would be with a facility manager. They’re in charge of overseeing building operations, and even if they don’t have the authority to make financial decisions, they would know your best point of contact.

If you’re looking for immediate ROI, B2B appointment setting may not be the solution you need. As the saying goes, good things take time, and it’s no different for B2B lead generation. 

Establishing an effective pipeline takes time and a lot of relationship building with prospects. The average number of days between the first dial and first appointment is 57. Throughout those first 57 days of your appointment setting efforts, a lot of data is collected and productive conversations are being held.

Solar companies that are inexperienced with B2B appointment setting practices tend to give up quickly because they either haven’t been able to get in touch with the KDM, or they’ve been told “no” or “not right now.” However, high-quality sales teams know that you shouldn’t give up after one or two calls and to keep pursuing the KDM to add value in hopes of getting the “yes.” 

The average number of dials between the first dial and the first appointment is 9.7. Your list of prospects should be lengthy, so you’re not calling on the same companies and asking for the same KDMs every day. As is always the case in B2B appointment setting programs, some leads may set an appointment after two calls; others may seem intent on bringing up your average.

Marketing collateral is a great addition to your B2B marketing and sales efforts. Bringing materials like brochures, case studies, sell sheets, pitch decks, and infographics to your appointments leaves the prospect with information on hand and offers a good impression of your company.

Sometimes, leads don’t want to spend five minutes on the phone discussing your company—they want to learn about you on their own time. Instead of irritating a prospect by calling them repeatedly, you can send a marketing collateral piece that boils down your sales pitch more effectively than a phone conversation. 

Industry-specific buzzwords are crucial for efficient website development and SEO best practices. To optimize your solar company’s content marketing through your website, blogs, and landing pages, consider implementing the following solar keywords into your content:

• Tesla solar panels
• Sunpower solar panels
• Solar panel companies
• Sunpower solar
• Best solar companies
• Sunpower panels
• Solar power companies
• Top solar companies
• Solar panel companies near me
• Sunpower solar panels for me
• Affordable solar
• Solar financing options
• Best solar panel company
• Best solar 
• Solar business
• Solar panel suppliers
• Solar panel distributor

• Solar company
• Solar providers near me
• Solar installers near me
• Solar companies near me
• Solar solutions
• Tesla solar panel costs
• Green solar
• Simply solar
• Solar installation company
• Solar distributors
• Solar energy solutions
• Solar contractors near me

• Solar energy companies
• Sunpower monitoring
• Solar energy equipment
• Innovative solar systems

In 2018, a California-based solar company reached out to us to help them qualify leads and increase sales. Between May 2018 and March 2019, our appointment setters introduced them to five prospects. The appointments with these prospects resulted in over $4.7 million in closed business.

The solar client went live with their appointment setting program in May 2018. The first month is crucial to building up the sales pipeline and is often not expected to result in closed business. This is a good time for the SDRs to ask the prospects questions to understand the market better.

After two months of calling, emailing, and nurturing leads, the solar client landed their first appointment. Within the first two months, our sales team continued to follow up with the prospect to see what stage they were at in the sales cycle. After the client met with the prospect, a proposal of $1.8 million was outlined and they closed business.

In September 2018, our sales team set up our client with another appointment. The prospect was eager to learn about solar energy solutions for their building. After the client sent out the proposals, the prospect accepted and closed the deal.

By building a healthy sales pipeline, our appointment setters provided another appointment for the client. This prospect said they had looked into solar solutions in the past but never initiated any meetings because they weren’t in a good financial position. When our SDRs called them, they were ready to make moves. The solar client met with the prospect and ended up closing a deal.

A sales pipeline ensures that each prospect follows through each stage of the sales cycle. In March 2019, the healthy pipeline built by our SDRs helped the client close two more business deals.

At Abstrakt Marketing Group, we partner with solar companies like yours throughout the nation. We know how valuable solar solutions are to businesses—and we want to promote them to your target market as well. 

Abstrakt offers solar companies B2B lead generation solutions through B2B appointment setting and various marketing services, including:  

• SEO services
• Website development
• Marketing collateral
• Video production services
• Social media marketing

Connect with us today to schedule a complimentary demo and learn how we can be your partner in generating B2B sales!