The solar energy market is growing at a steady pace. There is now an increase in the sales of solar panels and the accessories that are needed for their repair and maintenance. The challenge for consumers is being able to identify reputable sources for the purchase of these materials.

With the rate of growth of the solar energy industry, there are many ways to make cool money from solar energy. One of the interesting aspects of these solar energy business ideas is that they generate long-term profits.

Instead of just installing a solar PV system for personal use, you can take a further step to start generating income from your solar system. There are some other easier ways to earn money from solar energy businesses even without installing a solar PV system. All these business ideas are explained below.

You can make money fast marketing solar energy panels online if you have a website that is dedicated to this purpose. An online store that is dedicated to the sale of solar systems can become very lucrative if you do your homework well.

• How can I Grow my Solar Business?
• How can I Promote my Solar Panels Online?
• How can I Make Money from Solar Energy Sector?
• Where can I Advertise my Solar Panels?
• Do you Need a License to Sell Solar Panels?
• How do Solar Businesses Get Customers?
• How do I Become a Good Solar Sales Rep?
• What is the Average Commission for a Solar Sales?
• Are Solar Panels in Demand?

How can I Grow my Solar Business?

Have the right strategy

It will be easier to start by targeting customers that are located in a particular local area or region. You are going to have a lot of clients because alternative energy is becoming more popular and the usage of solar energy is presently growing at around 30% annually. Your business will have more appeal if you provide free installation on orders above a particular amount. This will give you an edge on the competition because most of the present sellers are not providing free installation.

Getting your supplies

You do not have to invest in solar panels before you can start selling them. You may just have a few samples to show customers who want to come to your location. There are several companies that have thousands of solar panels in their warehouses.

Read Also: Why Franchising is a Smart Business Solution

You can contact these companies to find out how to get orders from them. Simply order from the company anytime any of your customers place an order. You don’t need to have a warehouse that is full of unsold stock even if you can afford it. Your money will just be sitting around doing nothing if sales don’t come as quickly as you think.

Finding customers

You need a professional website if you want to make money fast marketing solar energy panels online. Your website should be easy to navigate and should provide a lot of information for prospective customers. Use clear images so that homeowners can easily see how the solar system will look in their homes.

You can advertise your business by printing and distributing fliers to people who live in your target area. You should also have an online marketing strategy. This may include the use of social media, pay-per-click advertising and banner ads. Make it clear that you provide special services and that you can provide custom-sized panels.

Use competitive pricing

Make sure that your prices are competitive. Look for suppliers that can give you favorable prices so that you can offer lower prices to your customers. Once you find homeowners who are ready to buy from you, make sure you offer them the best service.

It is also vital to have a lengthy warranty on the products that you sell. This will make your customers to have more trust in your products. If you provide great service to your first few customers, they will recommend you to other people and your business will start to grow.

How can I Promote my Solar Panels Online?

With online marketing for solar companies, your business can use paid and unpaid channels, like search and social, to build a competitive solar marketing strategy that drives sales.

Below, we have provided tips on using digital marketing for your solar company, as well as the five best solar marketing strategies for small and large businesses today.

1. SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website so that it shows up more often in search engine results. SEO is the foundation of any Internet marketing strategy for solar companies. There are thousands of searches every day for search terms like “residential solar cells” and “solar providers in my area.”

Those queries show that people are looking for more information on your services, and they might even be ready to buy. That means they’re just inches away from becoming customers — you just have to make sure they can find your site.

To do that, you need to optimize your site for search engines. Code your website efficiently, add essential HTML tags, and even use Schema markup to help search engines understand what your site is about.

You can also build links to your site from other websites, which search engines see as “votes of confidence” that say you’re a trustworthy source of information. With a streamlined website and lots of external links, you can begin dominating search results for the keywords that matter most to your industry.

But there’s still one ingredient missing. Your site can be as streamlined as you want, but your site still needs to offer something to your visitors. That’s where content marketing campaigns come into play in solar marketing.

2. Content marketing

Content marketing is the process of adding text and visual elements to your site, so visitors can find the information they want. Content marketing most commonly takes the form of a blog, which you can easily update with new information on your company, industry trends, and more.

It also includes creating handy guides for customers who want to know every detail of your services. You can also create infographics that break down data, videos that show off your facilities, and photos of your products.

The ultimate goal of content is to provide a great user experience for the people who come to your website. Interested visitors are more likely to become paying customers since they know and trust your business.

Content also establishes you as an authority in your industry. As a solar provider, you’re in an excellent position to discuss any issue related to the topic.

In addition, content involves creating new pages – all of which have the potential to show up in search engine results. The more content you create, the better chance you have of getting qualified traffic to your site.

Finally, content gives other websites a reason to link to yours. If you create an outstanding infographic, for example, you can get lots of links from different sources online. This helps increase all of your pages’ rankings in search engine results.

Content marketing goes hand-in-hand with SEO, which makes it an essential solar marketing strategy because all your content should be optimized to make it successful. Once you have content that informs readers and looks good to search engines, you’ll enjoy more visitors just from the power of your website alone.

3. Social media marketing

Social media marketing is the practice of promoting your business on popular networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Social media is especially valuable to solar companies because of the popularity of sustainable and alternative energy right now. Millions of people are on board with the idea of having their own electrical supplies — they just need to know the details to get started!

Social media lets you do exactly that. You connect with people who have a natural interest in your company, then you build relationships with them to encourage them to become customers.

This solar marketing strategy is also a great way to keep in touch with your previous customers, ensuring they got quality for their dollar and increasing the chances that they’ll recommend you to others.

Facebook and Twitter also give you excellent opportunities for customer service. People who may not know how to get in touch with you can write directly on your wall or tweet at you for more information, which lets you follow up with them immediately.

This may sound like an informal way to serve your customers, and you’re right — but it’s a powerful relationship-builder for your company.

When it comes to an investment like solar power, customers want a provider they can trust. You build trust with them when you connect with them via social media, especially when you answer their questions, provide customer solutions, and post about your industry.

4. Reputation management

Reputation management is the practice of improving your company’s public image in search engines. This solar energy marketing strategy is one of the more abstract ideas in Internet marketing, but it works exceptionally well for solar providers.

The key behind reputation management is search saturation. That means locating the search terms that people use to look up information about your industry, building content about those search terms, and publishing it through multiple outlets.

Those outlets could include your own website, press release websites, social networks, and more. The goal is to get as much information out there as possible to show search engine users that you’re a knowledgeable, reliable, and tech-savvy business.

This strategy is perfect for businesses that have recently been the target of bad press, too. Publishing original content — which includes the same search terms as the bad press — can push that negative content out of the first page of SERPs, which is the only page most people look at in searches.

So if you want to control your online reputation, you can strategically target the keyword that makes you look bad, so your potential customers will see a positive, honest representation of your company.

5. Conversion rate optimization

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of finding the best possible way to turn site visitors into paying customers. CRO is a precise, careful strategy that requires a lot of patience and critical thinking. It’s extremely useful for digital marketing for solar, though, because it helps you build a better user experience and website.

The process works like this:

1. Find an element of your site you want to improve
2. Test different versions of that element over the course of several months
3. Track the impact on conversion rates
4. Find the version with the best conversion rate
5. Use that version on your site

The “element” that you test can be virtually anything, including on-page text, colors, buttons, images, videos, interactives, and more. No element is too minor, and all have the potential to make a huge impact.

The more conversions you get, the more leads you have for your business. That translates to more revenue, future growth, and a stronger company overall.

How can I Make Money from Solar Energy Sector?

Check out these various money-making solar energy business ideas and choose the one that you can easily fit into.

Starting Solar PV System Installation and Maintenance Business

If you have a ground knowledge of solar PV system installation and maintenance, you can make money installing solar systems for domestic homes and even for industries. You can also make money troubleshooting and repairing faulty solar PV systems.

If you want to open an offline solar installation and repair office, you can create a blog where you can offer solar installation, troubleshooting and repair guides online. Additionally, you can also be a solar system consultant, where you can help people carry out solar PV system installation quotes for a fee.

Buying and Selling of Solar PV System Components

Yes, you can make money by being a solar PV system vendor, buying and selling the different components of the solar PV system, such as solar panels, charge controllers, inverters, solar cables, deep cycle PV batteries, etc. both online and offline.

Even if you don’t have enough capital to buy these solar system components, you can start solar components dropshipping business, where you sell these components to consumers without actually buying them.

Also, you can earn more money using affiliate marketing for solar system components by signing up with some popular online stores that offer affiliate services like Amazon, eBay, etc. When you refer customers to their online stores via your affiliate link and these customers buy any solar system component from their stores, you will be paid a certain percentage as commission.

Selling Excess Solar Power to the Utility Companies via Net-metering

You can install a solar PV system in your home using the net-metering PV connection configuration and then enter into a billing and metering agreement, called a net-metering agreement with your local power utility or government.

For this type of solar PV system configuration, your solar PV system is connected to the grid and you are being charged for a net power usage. You earn credits if the power outflow from your solar PV system to the grid is greater than the power inflow from the grid to your home.

Starting a Solar Farm Business

A solar farm is a photovoltaic power station, with a big decentralized solar array that supplies electricity to a power grid. Solar farms are part of the real estate businesses. Apart from supplying generated solar power to the National grid, you can also build your own solar farm, with a solar grid, and supply the generated power to domestic homes and industries around that area, and then charge them according to usage or periodically. It all depends on the electricity regulation in your country and locality.

But note that to make much profit from a solar farm, you need an effective business plan, a huge start-up capital, at least 1 million dollars, and a large acre of land.

Investing in Solar Energy Stocks

With the rate at which the solar energy industry is growing, you can make money by buying stocks of some renowned solar energy companies and then holding them for the long term. These solar energy companies comprise of those companies that produce solar power equipment and products, companies that specialize on solar cell manufacturing, and companies that concentrate more on solar installation and maintenance. The invested funds on the solar energy sector in 2019 had a return of 65.65%.

If you are an investor looking for solar energy companies stocks to invest in, you can consider the following companies’ stocks:

• Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)
• Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH)
• Sunrun Inc. (RUN)
• SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (SEDG)
• Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NOVA)
• Brookfield Renewable Partners L (BEP)
• Daqo New Energy (DQ)
• JinkoSolar (JKS)
• Vivint Solar (VSLR)
• Clearway Energy Inc. (CWEN)
• Sunpower Corp (SPWR)
• Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (HASI)

Where can I Advertise my Solar Panels?

Are you looking to ramp up solar digital marketing activities for your dealership? Let’s take a look at some ways successful solar dealers are generating leads that convert.

1. Customer Referrals and Testimonials

Solar is a big investment for a lot of people, so asking for a testimonial or rewarding a customer referral is a great way to secure more leads that convert.

Tapping into your existing customer base is a great way to promote your business. You know yourself that there is a large degree of comfort in knowing that someone else you know is satisfied with a service, so much so that they encourage you to use that service too. Family and friend satisfaction holds a lot of weight and is your best weapon when it comes to acquiring and converting leads.

2. Promote Any Finance Options

Payment plans ease the pain of a large upfront solar investment for a home or business owner. Sharing finance options will encourage your lead further down the purchase decision process.

3. Understand The Needs of Your Local Market

No doubt there are a number of suburbs within the radius of your solar business that you’re targeting. What do the people in those suburbs “look like”? For example, there might be:

• Affluent suburbs where homeowners are not too concerned about price and prefer a quality solar system
• New home build areas are populated by young families who are more like to receive solar as a ‘gift’ from their parents rather than cover the expense themselves
• Older, established homeowners preparing for retirement and keen to reduce electricity costs.

When you’re talking to each of these homeowners your message will be slightly different. Know your audience and change your solar message depending on their needs. A generic message will not convert leads as successfully. For example, electricity costs jumped xx% in “suburb A” during the last 2 years. Here’s what you can do to lower your power bills.

4. Share The Love of Solar

A passionate solar installer who understands the market and shares the belief of the customer is more likely to convert leads. Ensure your back office staff is competent in dealing with frequently asked solar queries. Share your knowledge, be the “go to solar people” and grow your reputation that your team is the solar experts.

Make it your goal that every exchange you have with a lead ends on a positive note. The decision process for buying solar varies, so if you can keep the solar conversation going by being helpful and knowledgeable, rather than having a hard sales push, you’re more like to get them to convert AND recommend you to others.

5. Review Your Website

Keep your website updated and mobile responsive. Does it display the latest products and services you are offering? Do you have up-to-date information on recent tariff changes or upcoming government solar schemes? A blog post, for example, would be an ideal way to share current, relevant information.

The message you share with your customers face-to-face should be reflected in the information you provide on your website.

6. Invest in Google Ads

Search and be found. There are some simple strategies you can implement in order to rank well in a paid Google search. Investing in Google Ads for solar marketing is often considered expensive, but there are ways to keep your costs in check by :

• setting daily budgets
• narrowing geographic target areas
• setting up specific campaigns using relevant keywords.

7. Partner With Quoting Sites

Being seen on quoting sites like SolarQuotes and 3 Quotes improves your chances of being found, but keep an eye on cost per conversion. We have found that location plays a big part in costs – they can be expensive in comparison to other marketing activities that convert in certain locations.

8. Email Marketing

Setting up an automated email campaign is a smart way for solar dealers to manage their sales funnel more effectively.

You not only free up your sales team, it allows them to focus on quality leads. You can then track the interest of the lead by reviewing open rates, click-through rates and any other actions they take after receiving your email.

9. Promotion on Social Platforms

Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn can work well for solar dealers who understand their market and know what message to send. We’ve worked with lots of solar dealers on these platforms and find it to be a fun and cost-effective way to generate leads and increase engagement.

Do you Need a License to Sell Solar Panels?

The solar contractor industry is regulated by state and local authorities, each with unique licensing laws and application requirements.

Many states require solar businesses to obtain a state contractor license. Depending on the state this could be a specific license for solar contracting or residential/home improvement. Solar business licenses are usually managed by a state contractor’s board. They administer examinations, evaluate experience, and issue licenses.

Solar is often listed as a specialty classification under a general electricity or plumbing license. This allows you to install solar panels without a specialty solar license.

At the local level, many counties, towns, and cities require contractors in their jurisdictions to be licensed and registered. In some states, such as New York and New Jersey, contractors are governed locally rather than statewide. Before installing solar panels on a residential or commercial building, make sure you have investigated these requirements.

The application process varies, and you may be required to submit a variety of documentation to become licensed. This can include proof of experience, examination, course certification, bonding, and/or a certificate of insurance.

Certain states offer reciprocity with other states (meaning the state will accept proof of licensure in your home state and waive the examination requirement). Reciprocity is typically limited to a few states.

However, you must still go through the application process and meet all applicable licensing requirements. Also, the licensing state may not waive all examination requirements, and you may need to take an examination and participate in training courses.

Some states require businesses to obtain specific licenses to sell solar panels. If you solicit, sell, negotiate, or execute home improvement contracts for a licensed contractor, you may need to register with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB).

At the state level, you may need to register your business with the Secretary of State and register for sales tax. If you hire employees in that state, you must also register for payroll taxes.

If your business solicits door-to-door and doesn’t have a permanent location in a state, you may need to apply for an itinerant merchant or peddler license. Applications for this license involve providing proof of employment, driver’s license for each employee, vehicle registration, and dates/time of solicitation.

Fingerprints and background checks may also be required. Some towns and municipalities ban door-to-door solicitation, so do your research.

How do Solar Businesses Get Customers?

In order to ensure they achieve their goals, successful business owners must start by setting milestones and expectations for each aspect of their company. As time goes by, great initial planning and the ability to adapt to new trends quickly ultimately lead to a successful venture. Implementing the same principles and guidelines during a growth phase will also help to provide optimal results.

1. Know the Product

The easiest way to turn away a potential buyer is by not providing the right answers at the time he needs to hear them. You don’t have to memorize all the ultra-precise specifications (even though it can be useful), but make sure you are aware of all the general aspects of the solar industry, that you have great products knowledge and that you have the resources to help you find specific information at hand are the best way to operate a successful venture.

In order to expand the business in a professional way, provide your staff with an easy-to-navigate knowledge database (facts, important data, company procedures, etc.) to help them answer customers’ questions in a timely manner.

Without the knowledge required to make and repeat sales on a regular basis, the expanding venture may not succeed. With all the myths surrounding solar power, potential buyers may be nervous about purchasing solar products for resale.

The failure to address these concerns may result in lost sales because the buyer can simply leave and purchase solar products from a competitor who can make him feel safe about it. So, accurate and up-to-date solar products knowledge directly prevents this undesired buyer behavior. To make sure you are a trusted resource for your potential customers, you should:

• Be aware of all the changes applied to any product currently being sold in the solar business.
• Read about current changes and trends within the industry to aid in addressing myths about solar power.
• Keep the company’s website updated by refreshing its content frequently.
• Provide a question and answer section on the website; often more than one person would ask the same question.
• Install a contact widget on the website to allow customers to ask questions directly via a contact form, email or phone.
• Follow up online questions immediately with accurate and up-to-date information.
• Answer negative comments with tact.
• Write a blog to introduce new products and news within the solar industry.
• Use social media monitoring tools.

Remember that even the smallest effort may produce huge results, so take the time to know your product in depth in order to answer all questions to the fullest. The last thing, when you speak with your potential buyers, focus on benefits, not features!

2. Research the Market

Growing your solar business may be the next logical step for you, but is the market ready for it? Market research can give you insights into the potential success or failure of an expansion. Carefully consider each of these questions prior to an expansion:

• Who are the potential buyers?
• What are the current market trends regarding solar energy products?
• What are the different demographics surrounding the potential buyer?
• Which geographical location is the best to prospect new buyers?
• What types of solar products can really drive growth?

Every piece of research enables the business owner to develop a marketing plan for future expansion needs. Without proper research, a business owner can spend numerous amounts of resources and funds failing to meet the buyer’s needs.

3. Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan

Developing a marketing strategy based on the collected data will be the next step. Given the fact that multiple myths surround the solar industry, your marketing plan should focus on getting the right product information out to potential buyers. The following aspects could be covered, depending on the analysis of the previously collected data:

• Advertising campaigns including print and digital options.
• Introduction of loyalty programs to attract new customers and encourage repeat purchases
• Bulk buying options.
• Launch or expand the company’s website with interactive options.
• Use online tools to help with lead generation.

Each part of your marketing plan requires research, resources and strategic implementation for the best outcome.

4. Target Other Markets

Expanding a solar business may require the owner to target other markets. If your current market is local, consider offering statewide or countrywide options. By serving a larger market, your solar business may tap into an area without any or minimal types of competition. Another possible outcome would be to benefit from economies of scale.

If you only target private SMBs, can you try to obtain government contracts? The successful completion of one contract bid or sale may provide the business owner with future contract referrals and even if it doesn’t, government contracts show the professionalism level of your company.

5. Build a Recognizable Brand

The smallest sale has the potential to reach thousands of future customers, so always provide the best service for each type of transaction. Indeed, building a reputable brand requires establishing and maintaining the highest quality of service in each step of the selling process, but a consistent brand identity is also a must.

Make sure your logo, strategy, website, and other promotional content are all aligned with your unique value proposition! That way, potential buyers will easily make the associations between your brand and excellent customer service (or any other value proposition).

Only you can decide if your business will focus on growing, but the market will either make or break your efforts. The right amount of market research and strategic planning may greatly help your company to yield a positive return on investment…or to avoid some pitfalls that would undermine your efforts.

How do I Become a Good Solar Sales Rep?

The qualifications to get a job as a solar sales representative include an associate degree in a relevant field and good negotiation and speaking skills. Employers may provide training for you to learn about their solar products. This role is more technical than many sales positions, as it often requires performing complex calculations for estimates by hand or by using computer software.

Because it is also a highly customer-facing role, you need excellent interpersonal and multitasking skills. Fulfilling your responsibilities and duties as a solar sales representative also requires research skills, a valid driver’s license, and the ability to work with little or no supervision.

Tip 1: Concentrate   

Start in a specific neighborhood or community and build a concentrated customer base through referrals and networks. Yale University recently published a study that proves what we know anecdotally — people are more likely to get solar if they live in proximity to homes that already have it.

This can decrease the customer decision time from 8.9 months to three months on average, as customers see and hear real testimonials. If you want to grow quickly while also lowering your customer acquisition costs, concentrate on concentration.

Tip 2: Don’t Hesitate to be the First Follower

For smaller solar installers, you don’t have to be the first mover. In fact, following a large first mover who paves the way with advertising dollars and customer education might be your best bet. By following the leader, you can spend less to educate customers and sell a differentiated product based on your reputation, expertise, quality, and being local.

Tip 3: Simplify the Pitch

Solar has traditionally been complex. It required proposal documents, engineering designs, permit packages, assembly of multiple pieces of equipment, several classifications of installation expertise, interconnected processes with utilities, and large cash payments or complicated financial instruments.

Don’t bring complexity to the customer. Your pitch, or rather your consultation, must be simple — you pay “X” for “Y” results. The more sales leaders can simplify the sales process for the customer, the less likely they are to distract customers with tangents and doubt. Simplicity sells.   

Tip 4: Underscore Solar’s Value

Solar is a no brainer. Believe it and convey it. If you don’t believe it, you won’t convey it.  Consumers who install solar can save a significant amount off their utility bills every month — savings that can add up to more than 4 percent of their pre-tax annual income. Moreover, while utilities’ electricity rates continue to go up annually — 6.7 percent a year in California since the 1970s — solar energy rates do not.  Ask yourself, why would your customer want to waste money every month that can be put back in their pocket?  

Tip 5: Underscore Your Value

Don’t just convince someone that solar is the way, convince them that you are the way to solar. People naturally buy from people they trust, identify with, and like. Therefore, don’t position yourself as a salesperson. Rather, position yourself as a friend and an expert or trusted advisor. By positioning yourself as an expert regarding solar power systems and energy efficiency, you immediately gain credibility and trust. Keep it simple unless asked.  

It’s not just about savings, it’s about demonstrating your authenticity, credibility, expertise, and reliability to people who will turn to you during the 20 plus years their panels operate. 

Tip 6: Urgency Drives Sales

Having a sense of urgency drives success.

It’s easy for a customer to say that they will look at your proposal later and then forget about it. Create a sense of urgency by pointing out when tax credits are expiring, state credits are limited, or when you are offering a special for the month. Encouraging a decision “in the now” is critical.

For example: “Our solar backlog is strong today when you can get 30 percent back from the federal government through the investment tax credit for solar. But when the investment tax credit expires, you will have to once again pay full price. Getting you signed up today puts you ahead of the backlog and will definitely get you the tax credit.”

Tip 7: Ask For the Sale

Those successful in selling know how to ask for the business. Rejection is part of sales, and it is OK not to get a “yes” on the first ask. Each rejection is a chance to understand their concerns and resolve them. 

Tip 8: Have the Right Audience

If you don’t have all the decision-makers in the room when you are providing a solar consultation, you are wasting your time. If it is a husband and wife, arrange a time to talk to them both. Save time and increase your chances of success; most people don’t make expensive choices for their home without talking about it with their significant other.

For solar installers everywhere, there are many ways to get customers to yes faster and more efficiently. You can work to simplify your processes, concentrate on a specific market, leverage other companies’ marketing efforts, communicate the value of solar, be a trusted expert, convey a sense of urgency, ask for the business, and make sure you are speaking to the decision-makers.

What is the Average Commission for a Solar Sales?

It’s challenging to reward salespeople for above-average sales if you don’t know what “average” is. Therefore, some solar companies calculate their base commission rate on the average solar system size and cost to install the system. Then, they’ll couple this base rate with incentive multipliers to encourage better-than-average sales.

Say your average system size is 6kW, and your average installation cost per watt is $3.00. Your average revenue per installed system would be $18,000. You know you have $0.30 per watt you can comfortably allocate to sales commissions as part of your installation cost. In this instance, that amounts to $1,800. 

To be conservative, you may then set a base commission of $1,000, which can be expanded up to $1,500 to incentivize above-average sale amounts. 

For example, deals booked at 5% below your average base price of $18,000 earn the base commission rate of $1,000. Deals booked within 5% of base earn a base commission times a 110% multiplier for $1,100. For deals booked at more than 5% of base, the salespeople get the base rate times a 125% multiplier:  

Deal Amount	Multiplier	Total Commission
< $17,100	none	$1,000
$17,100 – $18,900	110%	$1,100
> $18,900	125%	$1,250

In practice: Eva is paid a base rate of $1,000 per closed deal. She sells a 6kW system for $19,500, qualifying for a 125% base rate multiplier, earning $1,250 total for the job.

Takeaways: This payment arrangement offers a nice alternative to encourage profitable selling, especially if you want to keep your profit margins a secret. Slight differences in commission payouts tied to above-average sales can send your salespeople a subtle, yet powerful message: seek out above-average deal amounts, but keep the pricing reasonable. 

However, salespeople may still be tempted to inflate solar system costs above the market rate under this incentive framework. That’s especially the case if there are large differences in commission amounts for different multipliers. 

Therefore, if using this structure, we recommend a more conservative approach that offers slight commission bonuses for larger deal amounts as in the table above. 

Any time you allow salespeople to set their own prices, you’re playing with fire. Close rates may suffer greatly, even though some deals are going through at higher-average margins. 

If you are mostly generating your own leads which are less likely to shop around, you may see success with this arrangement. On the other hand, if you are mainly purchasing sales leads who are actively shopping around, you may be burning through your advertising budget without enough to show for it.

There is also risk in your customers sharing pricing information with each other. If a referred customer gets relatively poor pricing and they regularly speak with the person who referred them to you, expect some public blowback. 

Are Solar Panels in Demand?

According to the International Energy Agency, solar panels are predicted to provide roughly a third of the world’s total electricity demand by 2050.

Its previous peak was 91, reached in March 2022 when energy bill price rises were first announced by the UK Government. Data from a previous study conducted by The Eco Experts showed at the time (April 2022) that 60% of UK residents wanted to go greener due to rising energy costs.

Rising Costs and Temperatures

Combined with the rising costs, the peak score can also be attributed to the increasingly hot weather. During this time, the UK was experiencing a heatwave with temperatures rising to 35 degrees daily. It’s clear that many were searching for ways to capitalize on the sunshine to lower their household energy costs.

As UK regulator for gas and energy OFgem has just announced even more price rises to come this year, the trending interest for solar panels will only continue.

The Eco Experts editor Charlie Clissit added: “’ Obviously the rising energy bills and the unusually hot weather are extremely bleak situations, but it’s encouraging to see so many people turning to this green alternative. Solar panels are quick to install, easy to maintain, and are looking increasingly sensible.”

Solar Demand Through The Roof

In line with the increased search volumes, solar panel manufacturers are also reporting increased demand. Shawton Energy recently stated that they’ve seen a tenfold increase in solar panel inquiries. This is not only for domestic use but also for businesses wanting to cut down energy costs.

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“Now more than ever, businesses need assurance that their energy bills aren’t going to go through the roof and by installing Solar PV, businesses are able to see financial savings from day one and gain protection from future price rises,” said Jamie Shaw, managing director of Shawton Energy.

As previously reported on Irish Tech News, 42% of businesses indicated they’d seriously consider investing in solar panel installations if they can sell excess electricity to the national energy grid. Additionally, the appeal to be more ‘sustainably focused’ is a key point that many businesses want to highlight as part of their operation.

While global forecasts show that solar power is on a roll, Ireland’s solar panel uptake has been criticized for being too slow. The Irish Solar Energy Association stated that giving as many incentives as possible, such as removing VAT on solar panels or paying for surplus generated energy that goes back to the grid, would help speed up installation.

Some Irish business owners are already taking advantage of solar technology to slash their bills.

“After paying €3400 for installation, we’ve already saved €180 over two months,” Mr Jacob, former co-owner of Idaho café in Cork city, said. “The solar panels are unbelievably efficient.”

Mr. Jacob goes on to state that with easier access to solar panels, the technology could help reduce the carbon emissions of Ireland’s farming sector.

“Larger solar panels require planning permission which is stalling the technology’s rollout across roofs of farm buildings and barns across the country. If the Government could make it easier, you could have solar panels on every farm building and barn roof, helping reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.”