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In the world of renewable energy, self-consumption has become an increasingly attractive option for individuals and businesses of all sizes. If you are involved in installation projects, understanding your customers is critical to the success of your operations.
In this article, we will explore the five types of customers that exist in the renewable energy self-consumption sector and how you can effectively connect with each of them.
Before you make any move to interact with your customer, you need to know who you are dealing with. You already know this: it's not the same whether you're being hired by an individual or a company. In the same way, dealing with someone who is looking for relief on their electricity bill is not the same as someone who wants to help reduce their environmental impact. Once you know the motivations behind their interests and how they feel about getting your product or service, the more likely you are to close your sale.
Although your sales pitch is one of the most important parts of connecting with your customers, the business proposal will be the one that helps you close that sale. In our blog: "5 key elements that can not miss in your solar self-consumption offers."we tell you how to equip your proposal to become a winning installation project.
These are the 5 types of customers that exist in the world of renewable energies. Adapting your sales pitch according to their typology will make you hit the bull's-eye directly. 🎯 .
Table of Contents
1. The advanced learner
The words "too much information" do not exist in their dictionary. Advanced learners love to immerse themselves in a subject and when they undertake a project they do so with all the knowledge they have acquired from the day they have the idea, to the day they decide to go for it.
Although renewable energy is very different from any other aspirational product, with these types of customers you will not have a language barrier. The advanced learner is very familiar with the vocabulary of the industry and specifically the solution they are investing in. Since they already know what you are going to talk about, they will need you to go into all kinds of detail to make sense of all the information they already come with.
So, your sales pitch should focus on telling him about the design of his installation. If you can, show it in 3D, so he can analyze radiation and shading. It is also important to emphasize energy consumption projections, financial projections and an estimate of what the payback will be.
Where can you save effort? The advanced learner cares less about how much they will save on their bill or the environmental benefits of their renewable energy installation project.
To build trust with these types of customers, it is convenient to share with them all the information related to the maintenance and support service in case something does not go as expected. Anticipate and generate this security in this profile will make you start your project with strength.
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2. The saver
You can imagine, but... Contrary to what most people think, the saver is not the one who spends the least. On the contrary. This type of profile does not mind investing money in what he trusts. What matters to him is to be sure that he has invested it in the best possible way: penny saved, penny earned!
When we talk about investments in renewable energies, the saver looks for this alternative to reduce the costs of electricity...
How can you further refine your sales pitch? The important thing is to channel their initial interest in what they are going to save. It can help to compare what they are paying now on their bill and the estimate of what they will save in the future. You can add to your pitch what the payback will be over time, subsidies and grants from the state and / or ccaa to which it may be eligible and, if applicable, promotions and discounts from your company.
Don't waste a lot of time talking about the energy production that your installation will generate, the design and/or the environmental benefits it will generate... With the energy saver, get to the point!
WattTipThese types of customers are not so immersed in the language of the self-consumption sector, so to build trust between the two, it is preferable to be clear and direct. Forget about very specialized and confusing jargon. It will be much easier to connect with him.
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3. The Modern
You always have to be on the cutting edge, and when it comes to renewable energy, this type of customer wants to be sure that he is investing in the latest technology on the market. The modern customer is equally concerned about the final appearance of his installation and its function.
How can you gain the trust of these types of customers? By incorporating into your sales pitch the design of the facility primarily. You can support this with a 3D sample of their home (including Google Street View photos, for example). Talk to them about how you are going to implement the latest materials on the market, their technical characteristics, voltage ranges, guarantees, efficiencies... Show them how they are going to look and what effects they are going to have on their facade, and how their design would look if you were to add accessory products. Ah! If your systems can be monitored from their mobile device, you already have 50% of the sale won!
WattCouncilRenewable energies are a trend and the modern person also feels good to be part of this movement. Therefore, the environmental impact of the installation for this profile is also a detail that cannot be missing in your argument. You can connect with them by showing them all the ecological benefits of their project.
The modern person is not too interested in financial projections and/or payback estimates. Putting the focus there will disconnect you from your customer and make the sale much harder to win.
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4. The Activist
The "3Rs" are their motto: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This customer profile is passionate about nature and in many cases, a true activist in the movement against climate change. They feel responsible for their impact on the environment and renewable energies are a good investment to stay aligned with a more sustainable lifestyle.
You can refine your sales pitch by attacking all the points that have to do with the environmental benefit. These types of customers are interested in knowing the environmental impact of their installation project. You can exemplify this with the equivalence to trees planted, O2 generated,CO2 saved, or Km of electric car generated. I'm sure you can think of many more!
Another thing the activist likes is the energy consumption compensation, as well as the energy production it will generate (radiation, solar trajectory modeling etc.). The more positive details about your installation the more chances you will have to win him over.
Anything that helps the activist to continue betting on the transformation of the planet is likely to be counted. For example, battery storage options and/or electric vehicle charging points, among others, will help build confidence that your company is the best option.
For this profile, the financial projection, recovery periods and payment conditions, among others, are of less importance, so when mentioning these sections, try not to take up too much time.
WattTip: anything you can do or provide digitally will be a plus for the activist. And if one day you have no choice but to use paper, make it recycled!
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5. The cautious
The cautious customer is the one who thinks: "prevention is better than cure". They trust in your installation project, but want to be prepared in case there is any failure along the way, they hate surprises! This profile is entrusting you with their home/company and therefore you will need to convey peace of mind and security. Let them know they are in the best hands.
To create a secure relationship from the beginning, you can talk to him about the design and the energy production that his installation will generate. Measurements, offsets, trajectories... any detail counts for the cautious. Focus on what materials will be installed, as well as their technical specifications. These types of customers value reviews from other customers, as well as seeing what other companies already trust you. Making this reality tangible will help start your relationship with confidence.
Many customers in this group are likely to be concerned about the complexity and usability of the installed systems, so convey to them that everything is easier than they imagine! It is also important to talk to them about the investment and payback period, as this discourse will help confirm that the decision you made at the beginning is the right one.
It saves effort and puts environmental as well as social benefits on the back burner, as they are not the protagonists of this story.
WattCouncil: For the cautious one, investing in renewable energy projects is no guarantee, even if all his neighbors have already done it. As you already know, for him it is a very big step, so if you really want to connect with them, it is important to address their concerns in an honest and transparent way.
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In short...
Identifying and understanding these types of customers in the renewable energy sector is essential for the success of your sales. As we have seen, each profile has its own motivations and needs, so adapting your messages and sales strategies to each of them will make the difference.
Showing how your self-consumption solution can meet their specific objectives will be key to establishing solid and trusting relationships and ensuring the closure of your projects.
Adapting your commercial proposal according to your profiles can increase your sales probability by 80%. It will always be the one that helps you close the sale. In our blog: "5 key elements that should not be missing in your solar self-consumption offers."we tell you how to equip your proposal so that it becomes a closed installation project.
Photo loaned. Original author
With Wattwin...
At Wattwin we are constantly learning in order to contribute and promote, every day more, to all professionals in this ecosystem. To this end, part of the Wattwin team works exploring and researching the experiences of consumers in self-consumption projects to understand them better and better; what has caught their attention on this issue, what has prompted them to take the leap and invest in this type of renewable energy installation projects, what are the trends and habits observable in consumers and thus be able to continue to add value to the sector.
We want to help empower companies in the energy ecosystem throughout the entire life cycle of their self-consumption projects. This ranges from attracting potential customers, installation design, automation of commercial proposals, project management, technical documentation processes, to maintenance and preventive analysis of the installations themselves.
Our extensive experience in the sector and especially in the development of software for self-consumption projects allows us to offer customized solutions that meet the needs of each type of customer.
Take a look at our platform and let yourself be carried away by the ease of your new routine.
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