SolarFred

Thanks for the props, JBG. Justin, thank you for not being silent. :)

Kevin, thanks for commenting again. I appreciate your years of experience in the field and the insights here. I'm not a field guy. I'm a marketing and communications guy, so what I try to do in this blog is help both installers and module manufacturers take another look at their marketing strategies. This post wasn't about racking, it was about finding a niche in markets that are getting more and more competitive. Everyone's gunning for the utility big plays, but there are very few of those. My suggestion here is finding a large enough demographic that a company focus on and serve.

It's only a suggestion, Kevin. There's no requirement for anyone to follow free advice and I don't mean to insult any installers. Installers like you are my heroes. Really. I'm a geeky solar advocate. Solar can't happen without you, as much as I can market and write about it. I want you all to sell as many systems as possible. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I dreamed of covering Manhattan rooftops with solar. If installers have to smoke to make that happen, so be it. I was just trying to help with see another customer point of view that might help close another sale. But I understand where you're coming from and I sincerely apologize to all those skilled solar installers who smoke. Truce.

Thanks all for your thoughts on this post. I'd just like to remind everyone that my intent here was not to preach against smoking. This post is about business and sales. So, it is not personal, but more about converting sales and customer service. In fact, in answer Naomi above, yes, it probably would be a good idea to spritz away coffee breath before your next meeting. I've said it before in earlier posts that you can only make one first impression, and since every sale counts, I don't think it's unreasonable to attempt to reduce any and all chances of making the customer pick up the phone and call someone else. In that spirit, I'm going to add a few more things to show that this is not just about smoking, but really about making the best impression possible on every customer. Primarily these tips are for sales people, but I do believe that the crew is a reelection of business too. >Make sure you've shaved in the morning and your hair is combed. If you have a beard or mustache, keep it groomed and free of whatever you had for lunch. >Wear a clean shirt without stains, rips, or tears. Same goes for work shoes. (I'm also a fan of company shirts, whether it's button down or polo. You're a walking solar ad.) >Don't chew gum or have anything in your mouth except your sales information. >I'm not against food. I eat myself every once and a while. I still say you should have a breath mint to disguise any strong tastes from lunch. Same goes for any drink, especially alcohol. >Make sure you know how to pronounce your prospects first and last name. If you don't know how because it's long and complicated, ask. Probably isn't the first time. >Check the mirror to make sure you don't have anything in your mouth left over from lunch. I could go on. My point here is that it's not just about smoking. Insert x. Sales, whether it's solar or anything, is about service to the customer. That's key to both the sale and to later referrals. If you think it's just about you and your lifestyle, then I hope you always find customers with exactly your lifestyle. Perhaps start a solar business targeting only smokers. Don't have any statistics, but my bet is that this is a small niche and that you should be casting your net wider. Thanks again for everyone's thoughts here. I hope I've made myself more clear about my intent. It's not about you. It's about business and helping to convert more sales.

Thanks all again for your support on this topic. I do think it just comes down to good customer service. Joel, regarding your comment about solar installers and salesmen walking the talk by owning their own systems. I think the answer to that is yes, of course they should have solar ...if it's possible. What I mean by that is that many people rent. Others own, but have too much shade ore the wrong orientation. Others bought at the wrong time, and like many prospects, perhaps don't have enough equity to get a loan. There are a lot of good reasons for salesman to not have solar, while still believing in the technology. As to companies paying their sales consultants enough to afford one, that's a can of worms I can't address in a general way and I think off topic from this particular post. But perhaps a future post...

Herman, great information. I tweeted it on Twitter and it got a few ReTweets and mini-comments from some solar pros. Thanks for sharing.

Stephen, I believe you said in the beginning of your podcast that this wasn't about global warming, but about the mechanics of cap and trade. On that level, I'm in awe of the information you provide here. You bring it to a personal level while explaining complex financial models and environmental issues. Bravo. Also love the entertaining sound bites. Bravo again. As to all of the climate skeptics here, here's a great annotated website that shows all of the skeptic claims and answers them all with annotated, peer reviewed science. http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php In addition, I'd also like to point out that the CIA, who also is spending time and resources to prepare for the security effects of global warming. I really don't think our premier spy agency would be worrying about global warming over terrorism if they didn't truly consider it a threat to this country. https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/center-on-climate-change-and-national-security.html Again, Stephen, excellent, excellent reporting here and thank you so much for doing my cap and trade homework for me. :)

Thanks for your thoughts, Stephen and Jeremy. My point was more along the lines of Jeremy's comment that it's these subtle things like smoking that may sway a sale or future sale one way or another. That being said, I know a lot of non-smokers that shrug at cigarette smoking workmen, just as Stephen said. And of course it's the quality of the work that counts. So perhaps this really should be exclusive to sales personnel. At the same time, advertising that you have an all non-smoking crew and sales consultants might be the tipping point for someone to call one contractor over another in side-by-side ads.

Great post, Jen! Keep them coming.

Thanks, Stephen. Indeed we are in electron exciting times. :)

Good for you, Harry! Hope the strategy proves successful for you and your company. Thanks for commenting.

Good point, Vaillant. I overdid it on Linked in and joined too many groups...so I took a break because it was too distracting. Balance! Have to get back in. Thanks for your comments.

You speak the truth, my friend. Solar marketing and PR departments need to ramp up their comparisons of solar and coal. If 50 solar companies today issued a press release about the economic impact of the coal ash disaster this week and next, the main stream media would pick up the story again. Their reports would start, "Two weeks ago marked the anniversary of the coal ash disaster..." And then they would go into its costs and compare it to the non-existent solar farm clean up costs. And they would interview the solar companies that issued some of those press releases. If we're to change public policy and public perception of "cheap" coal, solar companies need to be leading the PR campaign, not following environmental groups. It's good for their own businesses, as well as the world. Thanks for the wake-up message, Stephen!

Thanks for the compliments, Mark! Always appreciate feed-back, good and bad. :) Gary, BIPV is going to play a part in 2010, but I was focusing here on 2010 marketing wishes. I suppose you could argue that a better variety of aesthetics solar products is marketing, but I would hope that whatever the PV technology, the suggestions above will be incorporated. Thanks for the suggestion, however. Any other marketing wishes you think missing from solar? Please add your thoughts below.

To those who say solar is expensive, I agree...depending on where you live. It depends on your state or utility subsidies, the amount of energy required for your home, and net metering policies. But if you look at the cost of energy as it rises, it's VERY affordable. New Jersey, NY, Colorado, Arizona are all very affordable. Many other states as well. My recommendation to anyone who says it's not affordable is to get a free quote in your area for your home. Check solar hot water as well. The only thing you lose is time, and a good installer will be able to explain to you the return on investment and payback. Since solar panels last 20 to 25 years and beyond, it really does pay for itself quickly, especially if your utility has a tiered rate system. The problem is the upfront cost, but there are ways to take care of that. There are solar leases and solar PPAs, which have 0 to $3000 up front costs, depending on your system. Even better are Berkley First/PACE/Municipal financing programs which place a special tax assessment on your home. This latter program is only in a few areas, but the FEDs are making it possible to be in every state. (Google Solar PACE.) I've simplified all of the above programs and examples of state subsidies on my blog and solar referral site, SolarPowerRocks.com. I don't care if you get a quote through us. Stick your fingers in the yellow pages, but just get a few quotes and discover for yourself if solar is expensive for you or not. You might be surprised, especially if you're living in a solar friendly state with decent subsidies and net metering. Thanks.

Elisa Wood contributes regularly to Platts Energy publications, including Electric Power Daily, Emissions Daily, Electric Utility Week, Energy Economist, Global Power Report and Megawatt Daily. She is the US correspondent for Renewable Energy World and Cogeneration & Onsite Power Production magazines and the author of PennWell's US Guide to Combined Heat & Power and US Guide to Renewable Energy. She is co-author of the Rahus Institute's Customer Guide to Solar Power Purchase Agreements. Her work also appears in several magazines, among them Environmental Risk and Energy Risk. Her blog appears at http://energyefficiencymarkets.wordpress.com/. She co-publishes Energy Efficiency Markets with Lisa Cohn. See samples of her work at www.RealEnergyWriters.com

I am the managing editor at RenewableEnergyWorld.com and as such coordinate, write and/or edit columns and features for the publication. Formerly, I was the Managing Editor of Innovate Forum and prior to that, Desktop Engineering magazine. I hold a Masters in English Education from Boston University and a BA in English from the University of Virginia.

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I am the co-founder and publisher of RenewableEnergyWorld.com. As such I run the editorial and technology departments of the company and participate in overseeing the day-to-day financial operations.

I am producer and host of the Inside Renewable Energy podcast, a weekly audio news program that covers the latest developments in technology, policy and finance. The show has amassed a dedicated following of industry professionals and consumers, and I'm very grateful for all the listeners who have responded to the show in such a positive way. I also write stories and help edit and manage content for publication on RenewableEnergyWorld.com. I'm always looking to collaborate with others in the industry, so please keep in touch through the blog or podcast!