Apricot Rep Overview
Summary
TLDRThe video script outlines the role of a sales representative in guiding customers through the solar installation process, emphasizing the importance of transparency and not overpromising. It highlights the sales and operations collaboration, the typical 6-8 week installation timeline, and the variability due to permitting processes. The script focuses on creating interest and generating leads through various methods, with a strong emphasis on leveraging one's 'warm market' due to existing trust. It details a systematic approach to list generation, qualification, and scheduling, as well as the importance of education and practice in sales. The 'earn while you learn' program is presented as an effective way for new sales reps to gain experience and confidence by shadowing leaders during customer appointments.
Takeaways
- 📈 The sales rep's role is to guide customers through the sales process, with the blue tasks being the sales rep's responsibility and the green tasks belonging to operations.
- 🕒 A typical solar installation takes 6 to 8 weeks, but the timeline can vary due to city and state permitting processes, with California being more advanced than Georgia.
- 🤔 Sales reps are advised not to make promises about installation timelines due to variables beyond their control, emphasizing transparency and ongoing communication with customers.
- 🌟 The most crucial step is creating interest, which is the first step in the sales process and can lead to everything else.
- 🔍 There are four ways to create an account (AC): warm market, door knocking, social media, and networking events, with warm market being the most effective for new sales reps.
- 🏠 Door knocking requires a polished approach and a clear, concise pitch to be successful, and it's used strategically to target specific potential customers.
- 📱 Social media is not the most effective method for new sales reps unless they have a deep understanding of online marketing strategies like Google pay-per-click and ad funnels.
- 📊 The company teaches a method called 'bill review' to build social media presence by engaging with existing customers and asking them to share their positive experiences.
- 💼 Networking and events can be effective but are best suited for sales reps who have already closed multiple deals and understand both prospecting and account creation.
- 🤝 Warm market outreach is highly effective due to the pre-existing trust and includes people like family, friends, neighbors, and professional contacts.
- 📝 The sales process involves creating a large list of potential customers, qualifying them, conducting germination conversations with a leader, and setting up appointments.
Q & A
What is the role of a sales rep in the solar sales process?
-The sales rep's role is to guide the customer through the sales process, ensuring they understand the steps involved and managing expectations regarding installation timelines, which can vary due to factors like permitting processes in different states.
Why is it important for sales reps not to make promises about installation timelines?
-It's important because there are variables such as permitting and processes that vary by city and state, which can affect the installation timeline. Sales reps should remain transparent and manage customer expectations to avoid disappointment and maintain trust.
What are the four different ways a sales rep can create an account in the solar industry?
-The four ways to create an account are through warm market, knocking doors, social media, and networking events and shows.
Why is using the warm market the most effective way for a new sales rep to start?
-The warm market is effective because there is already an established trust with the individuals in this network, making it easier to get appointments, make sales, and build a pipeline for referrals.
What is the purpose of knocking doors in the solar sales process?
-Knocking doors allows sales reps to strategically target potential customers, though it requires being polished and confident in the sales pitch to avoid appearing unprofessional.
How does social media play a role in the solar sales process?
-Social media is used to build a presence and engage with customers, often leveraging positive experiences and testimonials from existing customers to attract new ones.
What is a bill review and why is it important?
-A bill review is a call with the customer after the solar system has been turned on, where the sales rep discusses the customer's savings and experience. It helps build social media presence and provides an opportunity to gather testimonials.
What is the significance of networking and events shows in the solar sales process?
-Networking and events shows are great for establishing credibility and trust with potential customers. They are particularly useful for sales reps who have already closed several deals and understand both prospecting and account creation.
What is the first step in building a pipeline for a new sales rep?
-The first step is to generate a large list of potential customers, which can be done by brainstorming and writing down names of people they know or have met.
What does a sales rep need to do after generating a large list of potential customers?
-After generating the list, the sales rep needs to qualify the leads, narrowing them down to a top 50 list based on various criteria such as market, utility, homeownership, and other factors that increase the probability of a sale.
How does a sales rep leverage the 'earn while you learn' program?
-The sales rep leverages the program by having a leader run their appointments from start to finish in the beginning, allowing the new sales rep to learn and observe before they start closing deals on their own.
What is the typical strategy for making phone calls to potential customers?
-The strategy is to make phone calls during times when people are likely to be available and receptive, aiming to set up appointments or make 50 phone calls, whichever comes first.
How does a sales rep schedule their week to create multiple accounts?
-A sales rep schedules their week by planning out phone times, setting specific goals for appointments, allocating time for education and role-playing, and ensuring they have a work-life balance.
Outlines
🚀 Sales Process and Role Clarification
The speaker discusses the sales representative's role in guiding customers through the sales process of installing solar systems. The process is divided into the sales rep's job (blue) and operations (green). The typical installation timeline is 6 to 8 weeks, but it varies due to different city and state permitting processes. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not making promises about timelines and being transparent with customers about variables out of their control. The focus is on creating interest, which is the first step in the sales process. The speaker introduces different methods for creating accounts, such as warm market, door knocking, social media, and networking events. The most effective method for new sales reps is using their warm market, which involves leveraging personal connections. The speaker also discusses strategies for door knocking, the limitations of social media, and the importance of bill reviews for building social media presence. Networking events are recommended for experienced sales reps who understand both prospecting and account creation.
🤝 Building Trust and Generating Leads
The speaker elaborates on the concept of a 'warm market,' defining it as people the sales rep already knows and trusts, such as family, friends, and acquaintances. This approach is highly effective due to the pre-existing trust, leading to a higher probability of securing appointments, sales, and referrals. The speaker provides a detailed exercise for generating a large list of potential leads from the warm market, including family, friends, neighbors, and professional contacts. The exercise encourages sales reps to think broadly and write down names without bias, regardless of whether they are homeowners or renters. The goal is to create a comprehensive list that can later be narrowed down to a top 50 list of qualified leads.
📝 Qualifying Leads and Creating a Pipeline
The speaker outlines the process of qualifying leads from the generated list to create a top 50 list. This involves categorizing leads and using various criteria to narrow down the list, such as market, utility, homeownership, and other factors that increase the probability of a sale. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not forcing sales and focusing on the front end to ensure the customer is a good fit for solar. The process includes using technology to determine factors like sun hours and electrical panel updates. The speaker also discusses the importance of self-management, setting goals, and creating a schedule to work the leads effectively. The goal is to find the right people and build a substantial pipeline for sales.
📅 Effective Scheduling and Sales Strategy
The speaker provides insights into effective time management and scheduling for sales representatives. The focus is on planning the week ahead, measuring stats, reviewing the pipeline, and setting short-term and long-term goals. The speaker suggests a mock schedule for someone aiming to create two accounts per week, highlighting the importance of phone time and efficient appointment setting. The strategy involves making a set number of phone calls or setting appointments, with a preference for evenings and mornings when people are more likely to be available. The speaker also emphasizes the value of company calls for education and the importance of studying and role-playing to improve sales skills. The schedule is designed to balance work and life while maximizing the chances of securing appointments and closing sales.
🛠️ Sales Training and Closing Techniques
The speaker discusses the training and support provided to new sales representatives in the 'Apricot' system. New reps are encouraged to set qualified appointments, after which leaders take over to run the appointments, answer customer questions, close the job, and set up installations. This approach allows new reps to learn by observing and taking notes during the process. The speaker suggests that typically, after watching around five sales, a rep will be ready to close on their own. However, the support from leaders is always available, and the speaker advises reps to leverage this 'earn while you learn' program to improve their skills and increase their sales success.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sales Rep
💡Customer
💡Solar
💡Warm Market
💡Account Creation
💡Installation
💡Bill Review
💡Pipeline
💡Qualification
💡Germination Conversation
💡1099 Position
Highlights
Sales reps play a crucial role in guiding customers through the sales process.
Clear division of responsibilities between sales and operations is vital for efficiency.
Typical installation timeframe is 6-8 weeks, with variations due to city and state permitting processes.
Sales reps are advised not to make promises they can't keep, emphasizing transparency with customers.
Creating interest is the first and most important step in the sales process.
Different methods of creating accounts include warm market, door knocking, social media, and networking events.
Warm market is the most effective for new sales reps due to pre-existing trust.
Door knocking requires a polished approach and strategic targeting of potential customers.
Social media is used to build customer relationships and gather testimonials for business growth.
Networking events and shows are effective for experienced sales reps with a solid understanding of the market.
The importance of generating a large list of potential customers through a brainstorming session.
Qualifying the generated list to create a top 50 list of potential customers.
Utilizing geothermal imagery and other data to assess solar potential and customer suitability.
The significance of scheduling and self-management for independent sales reps.
Education and continuous learning are emphasized for sales reps to improve their skills.
The 'earn while you learn' program allows new sales reps to shadow leaders and gain experience.
Sales reps are encouraged to leverage leadership support to close deals effectively.
Transcripts
let's talk about the
position the sales rep position is
taking a customer through this sales
process the
blue is sales rep job the green is
operations job so that's Freedom
forever's
job and then underneath that is the time
frame so a typical install is going to
take 6 to 8 weeks but we can see there
are variables here some jobs will get
installed sooner than others every city
and state is different on their
permitting and their processes like
California is more advanced than
Georgia in their processes so what I
share with sales reps it's important to
never make any promises hey I'll do this
deal if we can get my power turned on by
March 1st and I look at March 1st is
exactly two months from now I'm not
going to say
yes I'm going to say you know what with
as many hands that touch your job Mrs
customer I'm not going to make any
promises I think that's possibility
we're going to work towards that but I
will keep you in the loop there are
things that are out of my control and
sometimes when we look at your job there
may be things that need to be done and
I'm not going to lose that sale but I
want to be transparent the most
important step on here is Step number
one creating interest so let's talk
about step one because that leads to
everything
else with regards to creating interest
what we call um that in the world of
solar is accounts when I make a sale
it's an account that I've created
otherwise known as an
AC there are four different ways that I
can create an account you can see them
listed here one of them is warm Market
one of them is knocking doors one of
them is social media and then of course
networking events and
shows the most effective way for a sales
rep to get started when they're brand
new is using their warm market so let's
talk about the others and we'll come
back to the warm
market for me personally I'm not the
biggest fan of knocking doors but I
understand its purpose and
so there are sales in the company that
love knocking doors because they can
strategically see who they're going
after and be like a sniper versus taking
a machine gun approach however if I'm
knocking
doors I have to be really really
polished right my Runway is going to be
30 to 30 seconds to two minutes and I
better know what I'm saying like word
for word because if I don't the customer
is going to see I'm not confident and
they're going to push me off I'll knock
doors during an install so when then
neighborhood is hot I'll go say hi to
all the neighbors because I know the
neighborhood's hot that's my strategy of
knocking doors but some people have a
different one we actually have a
one-month training on how to do the cold
Market approach it's called April
Academy but sales reps have to have at
least one sale to participate in this
month-long
training social media some people think
oh I'll just post on Facebook or let me
post on some site and and get some foot
traffic well the reality is as we talked
about earlier consumer confidence is not
very high because they can't even read
their own utility bill so all I'm doing
with social media is creating an extra
step now if I have an auto dialer and
I'm used to making 4,000 calls a day and
I understand Google pay um per or
payperclick and Google ad funnels very
well well then hey maybe that's an
Avenue but if what I said went over your
head it might not be be the most
effective way to spend my time when I'm
new what we teach is what's called a
bill review so quarterly once every 3
months after the S system has been
turned on the sales rep is going to have
a call with their customer called a bill
review and they're going to get
information from there and help build
their social media presence that way hey
Mrs
customer just want to follow up with you
on your bill let's talk about this
numbers what kind of savings have you
seen oh 32% so far how do you feel about
that oh you love it that's
awesome do you think solar is a good
idea for other people yes awesome how
about me how did I do has the experience
been with me has it been subpar has it
been great outstanding oh it's been
outstanding awesome what about your
experience with the company in the
installation process and freedom it's
been great awesome well do you remember
how you felt before you got
your solar and the uncertainty that you
had and how you feel now would be great
is if you could put some of your
thoughts onto a post and this would help
me when other customers are in the same
place as you how does that sound would
you be able to do that for me and
customers will post very personalized
messages that will help sales reps build
their business that's how social media
is used networking and events shows
those are awesome but again there's a
time and a place right someone's going
to come to me very judgmental they're
going to tell me exactly what they know
about solar and they're going to ask me
one question and if I get it right I
earn their business if I get it wrong
they walk away so I'm not saying bnii
groups are bad I'm not saying networking
groups are are bad or shows are bad I
think they're great but they're great
for someone that that is great someone
that's closed 10 15 20 deals and
understands the prospecting side as well
as the account creation side so that
leads to warm Market warm Market is very
effective because there's trust already
there let me Define warm Market as
someone that I'm providing Outreach to
that is not cold so an example could be
someone like my uncle who lives in
Florida or a warm Market could also be
somebody that I went to school with
their parents even though I've never met
their parents or maybe I played baseball
which I did for years maybe someone on
the base team one of their parents or my
family doctor all of this is warm Market
highest probability for getting
appointments highest probability for
making a sale highest probability for
building a pipeline and getting
referrals is the warm market so that's
what apricot trains on
first we call this the core for so
let's get started here with this
please turn to a blank sheet of paper in
your notes and I'm going to provide
thought joggers I'm going to ask you to
go ahead and write down the names of
anybody you know or you've ever met this
could be first name only you could write
in columns it's easier to count the
other two points that are important to
remember is even though we only sell to
homeowners I can write down people that
are homeowners or
renters doesn't matter and two is the
age limit of course we're selling to a
certain age limit or a certain
demographic but here in this example
this exercise I can write down anybody
and
everybody so I'm going to give some
thought
joggers but we're going to go ahead and
see how many names we can come up with
right now a full brainstorm doing
non-bias they can live anywhere in the
United States so I'll start with family
members so Mom Dad if Mom and Dad are
together they would go on the same line
if Mom and Dad are separated they go on
different lines what
about
Grandparents what about aunts and uncles
what about
cousins what about distant relatives
that are not
local what about people who you would
say that's my brother from another
mother or what about someone's house
that you go into where you don't even
have to knock on the front door I would
put them under
family what
about your family's relatives like if
you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend or
a husband or a wife what about their
whole side of their
family what about your
doctor what about your friends when I
think about friends I think about
friends in terms of of time
blocks
so you know or Decades of my life uh I
think about like careers and friends I
had through jobs I think about friends
that I had in my college years I think
about friends that I had in my high
school years I think about friends that
I had that like to play golf or like to
play baseball or like things that I also
like what about friends that you could
think of in Middle
School how about putting down your
dentist for those of you that have kids
what about all of your kids
friends who who baby sits them who cuts
your hair what about your kids' teachers
what about your own
teachers those of you that go to church
what about the pastor what about all the
people that attend the church what about
other churches that one has been to did
you get all of your neighbors have you
moved or are you local if you're local
you maybe you know a bunch of the
neighbors if you move maybe you're new
to the area or maybe you know some of
the neighbors or maybe you have friends
and neighbors that you know from
different states or
cities you play any sports belong to any
clubs any organizations play any musical
instruments there's directories and
rosters that I can get a hold
of who delivers your
mail you go to the grocery store who's
that clerk that you say hi to that that
you know but you just don't know their
name who do know that owns a small
business who's your insurance agent I
just went through the First Column but
hopefully you can see how doing this
effectively and being resourceful one
can generate a large list of people and
that's step one is to generate a large
list of people step two after I generate
this
list is I'm going to qualify if I am
accepted into this position I'm going to
be asked to generate a list of no less
than 200 names before I even get a
chance to meet my leader and you can see
they're listed in
categories um and the reason why 200 is
because we are going to whittle down
that list to people that are qualified
into a top 50 list and what happens here
is there are multiple columns that help
us narrow down who gets solar you know
skiers by skis golfers by golf clubs and
there are certain
characteristics that make somebody a
better candidate for solar there is no
sale I'm not twisting the customer's arm
behind their back it either makes sense
or it doesn't so a lot of effort is put
in on the front end step one
brainstormer large list our top sales
reps they do not write down 200 they'll
take out their cell phone and they'll
put out everybody on their cell phone
they'll go through social media they'll
use that thought jogging sheet I shared
before and they'll be somewhere between
a th000 and 2,000 names and the benefit
to that is is that when they fully do
and exhaust their
resources they can then focus in on this
qualification they can be more selective
better chance for making a sale and a
better chance of working through this
list for a longer period of
time so my job step two is then to
qualify my top 50 and then step three is
I'm going to meet with a leader for a GC
a germination conversation we're going
to review this he's going to see where
I'm at and then I'm ready to move
forward and get my first account so on
the left the three columns pretty
straightforward then you have columns D
through H these need to be hit for them
to fit into the top 50 in other words
they have to be in the right Mark
market with the right utility and they
have to be a homeowner or live in a
house but I'm not sure if they live in a
if they own the home or they just live
in a house right I'm going to I'm going
to not notate that but what I can do is
I with the
name in the city I can go on Google and
I can pretty much find anybody's address
and when I have the address I can figure
out the utility and then I can figure
out some other things as
well um columns I through n are bonus
columns every time they get a mark on
one of these columns it's increasing the
probability for a sale so showing
somebody that's under
80 not to be mean but if I see someone
that's over 80 they're probably going to
say I wish you would have showed me this
20 years
ago a twostory house is typically going
to draw more power than a one-story
house a
15-year or new newer
home is going
to have a better electrical panel an
updated newer more modern panel that
typically will not need to be upgraded
and will also typically have a better
roof um good Sun
hours so what this means is is that some
homes have better exposure than others
and through technology I can actually
find out how many Sun hours each home
has through using geothermal imagery on
a specific
website are they a new homeowner not a
new build but a new homeowner have they
recently moved into their home in the
last year do they have a pool or an
electric car if I have a pool or a hot
tub that's another1 to $250 a month boom
on the utility bill if I have an
electric car I'm probably charging it at
home I'd be very interested in
Renewables so I making a list like this
if I only come up with a handful that's
great because I can see the right people
when I get started and they say birds of
a feather tend to flock together so
these people probably know other
qualified
people if I do this exercise properly
I'm going to find that I have a pretty
substantial list probably more people
than I thought fit this
category and from there I'm going to
make a schedule so that I know when I'm
going to work this is an independent
1099 position no one is telling me when
to work how hard to work what I need to
put into this so it's up to me as a
sales rep to create my schedule to
self-manage myself and leverage
leadership as needed on Sundays this is
where the schedule starts I'm going to
plan out my next week I'm going to
measure my stats I'm going to see how I
did like my batting average if you will
I'm going to make make my new top 50
list so if I've written down 1100 names
I'm going to go back through and
extrapolate my next top
50 I'm going to review my pipeline my
accounts make sure that every my
customer accounts are moving forward I'm
going to look back up my goals I have
short-term and long-term
goals and then after I make my schedule
I'm going to send this over to my leader
and I'm going to say hey what do you
think you've been doing this for four
years you have 500 installs youve made
over a million dollars doing this if I
want to create two accounts this week
does this schedule allocate
that and then the leader will provide
perspective this is just a mock sample
schedule if someone wanted to create two
accounts per week it would probably look
something like this two or more
accounts um so in the green we can see
phone time the idea is is that I'm
making phone time when I know I can get
a hold of people that's why it's not in
the middle of the the day and so my
strategy when I'm making phone calls is
is that I'm either going to make 50
phone calls or I'm going to set up seven
appointments whichever comes first and
I'm going to do that twice a week which
would give me 100 phone calls or 14
appointments and those Stars those white
stars are spaced two hours a point apart
that's when I would offer up
availability I never say to the customer
what time works for you because I want
to be efficient with my time and I I
want to had that work life balance so
I'm going to fit them into my time if I
do not schedule the appointments that I
want on Tuesday and Thursday night I'll
make calls Friday morning why Friday
morning everybody's in a good mood and
or I'll make calls on Saturday because
Saturday morning is a great time people
are home in the
morning the company call every Thursday
it's interesting how the top people
always prioritize the company
call and the reason why is there's
nothing nothing more valuable in the
world of sales than education why
because education has an infinite return
on investment when I learn something on
a company call I can use that for every
appointment moving
forward and then um there's got to be
time for studying and role playing you
know the greatest Professionals in any
sport football baseball basketball
hockey they're all watching film every
week that's what studying is that's what
role playing is is I actually go through
and practice areas of the business to be
to move my skill level up and I do that
consistently so this is a snapshot
schedule of someone has 14 appointment
slots and is trying to get multiple
accounts per
week when I set up the appointment I'm
going to use a very simple
straightforward approach that is listed
out
here once I set the appointments
that really is the most important part
of my job in the apricot system when I'm
new my job is to set qualified
appointments when I can do that my
leaders going to come in on the back end
and they're going to do the majority of
the heavy lifting they're going to
actually run that appointment we'll all
be on a zoom
together and the leader is going to run
my appointment from A to Z going to
answer any customer questions going to
close the job going to set up the
install going to make me look like a
shining
star and this is the fastest way to
bring someone up to
speed in the presence of for me if I'm
new I'm sitting on the sidelines with my
not paper taking notes oh leader said
this here leader did that there leader
said this to the customer and then I'm
following up with a leader afterwards
asking questions typically it's around
five sales that that a sales rep needs
to watch before they can close on their
own because every job is custom but this
is not a hard Line in the Sand at the
end the leader is going to say hey so
are you ready to close on your
own and if the sales rep says yes great
go ahead and close on on on your own but
what I've learned is 50% of 4,000 is a
lot better than 100% of I'll get it next
month and our our leaders are very very
good at this they've done it a lot and
so I encourage sales reps to really
Leverage The earn while you learn
program
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