Unleashing AI's Power in Solar: Jonathan Gibbs' AI Revolution 🌞📈

Summary

In this Solar Con interview, Jonathan Gibbs, founder of Needle AI, discusses his company's AI technology that revolutionizes solar sales. By using AI to follow up on unsold proposals, Needle AI has significantly reduced the cost of acquiring solar sales to as low as 18 cents per deal, compared to the industry standard of around $2,000. The AI assistant can handle thousands of conversations, answering technical and financial questions, and even running credit checks, all while never missing an appointment. This technology is a game-changer for the solar industry, offering a cost-effective and efficient solution for customer engagement and sales conversion.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Jonathan Gibbs, the founder of Lumio and Needle AI, is a significant figure in the solar industry, having been part of a multibillion-dollar solar company.
• 📈 Needle AI is revolutionizing solar company operations by drastically reducing the time and cost associated with installations, aiming to make solar more accessible.
• 💡 The AI technology developed by Needle AI is capable of handling a wide range of customer inquiries, from technical to financial, through text messages.
• 🔑 The AI can significantly increase the conversion rate of unsold proposals, turning potential losses into gains at a remarkably low cost per sale.
• 📉 Jonathan has achieved an incredibly low cost per solar sale, with his internal cost being as low as 18 cents, a stark contrast to the industry standard.
• 📈 The AI's efficiency is highlighted by the ability to engage in multiple conversations simultaneously, without the need for breaks or sick leave, ensuring constant customer service.
• 📊 A case study mentioned in the script demonstrates how a solar company partnered with a roofing company to text customers, resulting in a high conversion rate and low customer acquisition cost.
• 💼 The AI's performance is transparent, with clients able to monitor and influence the conversations to ensure brand consistency.
• 🔄 The discussion emphasizes the importance of adapting and pivoting in the solar industry, especially with upcoming regulatory changes that will affect data management.
• 💼 The cost of Needle AI's service has decreased significantly, making it more accessible to businesses, with the first AI employee available for $2,500 per month.

Q & A

Who is Jonathan Gibbs and what is his current role?

Jonathan Gibbs is the founder of Lumio, a multibillion-dollar solar company, and currently owns Needle AI, a company that specializes in AI solutions for solar companies.

What does Needle AI do for solar companies?

Needle AI provides AI solutions that help solar companies collapse time frames and get installations at a very low cost. They offer an AI employee that can follow up with unsold proposals, answer technical and financial questions, and run credit checks, all through text messages.

What is the cost-effectiveness of Needle AI's service for solar companies?

The AI service is highly cost-effective, with the example given being a cost of about 18 cents per solar sale, compared to the industry standard of around $2,000 for cost acquisition.

How does Needle AI's AI assistant help in closing unsold proposals?

The AI assistant can follow up with unsold proposals, answering various customer questions and concerns, which has led to a significant increase in the closing rate of these proposals at a very low cost per sale.

What was the initial cost of Needle AI's service when it was first launched?

When first launched, Needle AI's service was priced at $25,000 a month. However, due to advancements in technology and reduction in cost stack, the service is now offered at $2,500 a month.

How does Needle AI's AI employee handle customer interactions?

The AI employee can engage in text message conversations, answering technical, emotional, and financial questions, and even running credit checks, all while reflecting the brand's values and ensuring customer satisfaction.

What is the significance of the CRM system mentioned in the script?

The CRM system allows clients to log in and monitor every conversation happening through Needle AI's service. This provides transparency and control, enabling clients to ensure the AI's interactions align with their brand standards.

How does Needle AI's service impact the solar industry's operational efficiency?

Needle AI's service increases operational efficiency by reducing the need for human employees to handle follow-ups and customer inquiries, which can be time-consuming and costly. The AI can handle multiple conversations simultaneously, never misses appointments, and does not require sick leave or medical expenses.

What is the current special offer for Needle AI's service?

The current special offer allows customers to build their first AI employee for $2,500 a month, which is a significant reduction from the initial launch price. This AI employee works 24/7, effectively costing $3 an hour.

How can potential clients find out more about Needle AI and its services?

Potential clients can visit Needle AI's website to learn more and even interact with different AI agents to get a firsthand experience of the service.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introducing Jonathan Gibbs and Needle AI's Impact on Solar Companies

The speaker introduces Jonathan Gibbs, a founder of the multi-billion dollar solar company Lumio, and now the owner of Needle AI. Gibbs has made significant contributions to the solar industry, particularly in using AI to optimize sales processes. The speaker emphasizes how Needle AI helps solar companies by reducing the cost and time required for installations, enabling them to close deals more efficiently. The importance of data in AI training is also highlighted, along with the impressive results Needle AI has achieved in improving sales performance for solar companies.

05:01

🚀 Revolutionizing Solar Sales with AI: Case Studies and Data Insights

The discussion delves into specific examples of how Needle AI has transformed solar sales through innovative AI solutions. A recent case study is presented where a solar company partnered with a roofing company, resulting in immediate and substantial engagement with customers. Within the first hour, 150 conversations were initiated, leading to 20 appointments and five sales. The cost-effectiveness of this approach is underscored, with a focus on the low cost per sale and the ability to monitor customer interactions in real time. Jonathan Gibbs emphasizes the importance of evolving with industry challenges, such as upcoming regulations, and the crucial role of data management in staying competitive.

Keywords

💡Solar Con

Solar Con is likely a conference or convention focused on solar energy and related technologies. The video script mentions being 'at Solar Con,' indicating that the discussion takes place within this context. It's a platform where 'Heavy Hitters' or significant players in the solar industry gather, as suggested by the script.

💡Lumio

Lumio is referred to as a 'multibillion dollar Solar Company' in the script, indicating that it was a major player in the solar industry. The mention of Lumio sets a precedent for the scale of operations and success that the interviewee, Jonathan Gibbs, has been associated with.

💡Needle AI

Needle AI is described as a company owned by Jonathan Gibbs that is 'collapsing time frames' and helping solar companies with installations at a reduced cost. The script highlights Needle AI's role in revolutionizing the solar industry by using AI to streamline processes and reduce costs, which is central to the video's theme of innovation in solar technology.

💡AI Employee

The term 'AI Employee' is used to describe an artificial intelligence system that can perform tasks traditionally done by humans. In the script, it's mentioned that for $2,500 a month, a company can have an AI employee that can handle a multitude of tasks, such as following up on unsold proposals, which is a significant cost reduction compared to traditional methods.

💡Cost Acquisition

Cost acquisition refers to the expenses incurred in obtaining a customer or sale. The script discusses how the cost of acquiring a solar sale has been dramatically reduced to '18 cents' through the use of AI, which is a stark contrast to the historical '$2,000' figure. This keyword is central to the video's message about the economic benefits of AI in solar sales.

💡Text Message Marketing

Text message marketing is a strategy mentioned in the script where AI can engage with potential customers through text messages, answering various questions and leading to sales. This method is highlighted as a cost-effective way to convert unsold proposals into sales, with the AI handling the communication process efficiently.

💡CRM

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, which is a system for managing a company's interactions with current and potential customers. In the script, it's mentioned that clients can log into a CRM to see every conversation, which allows for oversight and control over the AI's interactions, ensuring brand consistency.

💡Data Curating

Data curating involves the process of selecting, organizing, and managing data to make it useful and accessible. The script emphasizes the importance of data curating in the context of upcoming rules and the need for solar companies to manage their data effectively to leverage AI technologies.

💡Leads

In the context of the script, 'leads' refers to potential customers who have expressed interest in a product or service. The discussion around leads is tied to the cost and effectiveness of converting these leads into sales, with the AI technology playing a significant role in improving this conversion rate.

💡Multitasking

Multitasking, in the context of the video, refers to the ability of the AI to handle multiple tasks or conversations simultaneously. The script highlights this as a key advantage of AI over human employees, as it can interact with 'thousands and thousands of people simultaneously,' which is not possible for a single human.

💡KPIs

KPIs stand for Key Performance Indicators, which are quantifiable measures used to track the success of a company or individual in meeting their objectives. The script discusses how KPIs have improved for a solar company after implementing AI technology, indicating a shift from traditional methods to more data-driven and efficient practices.

Highlights

Jonathan Gibbs, founder of Lumio and Needle AI, discusses the impact of AI on solar companies.

Lumio was a multibillion-dollar solar company that played a significant role in the industry.

Needle AI is revolutionizing solar installations by collapsing time frames and reducing costs.

AI technology has enabled a significant increase in the closing rate of solar proposals.

The cost of acquiring a solar sale has been dramatically reduced to as low as 18 cents.

Needle AI's AI assistant can handle follow-ups and close deals at a fraction of the cost.

The AI assistant can answer technical, emotional, and financial questions, and run credit checks via text message.

The AI assistant can close unsold proposals at a rate of about 10% over a 12-24 month period.

AI is transforming the solar industry by allowing companies to manage leads and sales more efficiently.

A case study is presented where a solar company partnered with a roofing company to text customers, resulting in immediate sales.

The AI assistant's ability to engage in conversations and close deals is monitored and可控 through a CRM system.

The solar industry is facing challenges, and Jonathan Gibbs predicts the need for companies to evolve and pivot.

Data management is becoming increasingly important, especially with new rules coming into effect in January 2025.

The AI assistant never misses appointments, calls out sick, or requires medical expenses, providing a reliable sales force.

The AI can be trained to perform specific tasks once and will not repeat mistakes, ensuring consistent performance.

The AI technology allows for the conversion of high-quality data into sales without the need for a large human workforce.

Needle AI offers a special promotion for a limited time, significantly reducing the cost of their AI employee service.

The AI employee works 24/7 and can handle thousands of conversations simultaneously, providing a cost-effective solution.

Potential clients can interact with Needle AI's agents directly from their website to learn more about their services.

Transcripts

yo here we go we're at solar con I told

you we're going to bring you some Heavy

Hitters we're my man Jonathan

Gibbs this guy he's been doing some big

things he's a Founder a founder of lumio

which you guys don't know was multi

multibillion dollar Solar Company you

know did big things over there we'll

talk about that in a bit and now he's

he's he owns Needle needle AI they're

doing big things for solo companies here

they're with collapsing time frames

helping people get installs at a very

very cheap rate it sounds

the numbers you guys doing so let's talk

about you let's talk about your

evolution in this industry well we were

just talking um I mean your company was

a big part of our learning curve you

know in AI um everybody can reach the

same technology eventually but how you

train it and how it learns and so you

guys are really generous you gave us a

lot of data to test and that learning

curve was really critical it's about a

year ago and we went from being able to

close just very very few deals to right

now we can build an AI employee for

someone we have a show special right now

it's $2,500 a month and in if you take

even just their unsold proposals right

most companies out there are closing one

in n one in 10 of their proposals which

means eight of those nine proposals are

not making any money on and you let our

your an AI assistant follow up with all

those proposals in a text message

passively friendly she can answer

technical questions she can answer

emotional questions Financial questions

she can runs People's Credit in a text

message we're getting follow-up deals

right now David for like $5 a sale and

we're getting a large percentage of them

so we're getting about 10% of the unsold

proposals closed over about a 121 month

period of time so I've been in Soul

Allegiance since 2016 the Line in the

Sand for the longest time it's been

around $2,000 cost acquisition right if

people buy leads and they get $2,000

they're happy as heck you just said a

crazy number right it's crazy no if I

told you my cost on it my cost on it

it's like 18 cents like my internal cost

to get a solar sale today is like 18

cents it costs about 25 to 35 text

messages to make a solar sale in

follow-up sequence where they already

have a lot of the information the thing

is it's just about servicing them right

like customers know they want to buy

solar right now the customer do you know

it's their money they want to enjoy it

nobody enjoys buying a car right now

still and it's 2024 very few people

enjoy buying solar if you if you put

them in the driver's seat you let them

Drive their purchase you let them ask

questions and you answer their exact

questions when they ask they will buy

from you over time and for uh without

you know pushing them so let's give a

case study of a real client let's talk

about what what were their kpis before

they started working with you what are

their kpis right now let's talk some

some some numbers if you don't mind yeah

so uh let me give you some data numbers

right so some partner data so we have um

uh a recent campaign that's less than 30

days old I can show you the results on

this we got a Solar Company they went to

a local roofing company and they said

hey can we partner out and Text Your

Roofing customers so we did a sample

test of a thousand uh Roofing customers

in the first hour there was 150

conversations going on and uh they

scheduled 20 appointments five of those

converted into sales and that campaign

climbs every month it's going to hit its

Sweet Spot in about four to five months

but all five of those customers they

cost about four or five dollars to get

wow and so they can turn around and they

can pay their Roofing partner thousand

bucks right per deal if the roofing

customer wants to see well what are you

saying to my clients they can all log

into a CRM they can see every

conversation that's going on if they say

hey I don't like that conversation that

doesn't reflect well my brand we can say

that conversation will never happen

again and that that's amazing and one

thing I've known Jonathan for a while

he's been saying for a long time that

there's going to be like solar's going

to be hitting some crazy headwinds and

there's still there's still some

headwinds here and everything she said

has happened a lot of guys we've had

several clients big big companies out of

business right we've seen a ton of them

so really what comes down to evolving

and pivoting in the industry and that's

what you're helping them do right yeah I

mean you know you know and I know you

guys are working on this too like all

these rules that are going to hit

January first this is a big deal and

people need to learn how to sort of

curate and cultivate their own data now

and I know you guys are helping them

helping your P doing that managing your

data has never been more important than

January 2025 100% and listen solar

companies listen here if you want to be

there's a lot of moving parts of solar

you know it more than anybody right you

guys were on you had people all over the

country in employes 5,000 employees you

know the headaches right so when you're

dealing with so many people you're

dealing with a lot of emotions people

calling out sick how often is the AI

call out sick for you that I mean that's

amazing right she can talk to I mean she

kned to a million people simultaneously

she never misses an appointment she's

never going to leave for a lower Red

Line right she's she has no medical

expenses and um if I train her to do

something once she never makes the same

mistake again yeah I love it and

especially in solar solar in solar

there's a lot of moving Parts there's a

lot of cost involved you got your sales

reps you got the permanent you got the

roofing you got this thing that thing

there's like 20 different things going

on right so the key of the game like any

other business is collapsing time frames

getting the installs on quicker paying

the lowest amount possible per

appointment and for sale I mean would

you agree with that oh 100% 100% and um

and I mean and data I mean like I mean

you know data is a new go yeah and if

with technology like this with software

like this you can just literally take

high quality data that you're allowed to

use and you can just turn it into sales

without all those people in the middle

yeah cool so how can people find out

more about you and your company uh ne. c

neci um you can go to the website you

can scan and talk to five different

agents right off the website talk to a

solar agent talk to insurance agent

addiction recovery agent just right off

the website start talking to her I love

it so guys he's doing there's a special

Jonathan's generous right now how much

is it normally oh this is crazy so last

year we launched this product at

solarcon for $25,000 a month we signed

up dozens of customers the technology is

advancing so fast and the cost stack is

going down so fast we can provide that

same service today for $2,500 so we can

build your first AI employee for $2,500

a month she'll work every single hour

247 365 comes out to $3 an hour she can

talk to thousands and thousands of

people simultaneously for you that's

multitasking right there I love it guys

lfg show we show you ways to collapse

time frames make more money Jonathan's

one of those guys that can help you hit

him up he'll make happen for you

good stuff man always good I love it

that was

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