Randy French of Independent Solar believes that building and maintaining trust with customers is essential when it comes to weathering industry storms.
When many people think of sustainable, eco-friendly energy, their minds immediately go to solar power. However, while solar is still an excellent way to cut down on harmful emissions and save money on utility costs, recent industry turbulence has inspired uncertainty in current and would-be customers. Each solar company must decide how to handle the industry’s current climate.
To understand how French and Independent Solar navigate such challenges, it’s important first to grasp what’s currently happening in the solar industry. French says part of the problem is a long-standing disconnect in the purchasing process.
“A lot of companies hire third-party sales teams that aren’t even a part of their company,” he says. Salespeople don’t always know how to size a system, so some customers end up with the wrong one for their home. If you have the wrong system, you might not see the savings you’d hoped for.
When this happens, solar customers start to lose faith in the industry. Independent Solar avoids such consequences by handling the whole process from sale to installation to aftercare, helping customers get the right system.
“Sizing a system and making a system compatible with your home and your family’s usage is the single most important thing you can do in selling solar,” says French, “and very few people do it.”
The good news is that for most solar companies, ensuring that a system is sized correctly (and that the customer sees maximum savings) isn’t difficult. “We check all proposals,” says French. “We require our reps to allow our design team to give design approval. If you know what you’re doing, it literally takes 10–15 minutes.”
However, a newer challenge is posing a threat. California recently adjusted how solar energy credits work; as a result, solar customers’ energy savings have been reduced by about 75%.
Once these changes took effect, California solar installations dropped by about 80%. California isn’t the only place revising energy credit guidelines, either. Arizona and other nearby states have followed suit.
So, how do you help solar customers understand that solar energy is still a smart financial option? For Independent Solar, honesty is key.
“The days of zeroing out your bill and making your bill go away are gone,” says French. “But some companies are still saying it.” Too many solar businesses rely on obfuscating the truth, hoping solar buyers don’t know any better. But as Independent Solar has shown, open and transparent dialogue with customers works.
“We have things in place like a performance guarantee at point of sale. We only get the homeowner to commit after we tell them what their system will produce. They know there’s a utility company that’s going to charge them if they use more than that.”
The future of solar might be up in the air, at least to an extent. But putting in the effort to build trust can help any solar business rise above the uncertainty. Despite market contractions, French’s company is poised for growth. “It’s time for us to expand into other markets,” he says. “We’re very, very excited about 2024.”
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