Solar panels have a lot to offer homeowners, in addition to environmental responsibility.
When you’re marketing a product or service that the public already has an entrenched opinion about, you’ve got to get creative.
The solar panel industry is a perfect example of this. Despite the generous energy and cost savings that solar panels bring to homeowners, there’s still a perception that solar panels are only for the most gung-ho environmentalists. And while it’s true that many gung-ho environmentalists do embrace solar energy, it’s also true that solar panels make sense for all types of homeowners, not just those for whom preventing climate change is a primary concern. In fact, the greater reason why homeowners should consider them is because it is a proactive way to rely more on themselves for energy, rather than the grid. This creates opportunities to save on utility bills, avoid power outages and even charge electric cars.
One person who’s deeply familiar with this problem of marketing against popular public perception is Jayson Waller, founder and CEO of POWERHOME Solar, a provider of solar panel installation and energy efficiency services across 11 states.
His business has gotten a boost recently, as this past December, the federal government renewed the federal solar tax credit which gives eligible homeowners who install solar power panels a 26% tax credit.
So how can a company break through very loud existing messaging? According to Waller, it is all about identifying pain points before the product or service discussion even starts. Here are his top tips for any company facing a perception message that is different from their value proposition:
Enter with a question not an answer. When the public has been swarmed with messaging that isn’t relevant to the challenges your customers are facing right now – then begin by asking about their issues rather than talking about your solution, and here’s why. No one will listen to what your product or service can offer until they realize how much they need it! Ask them to walk you through their journey and listen for the factors of their lives or business that you can be a real solution for them along the way.
Push to hear their pain points. They may not even know what they are until you point it out to them. For example, we ask our customers if they are tired of power outages. While that may sound like a rhetorical question, it gets them to one of our value propositions that may be unknown to them by identifying their pain point first. Continue with questions that will prompt “pain” to share how your offering will help. We will also ask how they will be able to pay an even higher utility bill if they switch to an electric car and then have to charge it in their garage. Pain points aren’t always front and center, which is why asking questions to bring them to the top of the conversation is how you can overcome the initial perception if it differs from solving their pain points.
Educate and build value. The reason this tip may sound familiar is because it is a basic for everyone in sales and marketing but too often it is forgotten. Steamrolling who you are and what you do before you take the time to find out what the customer knows, or thinks they know, will not lead to success. When it comes to acknowledging their wrong or incomplete perception, it’s important to address it with respect and move it quickly off the table. Keep in mind, it is on the public’s mind for a reason so if their image of what your product does or how it can help, has some truth to it, agree with them. When you do you will be joined and that will pave the way to the messaging you need to communicate to eventually close the deal!
In today’s world, messages are all over and they won’t always be to your advantage. The key is to know what is out there so that you can address it head-on, and make room for the solution you’re offering.
