5 Ways of using the Power of Re-Targeting to Convert Lost Potential Prospects to Acquired Customers

It can be incredibly effective to recapture prospects who have enquired with you but left without closing the deal. This also includes prospects whom you must have sent a Proposal/Quote or did a Site Visit for but they eventually ended up changing their plans of going solar. 

Discouraging, isn’t it? You spent so much time and effort making designs for them, did site visits, involved your team members in making a proposal which only ended up with them saying that “We will decide later/ We don't need it right away.”

90-95% of the solar enquiries do not convert and leave without taking the action you want them to take, never to return. For Solar Installers Looking for cost-effective ways to market themselves, retargeting is the best way to increase sales because these prospects have already engaged with you and your company during the site visits or on calls and are more likely to convert even if not right away. It also has a lower cost per acquisition since the baseline work was already done (can include a proposal or Site Visit or even designs were made) and you are able to move through your sales cycle fast and for a much lower cost. Retargeting actually has the potential to increase conversions by 10%.

 

 

Retargeting will help you open doors to re-engaging with these potential prospects already familiar with how you work. This can be done in 3 Simple Steps!

STEP 1:

The very first step to this will be to create a Lane specifically for such prospects (Can be the last lane on the dashboard called “Cold Leads”). This will help you keep a record of all such leads who enquired but didn’t go forward. 

STEP 2:

The next step to this will be understanding why they did not convert. You can also use the “Status” section in the customer’s profile to write why they didn't convert. The "Notes" section can be used to help you remember minute details about the customer and will also help you follow up accordingly and more strategically. Leads that do not convert to customers usually experience the following situations:

1. The Customer feels Solar is too Expensive even after considering Benefits
2. Lack of Confidence in Value of Solar 
3. Conflict of interest existing between Multiple Decision Makers
4. Uncertainty pertaining to changing Lockdown/Covid Restrictions
5. Sanctioned Load/ Net Metering Issues
6. Just Enquiring the Price, No Intention of Buying

Try and understand other such reasons that there might be and create your own list.

 

 

STEP 3:

Approach your Retargeting  journey by first acknowledging the main stages at which you can remarket to customers:

 

 

Situation: The Customer feels solar is too Expensive even after considering Benefits

Approach: If decision making is being  delayed due to price related issues:

• Follow up with them after a few months because there is a possibility that their financial situation has improved and they can make a decision now
• Approach such customers whenever there is a price drop/policy change in the brands(Panel, Inverter, UPS) that you use.
• Set up a task in each of these customer’s profiles to follow up after a few months.
• Are there any new approaches that you should offer that would help decrease the total amount?

 

 

Situation: Lack of Confidence in Value of Solar

Approach:

• Most solar companies tend to forget that there is still a considerable knowledge gap in the industry, especially among potential consumers. Share links of Blogs provided by Solar Ladder that will help the customer understand the importance of going Solar and how it will help them save a lot on the electricity bill etc.
• You can share Case Studies and Testimonials with these prospects via whatsapp or email every month to educate them about the reliability and longevity of going solar
• Set up a Task in each of these customer’s profiles to share the above mentioned information after a few months/days.
• In case you have done an installation nearby their location, it is always a good option to ask the customer if they want to have a look at that project or get reviews from those customers. This will solve the social proof part of it by leveraging reviews from previous customers and help them understand how everyone around them is switching to solar.

 

Situation: Conflict of interest existing between Multiple Decision Makers

Example Case: Consider a situation where you got an enquiry from a nearby Housing Society. They want the installation for the common areas shared by all the residents. There are a total of 4-5 members who will be involved in the final decision making. At each stage of the process, be it site visits or designing, there will be multiple opinions by each of these members involved. This can include a member saying that you are too expensive for them and that they know someone who is offering the same setup for a much lower cost. There can be another member who will never be satisfied by the designs you made or the quotation you offered. There can also be a member who is more than satisfied with everything that you are offering. Multiple people, multiple opinions. For such a situation you need to create a sense of credibility in the customer for you and create trust. The more involved they are, less likely are they to be critical of you because they are helping you create it.

Approach:

• Give Social Proof by Leveraging Reviews from previous customers and sharing Past Projects: Generate a webpage with all your past projects from the “Settings Page”. Click on “Get Shareable Link for Customers” and share the link with customers allowing them to see all your projects at multiple locations. This will help you create in them trust and credibility for you and your team 
• In case you have done an installation nearby their location, it is always a good option to ask the customer if they want to have a look at that project or get reviews from those customers. This will solve the social proof part of it by leveraging reviews from previous customers. - talk about the new projects you did meanwhile
• You need to communicate not only how your service works but also how it is better than all the other choices. This moves the needle from “my service can help you solve your problem” to “my service can help you solve your problem better than anyone else.”

 

Situation: Uncertainty Pertaining to changing Lockdown/Covid Restrictions

Approach :

While this situation may seem difficult at the moment, this might actually be your chance to get ahead of your competitors who may be using this time at home to relax and not think about work. You may be stuck at home, but so are your leads. Use this time to reach out to them and keep them warm and engaged for when things are back to normal. 

Generate proposals & quotations for everyone in your pipeline and follow up with them by phone or email. If you know when government regulations will relax, book meetings for after that date so you can get started right away. Use “Tasks” to set and assign reminders for yourself and your team to keep a check on the status of those same tasks. If things are still uncertain, continue to quote and chat as much as possible. 

You could even use this time to follow up with your coldest leads and see if anyone has reconsidered your proposal. Use the Re-targeting techniques mentioned to follow up with such leads and keep them engaged with your company. Do not forget to update the “Notes Section” for the progress made with each of these prospects.

 

 

Situation: Sanctioned Load/ Net Metering issues

Approach: 

If you are not engaging with the customer to help them sort out their sanctioned load/Net Metering issues, the least you can do is maintain active communication with them till they get it done. As soon as the issue is resolved you should be the first person they contact and proceed with and not other installers. To ensure this, the work that needs to be done on your part should be active and running. Utilise this time to do site visits, taking measurements, finalising designs and panel/inverter brands for/with them. 

 

 

Situation: Just Enquiring the Price, No Intention of Buying

Example Case: With such prospects who get in touch with you to just enquire about the subsidy options available or just want to understand the total cost of installation, in most of the cases it never really is just a “casual enquiry”. In the back of their mind, believe it or not, they are looking to/want to go solar. It is important to keep such prospects in your record, understand why they did not go forward and follow up with them accordingly. Some of the barriers to their decision making can be:

1. They are not willing to shell out money just yet
2. They find going solar to be expensive than what they can afford
3. Their residence is under Construction or Near Completion and they are just trying to shortlist potential installers
4. They do not understand the technology behind solar and do not understand how it will benefit them or be viable to them
5. They have heard or read about government subsidy plans but cannot figure it out
6. They are not able to figure out how the cycle of Pre-Installation, Installation and Post- Installation will work
7. They are cross checking with other local installers who will offer similar services for a lesser price

Lets go point by point on the potential ways of dealing with each of these situations.

Approach: 

1. Follow the Approach as mentioned for Problem 1
2. Follow the Approach as mentioned for Problem 1
3. They are right for not closing right away, construction will take many more months and it does not seem viable to them to close right away without surveying. Makes sense! Give them a quotation and maintain active communication with them. As soon as the construction is over you should be the first person they contact and not other installers. Active communication and involvement/engagement with them is what will ensure this.
4. Follow the Approach as mentioned for Problem 2
5. Give them the necessary information and tell them about the benefits of solar so that they dont think of it only in terms of subsidy but also how in the long term it will help them save on thier bills. Also follow the approach as mentioned for Problem 2
6. Follow the Approach as mentioned for both Problem 2 & 3 
7. Follow the Approach as mentioned for Problem 3

The end goal with these retargeting strategies is to position yourself as a company with a thorough knowledge of the industry and customer needs.