February 12, 2015 | By RGR Marketing Blog

Solar Sales Time Management 101

Did you know that the average salesperson only spends about 10% of their available time selling? Another 10% goes to prospecting, which is also crucial for healthy sales growth. Approximately 80% of their time is spent on administrative duties, travel, personal interactions, and problem solving. That’s a lot of time spent on duties that technically fall outside a sales professional’s wheelhouse.

Obviously, many of those tasks are also essential, but none has the capacity to put solar technology out into the world like actual selling. So how can you help your solar sales team optimize their time management and still make sure they take care of their peripheral duties?

When It Comes to Solar Sales, Prioritize!

Salespeople should devote most of their time to tasks that have the power to boost sales numbers. When they’re not selling, they should be prospecting for new clients, building rapport with existing ones and getting to know their needs better, honing their sales skills, or improving their knowledge base about how solar power works and how it can benefit customers. If your sales team is spending too much time on administrative duties, then it may be time to create a clerical position. Having full-time administrative support personnel can free up valuable sales time for high-yield goals.

Set Clear Goals for Your Solar Sales This Year

Good salespeople tend to set goals for themselves. After all, a commissioned sales job is one of the few fields where you can actually give yourself a pay raise. Still, it’s a smart idea to set goals for your sales staff; that way, expectations are clear. Your team members will always be able to track their progress, and there won’t be any surprises when it comes time for performance reviews. Not only that, but they’ll have something to strive for, and you’ll find that you’ll come a lot closer to meeting or exceeding your own goals for your solar installation company when you make those goals clear from the get-go.

Eliminate Busywork and Distractions

Some meetings are important for everyone in the company. Others are only crucial for a select few. Before requiring your sales team to attend a meeting or conference, make sure they actually need to be there. If not, let them do what they do best.

It’s also important to make sure your sales professionals have an environment where they can perform their duties at peak efficiency. It’s difficult to make successful sales calls when you’re being interrupted every few minutes. Work to eliminate distractions, and provide them with the tools they need to be productive.

You’ve Got to Know the Territory for Smart Solar Sales

If your solar sales team works out in the field, then a lot of time and money can be wasted on travel and fuel reimbursements. Instead of allowing them to drive all over the region on a daily basis, make sure they’re working one geographical zone per day. Less travel time wasted equals a more productive sales team.

Do the Math for Strong Solar Sales

You and your solar sales team undoubtedly have access to all manner of metrics. Zero in on the ones that matter. Do the math: Let’s say you have a monthly sales goal of $50,000 in profits per rep. if you’re closing 10% of all your prospects, and each close represents an average revenue gain of $5,000, then hitting your sales goal becomes a simple numbers game. Working 100 prospects per month should just about get you there.

[Photo Credit: Flickr]

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