The first call sells the survey. Not the price.
Sales development has one job on the first call: book a survey with a customer who understands why it matters. Here is how we set the process up so every dial is quick, every lead is qualified in rather than out, and price-only enquiries are handled without apology.
Most dials go unanswered. Make every one of them cheap.
In our experience, around two thirds of leads won’t pick up the first time you call. So most of a sales development rep’s day is spent dialling people who don’t answer, and the process for working leads has to match that: quick, consistent and light on preparation.
A CRM with the calling workflow built in, as Solarstack has, takes most of the clicking away. Whatever the software, the principle holds. Minimise the prep for each dial.
Three tabs, and only three
Keep three things open on screen: the CRM, the calendar and Google Earth. The CRM and calendar are in use on every call. Google Earth stays in the background until the customer gives an answer that calls for it.
or “on the ground”Take them at their word. Move on.
Set the rule for the most common case
Ask the customer how their roof is for space. Most people will tell you there’s space on the roof or on the ground. Take them at their word and keep going. If the customer seems unsure, that’s when you check.
Checking every roof before every dial would add minutes to calls that mostly won’t connect.
Qualify in, not out
We recommend qualifying in rather than qualifying out. There are still reasons to discount a customer from the process, but they should be the exception, not the starting point.
- Starts from doubt
- Looks for reasons to drop the lead
- Turns the call into a technical screening
- Starts from the interest the customer already showed
- Looks for the reason to book the survey
- Leaves the technical detail to the survey
Keep sales development and the survey separate
It’s important to separate the purpose of sales development from the purpose of the survey. In the first phone call, you are selling two things: the survey, and the company.
The customer doesn’t know any better, so it’s on you to explain what the survey is: their opportunity to have a free, no-obligation technical consultation, inside which we methodically work out the correct price for their house.
When the customer only wants a price
Some people will angle for a price over the phone. Push back on this, politely and clearly. A price is no good, and not even relevant, without a detailed survey of the house.
The survey should be framed, and run, as a process of discovery, because it is the only way to arrive at an accurate price. If your surveys don’t cover everything on this list yet, they should.
- Whether there’s an earth rod
- The likely cable runs
- Roof access, and anything else that could need additional pricing
- The condition of the fuse board
- Shading and orientation of the roof
If they keep pushing, let them go
What we sayWe have high standards as a company, and this is our process. It’s been designed so that you get the correct price as the outcome of the survey.
We don’t need to beg anyone for business.
Remember who you are calling. This person filled in a form and chose to register their interest. Solar is an unambiguously smart, economically sensible purchase. We don’t need to beg anyone for business, but we do need to be clear and direct in educating the customer on the process. People appreciate it.
What to check this week
Time between dials
Watch a rep work a block of leads and note what happens between calls. Anything that isn’t dialling, logging or booking is prep that can probably go.
Where connected calls end
Of the calls that connect, how many end in a booked survey and how many in a request for a price? The second number tells you how well the survey is being sold.
What the survey records
Pull the last ten survey reports and look for the earth rod, cable runs and access notes. Where they’re missing, the price was partly a guess.
Common questions
Should sales development qualify in or qualify out?
Qualify in. The customer has already filled in a form and registered interest, so the first call should look for the reason to book the survey rather than reasons to drop the lead. There are still reasons to discount a customer, but they should be the exception.
What should I say when a customer only wants a price over the phone?
Explain that a price is no good without a detailed survey of the house. The survey is a free, no-obligation technical consultation that establishes things like the earth rod, cable runs and roof access, which is the only way to arrive at an accurate price.
How much should a rep prepare before each dial?
As little as possible. Most leads will not answer the first call, so keep three things open, the CRM, the calendar and Google Earth, and only check the roof when the customer’s answer suggests you need to.