Day 5 Unpredictable Power Bill, Pullback

Pain Point/Solution 3
Zero Control
‍
Pain
  1. Ask a question related to the lack of control they have with the power company to get them engaged
  1. Introduce the idea of the power company having control over them through a bandwagon technique.
  1. Give them some sort of story, data or idea to paint a picture in their mind. Here are two Examples:some text
    1. What happened is that people began to conserve energy pretty seriously to stay out of the high usage tiers and avoid the high rates… Well to combat that, Edison made it so each and every household no matter the usage amount would pay those high rates in the busiest times so no one could escape it.
    2. Imagine if there was one person that owned all of the homes in the valley and we all paid rent to them. They increased rates as they wanted, made up random and unfair rules, and nobody could control it. It would seem unjust wouldn’t it? Well that’s what’s happening with electricity, but we’re so used to it that we don’t notice. Every homeowner has the ability to control their situation and take their power back.
    3. What most of your neighbors have mentioned is that if the power company decides to increase your rates by 30-40% tomorrow, you really don't have a ton of options, can you think of any? Your neighbor mentioned that really you only have two options at that point 1. You pay the 30-40% increase to your bill. 2. You don't pay the increase and they flip off the power.
Solution
  1. Explain how solar provides freedom from that control!
“The reason most of the neighbors liked the idea of solar is at that point you’re the boss, you control the price.   You don't have to worry about someone choosing to increase your monthly prices.”
“When did Edison force you guys to switch to the time of use program?” 
“I don’t know, maybe a year ago.”
“ It’s so crazy that they even have the ability to do that, you know? In fact, talking with your neighbors, that’s one of the biggest reasons they decided to finally drop the power company–they felt like they had no control over anything.  What happened is that people began to conserve energy pretty seriously to stay out of the high usage tiers and avoid the high rates… Well to combat that, Edison made it so each and every household no matter the usage amount would pay those high rates in the busiest times so no one could escape it. They add random taxes and fees! Have you noticed on your power bill all of the ridiculous taxes and fees hidden in there?” Oh yeah.”
“ I’ve seen it.”
“These are the kinds of things one can avoid if you control the power. And you can by having a little mini-power plant that powers your home through solar. Because you own it, and it’s completely separate from the power company, they can’t raise your rates, make you pay random taxes, or force you into their preferred programs.”
 
Pain Point/Solution 4
Unpredictable Power Bill
‍
There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to power bills. Every month is a different amount, every year there will be rate increases, and none of it is controlled or predictable. It seems that the average homeowner has just accepted this to be a part of life and doesn't have any issues with it. However that has only happened because they don’t know that there’s even another model they could be on.
‍
This pain point and solution can work either for selling loans or PPA/Lease. The solution that we are giving them is predictability with no surprises. Whatever finance product you are selling you are able to give the homeowner a schedule of payments for the next 25 plus years down to the cent. They will know exactly what their payments will be next year, in 5 years, 15 years and even 25 years. That comes as a massive value add if you present it correctly.
‍
Most power companies offer some sort of budget billing or equal pay program where they will calculate the last 12  months average and have the homeowner pay that estimated payment each month—making it somewhat easier to budget and stay more predictable. Some homeowners will use this as a rebuttal, but it’s important to note that each time the power company reevaluates the average they are not only playing catch up, but they are still getting hit with rate increases. The argument against budget billing is that we have something that’s truly predictable not just month to month but year to year. We have terms and expectations that we put in an agreement to where they can know without a doubt what they will be paying for the next 10, 15, or 25 years respectively.
‍
Here is a simple outline to help you navigate this pain point and solution:

Pain:

  1. Use a bandwagon about the neighbors being frustrated with unpredictability
  1. Nothing is planned out and there isn’t anything protecting you against future changes
  1. You don’t know what the price will be in future years and in most cases next month.

Solution:

  1. Predictable schedule that you agree to
  1. Everything in writing with no surprises
Example Dialog:
“A big reason your neighbors are finally hearing me out is because frankly they are frustrated with how unpredictable their lifelong subscription is with the power company. Nothing is planned out and there isn’t anything in writing protecting you against unexpected rate increases or tricky taxes and fees. You don’t know what your next months payment will be or even what it will be in 5, 10 or 20 years. With solar we put you on a schedule that’s in writing guaranteeing that your payment is predictable and exact down to the cent. You’ll know what next month’s payment will be, as well as 10, 15 or 25 years down the road. It makes it way easier to budget when it’s the same payment every month, and you know exactly what to expect each year.”
 
Pullback

Pullback

‍
Throughout our pitch it’s likely the homeowner may feel pressure and expectation from the sales rep to close. Nobody wants to be sold! They want to buy. And the only way anyone will feel that way is if we take the pressure off completely, we call this a pullback. When you pull back the customer should feel that decrease in pressure and help them open their mind to what you’ve told them. A buyer might like the product, but if the salesman is shoving it down their throat, naturally they might want to resist. Here are some examples of a pullback transition into a close:
  • Now the downside of my program is that not every home can qualify. We need your electric bill to be in a certain range and your roof to have certain angles. To give me an idea if you would be a good candidate for our program, how many kilowatt hours on average do you use per year? (Soft Close)
  • That is assuming that your home would check all of the boxes of course. Qualification for this project depends a lot on the usage of the home, sunlight hours, and a few other things. But to even see if this is worth your time and mine, on your power bill there’s a little graph that will let me know if this is even worth looking into for you. Do you get your power bills in the mail, or electronically through your email? (Soft Close)
  • Again, as of right now I can’t say for certain if your home would qualify for funding. There are a few cases that my energy specialist might even tell you not to do solar at all. My whole job is just to coordinate with you a better time he can stop by and see if this would be a good fit for you guys. When’s usually a good time to catch you at home? Afternoons or Evenings? (Soft Close)
  • *Pullbacks are used when you take a step back and use the phrase "Now I don't know if you qualify for our program, that's why I came over to see if you do" This will entice the customer to question, "Well how do I qualify?" If you can get the customer thinking this, you have done it correctly. The whole point in the pull back is as mentioned before, you take the pressure off and the customer doesn't feel like you are just there to sell them something.
 
Pulling back means that you’re adding a qualifier on your statement. Certain conditions need to be met in order to take the next step. Adding pull backs to your approach is not only smart, it is effective at creating intrigue. Customers typically want what they can’t have. When presented with two choices, human nature is to want the choice that isn’t available or what we can’t have—the forbidden fruit. It’s a built-in, innate force of defiance; the achievement of proving that people can get what they are told they can’t have. George Loewenstein, an American educator who studies the link between economics and psychology, is known for his “Information- Gap Theory,” which could help explain this behavior. According to Loewenstein, something significant happens when we feel a gap between what we know and what we want to know: curiosity hatches. As a result, we often feel the need to take action, to do whatever it takes to bridge that gap.
 
Some other phrases to accomplish the pullback:
  1. Unfortunately solar doesn’t work for everyone or you’d see it on every home in town. There’s a few things that would potentially disqualify you from being able to do this .
  1. Sometimes you don't get good enough sunlight hours on your roof top.
  1. You may not have enough space on the roof. ( step back and look at the roof to show concern or question of them qualifying)
  1. Or you may use way too much power for us to actually offset your usage.
  1. But thats why I Come around is too find out who is a candidate and who is not