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How to Master Referrals - Matt Crowther
101 Plays3 years ago
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Solarpreneur Podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level.
00:00:08
Speaker
My name is Taylor Armstrong.
00:00:10
Speaker
I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in a year and cracking the code on why sales reps fell.
00:00:19
Speaker
I teach you how to avoid the mistakes I made and bring in the top solar dogs of the industry to let you in on the secrets of generating more leads, falling up like a pro, and closing more deals.
00:00:31
Speaker
What is a solopreneur, you might ask?
00:00:33
Speaker
A solopreneur is a new breed of solopro that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve mastery, and you are about to become one.
00:00:42
Speaker
Okay, what's going on, solopreneurs?
00:00:45
Speaker
I'm super stoked for today's episode because we have someone that has been on the podcast, not one, but he's coming on for a second time now.
00:00:54
Speaker
So we got the one, the only Matt Crowther on.
00:00:56
Speaker
Hopefully you remember him.
00:00:57
Speaker
Matt, thanks for coming back with us on the show here.
00:01:00
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:01:01
Speaker
Hey, solarpreneurs, are you sick and tired of spinning your wheels every month and not seeing your cells increase?
Limited-Time Sales Diagnostic Offer
00:01:07
Speaker
Well, so was I. And the truth is, I was never able to improve it until I figured out what was going wrong.
00:01:14
Speaker
So that's why I'm excited to announce for a limited time, we are doing a free cells diagnostic.
00:01:19
Speaker
We'll break down your cells process.
00:01:22
Speaker
Figure out the holes in your business and see how we can help you improve.
00:01:26
Speaker
So at now, we have six bucks for this month.
00:01:29
Speaker
So book a call now.
00:01:31
Speaker
Don't miss out.
00:01:32
Speaker
What you're going to do is send an email to taylor at solarpreneurs.com.
00:01:37
Speaker
That's taylor at solarpreneurs with an S dot com.
00:01:41
Speaker
I'll send you out a calendar link and we will figure out the time that works best.
00:01:46
Speaker
So shoot that email and let's increase your sales.
Focus on Consistent Solar Sales
00:01:52
Speaker
Yeah, I'm excited for it, and it's been, what, two years now, I guess?
00:01:55
Speaker
Yep, two years since the last podcast that we did.
00:01:58
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, well, hopefully we can one-up the first one, but the first one was pretty good, so we'll see what comes out of this, but I'm excited.
00:02:07
Speaker
So what's new in the past two years, man?
00:02:10
Speaker
You know, just life has been a little bit busy, a little bit crazy, but all good things, and I'm
00:02:17
Speaker
going harder at solar than ever before lately.
00:02:21
Speaker
Well, yeah, I've been seeing you close deals galore and out there in the heat and see your little office check-ins every day out there in the office on the doors, right?
00:02:31
Speaker
Yeah.
00:02:32
Speaker
Well, you know, like the thing that's cool about door-to-door sales is that you're able to keep that consistency there.
00:02:41
Speaker
But then I also do quite a bit of referral business too.
00:02:45
Speaker
So I'm, you know, kind of doing half and half.
00:02:49
Speaker
And lately, especially the past year, like 2021, 2021, 2022, both years have been, you know, I would say pretty equal for the results that I've been getting even in the doors.
00:03:05
Speaker
you know knocking uh i'm in one zip code now for four years holy so i've just stayed there and it just keeps feeding more and more installs so yeah uh this year 20 out of the 40 installs that i'm at so far for this year are are from that little neighborhood wow that's crazy
00:03:27
Speaker
Yeah, that's something I've realized about you, Sunrun guys, is you tend to stay, is that kind of like a company thing, you think?
00:03:34
Speaker
Just stay in an area as long as possible.
00:03:36
Speaker
Well, it's like you stay put just because, especially with door-to-door, a lot of business is going to come later.
00:03:43
Speaker
It's going to come later on, like down the road, and so because of that, it's...
00:03:49
Speaker
It just, you become someone who they've never seen before if you're there six months or 12 months later.
00:03:57
Speaker
And in my case, like years later, I can say, hey, I was here before COVID and people are like, what?
00:04:04
Speaker
You know, so that's actually served me really well.
00:04:07
Speaker
And I'll have people that will finally just kind of say, okay, let's do it.
00:04:12
Speaker
It's almost like I just wear them down and tell them.
00:04:15
Speaker
The point where they finally say, okay, let's just do the solar thing.
00:04:20
Speaker
I remember, I can't remember me.
00:04:22
Speaker
We were talking about this at door to door con, but you told me someone that you had been to their house.
00:04:27
Speaker
I don't know.
00:04:27
Speaker
I think told me like six or seven times.
00:04:30
Speaker
You finally went back and you're like, look, man, almost every one of your neighbors have done this.
00:04:34
Speaker
I'll give you a thousand bucks.
00:04:35
Speaker
Let's just make this happen.
00:04:37
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:38
Speaker
The right story.
00:04:39
Speaker
Yep.
00:04:40
Speaker
That was that was on a cul-de-sac where literally nine out of ten of the neighbors had all gone with me.
00:04:47
Speaker
Yeah.
00:04:47
Speaker
In the cul-de-sac.
00:04:48
Speaker
So the whole cul-de-sac except for this one guy.
00:04:51
Speaker
And I just went and said, hey, man, literally nine out of ten of these houses switched to solar with me.
00:04:58
Speaker
So it's time.
00:05:01
Speaker
And gave him a big cash incentive, and he finally did it.
00:05:03
Speaker
That's awesome.
00:05:05
Speaker
That was a good streak for me.
00:05:06
Speaker
Yeah, that's good stuff.
00:05:08
Speaker
Well,
Career Reflections and Industry Insights
00:05:09
Speaker
no.
00:05:09
Speaker
So today, last episode, we talked, you know, your background and everything we got in your story.
00:05:14
Speaker
So if you want to hear Matt's background and how he came from Cutco and all that, go listen to his first episode and hear that.
00:05:21
Speaker
But today, I wanted to dive into, you know, just mindset, referrals with you.
00:05:27
Speaker
And I know you've, you get, what would you say percentage of your business comes from referrals right now, Matt?
00:05:33
Speaker
At this point, I would say it's 60 to 70%.
00:05:37
Speaker
I think per year, it kind of fluctuates.
00:05:40
Speaker
I just got to 700 installs in my career.
00:05:43
Speaker
Nice, congrats.
00:05:44
Speaker
So that was between multiple companies, because I've been in five states doing solar.
00:05:50
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:05:51
Speaker
know started in colorado and then went to new york then texas then arizona then california so uh i just like ran the numbers just today and i'm just over 700 uh in the past 10 years my 10-year anniversary is january of this upcoming year wow man you're like a old man jenkins and silver now forever exactly
00:06:17
Speaker
Yeah, and it's cool having that background and having so much...
00:06:23
Speaker
of the history of just seeing solar evolve and doing it in different markets.
00:06:28
Speaker
I think that that's really benefited me over the long term.
00:06:32
Speaker
Yeah, for sure.
00:06:34
Speaker
And something I wanted to ask you before we jump into kind of your referral stuff and gem on that is when we first did the podcast, you guys were Vivint Solar.
00:06:44
Speaker
Now, obviously, you're Sunrun.
00:06:46
Speaker
So I wanted to hear your perspective on that.
00:06:48
Speaker
What was it like going through the big change?
00:06:50
Speaker
Just a vivid solar to sun running.
00:06:53
Speaker
Was it rocky or I don't know, you got any juicy details or what was your experience with that?
00:06:57
Speaker
Yeah, no, it was definitely a, it was a transition for sure.
00:07:02
Speaker
You know, it definitely, I would say it took a little bit of a toll just, just on getting everything situated.
00:07:11
Speaker
But, you know, I think that, you know, one of the things I've learned from going to door to door con and these different events where, you know,
00:07:20
Speaker
there's all these different companies there.
00:07:24
Speaker
I'm just a fan of solar in general.
00:07:26
Speaker
I just want to help people win no matter what company they're in.
00:07:30
Speaker
And I think that when you kind of find the right group or you find the right culture, stick with it.
00:07:39
Speaker
Stay there.
00:07:40
Speaker
Don't be jumping around from company to company.
00:07:42
Speaker
And I did that for a number of years, but now I'm coming up on
00:07:46
Speaker
five, almost six years here, Vivint Solar, now Sunrun Direct.
00:07:51
Speaker
And I think that that's been a huge benefit, just, you know, staying put and you're able to just build something and, you know, not have to feel the, you know, okay, well, am I going to be here a year from now?
00:08:06
Speaker
And I think that that also really throws off just...
00:08:10
Speaker
you know, your momentum and your, your mindset when you're not sure if you're going to be there longterm.
Commitment to Company Culture
00:08:16
Speaker
So like, I know that's a little off topic, but I know a lot of people that they couldn't really handle the ups and downs and they ended up going to a different company or whatever.
00:08:26
Speaker
And that's fine.
00:08:27
Speaker
You know, there's,
00:08:28
Speaker
there's a ton of different solar companies and I think that there's a lot of successful solar companies.
00:08:33
Speaker
For me, I've loved the culture where I'm at and, and especially with my office, like building that team up and, you know, we've, we've got almost a hundred reps in our office in Riverside now.
00:08:45
Speaker
So it's, it's been cool, like helping that office grow and seeing it grow over the past several years.
00:08:52
Speaker
Yeah, 100%.
00:08:53
Speaker
And, yeah, like you said, I definitely agree with that.
00:08:57
Speaker
When you're jumping around, every time I've switched companies personally, there's always been this, like, usually two-, three-month period where I'm, like, kind of, like, on the fence.
00:09:06
Speaker
Am I leaving?
00:09:06
Speaker
Am I staying?
00:09:07
Speaker
What's going on?
00:09:08
Speaker
And every single time, my cells have suffered because of it just because it's, like, a mindset thing.
00:09:14
Speaker
It's like, I don't know.
00:09:15
Speaker
Like you don't have the full belief in the company you're selling with and all that.
00:09:18
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:19
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:20
Speaker
I did a training on this the other day.
00:09:22
Speaker
And I think that there's really just two things that it takes to be successful in solar vision and confidence.
00:09:29
Speaker
And, you know, like I think that's probably any sales job in general.
00:09:34
Speaker
But like.
00:09:35
Speaker
having a long-term vision as well as like a vision for what you want in your life, as well as confidence in yourself, in your abilities, and then confidence in your company and in the product that you promote and the company that you represent.
00:09:50
Speaker
Like all of that stuff adds up.
00:09:51
Speaker
And if you don't have those things completely dialed in, then you're never going to reach your full potential.
00:09:58
Speaker
You'll always be capped.
00:09:59
Speaker
Yeah, I agree for sure.
00:10:02
Speaker
So, yeah, I mean, for those listening, that's something to keep in mind either.
00:10:06
Speaker
I would say just probably we'd probably both agree on this, but either, you know, commit to the situation you're in and just make it better or, you know, get out and get in a new situation where you can have that full confidence and can go all in.
00:10:19
Speaker
Because if you're just sitting on the fence for months and months, I mean, I've seen reps do this for like a year where they don't know.
00:10:25
Speaker
totally like on the fence and they're not like confident in their company and then they barely produce so it's like either just leave and go all in and you know whatever opportunity you think is the best fit for you so yeah and there's also a ton that comes into committing right like when you're committed everything is easier your job is easier you
00:10:48
Speaker
your personal life, your life at home, all of that is easier because there's just not resistance.
00:10:56
Speaker
Where when you're kind of 50-50 and you're not fully committed to what you're doing and why you're doing it,
00:11:02
Speaker
that's where people start kind of thinking, oh, well, maybe there is a better opportunity or maybe this isn't for me.
00:11:10
Speaker
And solar is hard.
00:11:11
Speaker
Solar sales is very difficult.
00:11:14
Speaker
It's challenging.
00:11:14
Speaker
And even 10 years later, it still is hard.
00:11:17
Speaker
But it's one of those things that it's worth it once you figure it out.
00:11:22
Speaker
And I do quite a few interviews now where we're interviewing people, bringing people into our team.
00:11:29
Speaker
And I'll always ask people, like, you know, what's your long-term vision?
00:11:33
Speaker
Like, what do you really want?
00:11:35
Speaker
And then I'll say, well, this is probably going to be the hardest job you've ever had, but it'll also be the most rewarding job you've ever had if you can get to the good part.
00:11:44
Speaker
If you can push through the learning curve of the beginning to get to where it really starts picking up pace, that's where you get to life-changing money, life-changing opportunity.
00:11:57
Speaker
Yeah, I agree.
00:11:59
Speaker
Yeah.
00:12:00
Speaker
Definitely.
00:12:00
Speaker
Yeah, it's an awesome topic.
00:12:04
Speaker
You know, just sticking with it.
00:12:05
Speaker
And yeah, I think there's really, that I've seen, it's like anyone that fails is this.
00:12:09
Speaker
They're just the ones that quit.
00:12:11
Speaker
Exactly.
00:12:11
Speaker
And it's like, I mean, where else can you make this money besides selling drugs or something, you know?
00:12:17
Speaker
Literally.
00:12:18
Speaker
And I tell people that all the time.
00:12:20
Speaker
It's like,
00:12:21
Speaker
you know, it may not be this good forever, but I think that we've at least got three to five more years, maybe five to 10 more years where it'll be this good in California.
00:12:33
Speaker
And so,
00:12:35
Speaker
Not every state is going to have exactly what California has because California rates are just insane and they just get crazier and crazier with these rate hikes.
00:12:45
Speaker
But like anywhere that you're doing solar, there's opportunity.
00:12:49
Speaker
And anywhere that you really dig your feet into, you're going to be able to be successful.
00:12:54
Speaker
You just have to commit.
00:12:55
Speaker
Yeah, definitely.
Impact of Lender Rate Increases
00:12:56
Speaker
And something else.
00:12:57
Speaker
At the time we're recording this Q4 2022, you probably have heard, you know, rates going up with the lenders and all that.
00:13:05
Speaker
And I mean, I'm sure it's affected Sunrun a little bit, too.
00:13:09
Speaker
So what have you guys been noticing with that?
00:13:11
Speaker
Or have you had to adjust like sell higher or make any adjustments as these rates have been changing and everything?
00:13:16
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, a little bit here and there.
00:13:18
Speaker
Like, I'm primarily PPA for what I sell in the market.
00:13:25
Speaker
Like, I'll probably be about 20% loan and then 80% PPA.
00:13:29
Speaker
And I just, I think that the PPA in California is a great buy.
00:13:33
Speaker
And I think that it makes sense for people instead of taking on a loan, like a lot of times it
00:13:39
Speaker
really will fit what someone needs.
00:13:42
Speaker
And so that for me has been a game changer because I haven't really had to adjust much.
00:13:50
Speaker
Our escalator went up a bit just because of the rates and the Fed and all that stuff going up, but it wasn't anything drastic.
00:13:59
Speaker
So because of that, I didn't see this huge, massive change, which I'm super grateful for because I know that a lot of people did see that and they felt it.
00:14:07
Speaker
Yeah.
00:14:09
Speaker
I guess that is kind of an advantage of PPA.
00:14:12
Speaker
You don't notice those things as much.
00:14:14
Speaker
Yeah, exactly.
00:14:14
Speaker
Not seeing 2% interest rate jumps.
00:14:17
Speaker
Yeah.
00:14:18
Speaker
Yeah, cool.
Building a Strong Referral Program
00:14:19
Speaker
Well, Matt, and so let's jump into your referral stuff here.
00:14:21
Speaker
This is something that I want to be kind of the main nuggets here because you got some fire advice, some fire tips with getting more referrals.
00:14:32
Speaker
And I've personally used a lot of things that you've taught me just in our conversations.
00:14:37
Speaker
And so I'm excited to pick your brain on that.
00:14:39
Speaker
So do you want to lay it out?
00:14:40
Speaker
What is your referral process?
00:14:42
Speaker
Usually like how are you getting 60% of your deals as referrals?
00:14:45
Speaker
Yeah.
00:14:46
Speaker
So, you know, the thing that I always remind people about when it comes to referrals is that if you're not getting referrals, it's because you just haven't built quite enough trust.
00:14:57
Speaker
with the customer and probably it's because they don't really fully understand your program and what's in it for them.
00:15:06
Speaker
Like how that will actually, how that'll pan out for them and what it looks like because
00:15:14
Speaker
This is the main reason why my referral program is a little bit different than others is everyone knows that for most products, there's going to be a referral bonus, right?
00:15:26
Speaker
Everybody knows, hey, if you refer me to somebody, then you're going to get something.
00:15:31
Speaker
And it's almost with every product across the board, regardless of what it is.
00:15:35
Speaker
It might be a $50 gift card or it might be $200 or whatever.
00:15:40
Speaker
Like every company has something.
00:15:42
Speaker
And so I think that people are used to just, you know, they're used to getting a one-time gift.
00:15:50
Speaker
type of bonus, type of deal.
00:15:52
Speaker
So they know that that exists.
00:15:54
Speaker
They know that that's around.
00:15:55
Speaker
And so if your referral program is, hey, if you talk to someone, if they might be interested, then you'll get 500 bucks.
00:16:01
Speaker
So you'll get a thousand bucks.
00:16:04
Speaker
That's good, but not great because
00:16:09
Speaker
They're already used to that.
00:16:10
Speaker
Like my whole referral program is to find someone that I can work with long term over the next one to two or three years.
00:16:21
Speaker
And to build up really like a partnership together.
00:16:26
Speaker
So and and what I found is only about one out of 10 people that sign up for solar or that sign up with, you know, our program are really going to be interested in it.
00:16:38
Speaker
They're like only one out of 10 people will really run with me and really like want to get involved.
00:16:45
Speaker
But that means that I present the program to every single person.
00:16:51
Speaker
I plant the right seeds with people so that they understand, like, wow, if I send Matt 10 referrals, then I'm going to get a paid vacation.
00:17:02
Speaker
So that's, like, the biggest part of the psychology behind this is that,
00:17:08
Speaker
I don't want to get just one referral from someone.
00:17:10
Speaker
I want to get 20 referrals from someone to get to 10 installs.
00:17:15
Speaker
And I can build that up and really kind of like plant some seeds where I really go deep with people so that, and I do it with a vacation because it's something that everybody can relate to.
00:17:29
Speaker
And it's also something that everybody like
00:17:32
Speaker
Like think about it like this.
00:17:33
Speaker
I'll just kind of take you through my process.
00:17:36
Speaker
So when someone is, when someone's on an amazing vacation,
00:17:44
Speaker
they're usually in a better mood.
00:17:46
Speaker
They're usually kind of stress-free.
00:17:48
Speaker
They're not thinking about all their problems at home or whatever's going on in their life.
00:17:54
Speaker
They're just there.
00:17:56
Speaker
So what I'll do with people is I'll kind of just walk them through that.
00:18:01
Speaker
And for me, I love to travel.
00:18:02
Speaker
That's the reason I do solar and that's the reason I do sales.
00:18:06
Speaker
I've been to 38 countries now.
00:18:10
Speaker
Yeah, so 38 countries, I'm 34.
00:18:11
Speaker
So I try to check a couple off the list every year.
00:18:12
Speaker
My goal is to go to 100 countries before I die.
00:18:21
Speaker
So like, so like I'm on track, you know?
00:18:25
Speaker
And, and so I, and I'm not going to talk about the places I've been or the trips that I've been on with my customers.
00:18:33
Speaker
I'll basically just say, Hey, I love to travel.
00:18:35
Speaker
This is part of the reason why I created this program.
00:18:39
Speaker
But you know, the, the thing that I love about it and, and, and I'm cool with sharing this with anybody like with you, with, with, with anybody that really asks me because I,
00:18:50
Speaker
I believe in abundance.
00:18:51
Speaker
Like I would rather share all my secrets with someone and like see if they get something that really stands out to them and that they love so that then they can start implementing that and having more success.
00:19:04
Speaker
Because I think that creates good karma.
00:19:06
Speaker
I think that that sends something back to me.
00:19:09
Speaker
And so that's why I've always just shared whatever secrets I have.
00:19:15
Speaker
And so going back to kind of this process,
00:19:19
Speaker
I want to get people thinking about the best trip that they've ever been on.
00:19:25
Speaker
And maybe whoever's listening, you can kind of do this with me.
00:19:28
Speaker
So, and I'll actually role play with you.
00:19:32
Speaker
Okay.
00:19:33
Speaker
So, so that we can, you can like kind of feel the full effect of this.
00:19:37
Speaker
Okay.
00:19:38
Speaker
So, so Taylor, one of the things that, you know, is just a huge passion of mine is like traveling.
00:19:44
Speaker
And I love going to cool places, planning a really fun trip.
00:19:49
Speaker
Like that's, that's just a huge passion in my life.
00:19:52
Speaker
What, what are a couple of the cool places that you've been?
00:19:55
Speaker
Like, what are your favorite couple destinations that you've ever been to?
00:20:00
Speaker
uh yeah we went to cancun that was really sweet got to see the cenotes and stuff um uh i don't know my my cousin's house in texas it's got this sweet pool yeah nice yeah that's where we like going so any other places other than cancun
00:20:22
Speaker
We went Florida Keys.
00:20:23
Speaker
We went.
00:20:24
Speaker
That was really cool.
00:20:25
Speaker
Some key land pie.
00:20:26
Speaker
Tried 20 different key land pies.
00:20:29
Speaker
Nice.
00:20:29
Speaker
Okay.
00:20:31
Speaker
So tell me about Cancun.
00:20:32
Speaker
What made that trip so awesome for you?
00:20:35
Speaker
We stayed at this really cool resort.
00:20:37
Speaker
They just had all the food there you can eat and didn't have to worry about anything.
00:20:42
Speaker
And then also included all the retreats or whatever.
00:20:45
Speaker
We could go out to the cenotes.
00:20:48
Speaker
Did you do any snorkeling or anything?
00:20:51
Speaker
Yeah, excursions, snorkeling.
00:20:53
Speaker
Did you go to Chichen Itza?
00:20:56
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, that was cool.
00:20:57
Speaker
Saw those pyramids.
00:20:58
Speaker
Saw those pyramids.
00:20:59
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:00
Speaker
Yeah, and that's awesome.
00:21:01
Speaker
So that was one of your favorite trips.
00:21:04
Speaker
Where's a trip that you want to go to?
00:21:08
Speaker
I guess Europe.
00:21:09
Speaker
We've never been to Europe, so I don't know.
00:21:11
Speaker
That's probably something I'd want to do before I die for sure.
00:21:14
Speaker
Like a Europe trip maybe?
00:21:17
Speaker
Have you already thought about where exactly?
00:21:20
Speaker
Would it be a long trip, like a two-month trip, and you hit –
00:21:24
Speaker
five or six countries or something like that uh that'd be cool i've never done a trip that long but maybe like i don't know at least two weeks and hit quite a few places yeah and stuff in two weeks you could probably at least go to like two or three countries maybe four okay so you know yeah well and and the only reason i ask you that is because you know one of one of my passions is to like make a trip like that happen for you right
00:21:51
Speaker
Nice.
00:21:51
Speaker
And so, so with solar, you've seen so many people switch into solar, right?
00:21:57
Speaker
Like, have you noticed more solar in the past couple years?
00:22:00
Speaker
Oh, yeah.
00:22:00
Speaker
Just in your neighborhood.
00:22:01
Speaker
And definitely, they're kind of pushing that right now in California.
00:22:05
Speaker
And so basically, like,
00:22:09
Speaker
how this would work is if we start working together over the next year, the goal would be to help like one person a month to, to meet with me, talk about solar, see if it's a fit, if it looks good, if it's a good fit, then once they sign up and get their panels, um,
00:22:26
Speaker
then basically you're going to get a cash bonus for that.
00:22:31
Speaker
And then as we go at number 10, I'm going to pay for that vacation for you.
00:22:38
Speaker
Oh, that's pretty cool.
00:22:39
Speaker
Now, I won't maybe pay for the whole thing because if you're going for two or three weeks, but I'll pay, you know, basically up until about $5,000 for it.
00:22:50
Speaker
okay so and and and then i'll kind of talk about you know i've helped 13 people win one of these trips in california
00:23:01
Speaker
So out of hundreds of installs that I've had here, 130 came from 13 people.
00:23:10
Speaker
And actually even more than that.
00:23:12
Speaker
So that's the power of this process.
00:23:15
Speaker
Because like I said, only one out of 10 is going to really want to do this.
00:23:20
Speaker
Only one out of 10 is going to really be invested in it.
00:23:25
Speaker
But once you get them started,
00:23:28
Speaker
then it's almost like something you can't stop.
00:23:31
Speaker
And, you know, I'm happy to pay for that trip for them.
00:23:35
Speaker
Like, I'm super stoked for them.
00:23:38
Speaker
And, you know, I've got pictures from customers that went to Hawaii, to the Philippines, to Mexico.
00:23:46
Speaker
One went to Greece.
00:23:47
Speaker
you know, they've been all over like out of these 13 and and I've got two that are at number nine So I've got two more that they just need one more install to get to their trip So do you do you think that they're gonna stop?
Success Stories and Referral Milestones
00:24:05
Speaker
No Exactly and I remind them I say hey you got one more like let's let's we just gotta you know work with one more person, you know, so
00:24:13
Speaker
And that guy, his name is Paul, he has been working with me for three years, right?
00:24:19
Speaker
And we're still communicating.
00:24:21
Speaker
We're still texting.
00:24:22
Speaker
We're still, like, in contact because the power of this is that people will not forget about you if this is a real thing that you are offering to pay for their vacation, but also you're invested in it and they're invested in you.
00:24:39
Speaker
Right.
00:24:40
Speaker
So it becomes more than just like, hey, give me referrals and you'll get a bonus.
00:24:45
Speaker
It becomes like, let me help you go on this trip.
00:24:49
Speaker
Like, let me help you make this a reality in your life.
00:24:53
Speaker
And I got this one guy.
00:24:55
Speaker
He's at number six.
00:24:58
Speaker
So I have a list, and I keep track of all this.
00:25:00
Speaker
So the one thing about referrals, you have to be super organized.
00:25:03
Speaker
Yeah, for sure.
00:25:05
Speaker
And I think that that's most people's mistake is that they're not organized with referrals.
00:25:10
Speaker
So they just lose track of people, and they lose track of referrals, and they lose track of, you know, just like –
00:25:18
Speaker
I can give you examples of people on my team that they got a referral and then they reached out, no one answered, you know, and then they kind of gave up on that person after a week or two of not getting in touch with them where, like, that's a solid referral.
00:25:34
Speaker
And maybe they changed their mind, who knows what happened, but, like,
00:25:38
Speaker
I'll get in touch with, like, for example, I got a referral earlier this year, back in May.
00:25:44
Speaker
And I texted him, kind of got in contact, and then they were just super busy.
00:25:51
Speaker
And it just kind of was impossible to meet.
00:25:54
Speaker
We finally met last week.
00:25:56
Speaker
Right.
00:25:56
Speaker
Finally.
00:25:57
Speaker
And that was almost five months later.
00:26:00
Speaker
Right.
00:26:01
Speaker
So that's because it's in my system.
00:26:04
Speaker
It's organized.
00:26:05
Speaker
Like I'm not forgetting about that.
00:26:07
Speaker
And I'm keeping track of who I'm working with as well as my list of how many people have been sent from each person.
00:26:17
Speaker
referral especially my top people okay so when someone gets to five referrals that they've sent to me i'm going to make them a spreadsheet and i'm going to share that spreadsheet with them okay like a google spreadsheet so that they have the spreadsheet it's in their email they can access it and then also i can see it and i can like
00:26:38
Speaker
just screenshot it and i can text it to them and say hey just as a reminder you know you sent over seven people three are installed that means we need seven more for you to earn your trip yeah that's money and then i'm talking about where the trip is going to be so it's not just like some random vacation it is the trip to europe
00:26:59
Speaker
So they tell you that like when you're in the home?
00:27:01
Speaker
Okay.
00:27:02
Speaker
Yep.
00:27:03
Speaker
When I'm in the house sitting down with them, we're talking about that.
00:27:06
Speaker
And I'm going pretty detailed into it.
00:27:09
Speaker
Yeah.
00:27:09
Speaker
So we're going to talk about their first dream vacation that they've been on.
00:27:13
Speaker
Okay.
00:27:14
Speaker
puts them in a great mood, kind of gets them thinking about it.
00:27:17
Speaker
And then I'm going to say, what's on your bucket list?
00:27:20
Speaker
Where do you want to go?
00:27:22
Speaker
And this is what I've learned is it's not intrusive.
00:27:26
Speaker
So everyone will share this.
00:27:28
Speaker
Like everyone is happy to tell you where they want to go, what's on their bucket list.
00:27:34
Speaker
There's no weirdness.
00:27:36
Speaker
It's not like, whoa, dude, I don't know you like that.
00:27:39
Speaker
Yeah.
00:27:40
Speaker
It's not like overstepping any bounds.
00:27:42
Speaker
It's pretty much just the right amount of information.
00:27:47
Speaker
And people want to tell you about their dreams.
00:27:51
Speaker
They want to tell you about where they want to go.
00:27:52
Speaker
And so that's why I found that this works like a charm.
00:27:56
Speaker
Some people, they don't want to give you very much, and that's fine.
00:28:00
Speaker
They're not the one out of 10.
00:28:03
Speaker
They're not the 10% that's going to really run with this.
00:28:06
Speaker
And you just know that like nine out of 10 people are not going to be super about it.
00:28:11
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:11
Speaker
But then you're going to find the one.
00:28:13
Speaker
And and I've got one girl.
00:28:16
Speaker
Her name is Cynthia.
00:28:17
Speaker
And she's almost at 20 referrals.
00:28:20
Speaker
Oh, so she gets two trips after that or?
00:28:22
Speaker
Yeah, I double it for for the cash bonus.
00:28:25
Speaker
It's eight thousand for a number 20.
00:28:28
Speaker
And I've only had a couple people ever get over 20 in my whole career of 10 years.
00:28:35
Speaker
But like Cynthia, she's working on this with me.
00:28:39
Speaker
We are partners.
00:28:40
Speaker
And so I call it my referral partner program because it's not just like some random referral program where they just get some money here and there.
00:28:49
Speaker
It's like let's partner together forever.
00:28:53
Speaker
multiple years.
00:28:54
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:54
Speaker
Like, I don't want to just work with them once and then never hear from them again.
00:28:59
Speaker
I don't want to just sign them up, get paid, and then never talk to them again.
00:29:03
Speaker
Because guess what?
00:29:04
Speaker
They have solar on their roof forever.
00:29:08
Speaker
Like, as long as they live there, it will always be there.
00:29:11
Speaker
And so it's like this reminder and it's this billboard for us.
00:29:15
Speaker
Yeah.
00:29:16
Speaker
So many people, they just don't even follow up after install ever.
00:29:21
Speaker
They never talk to their customers.
00:29:22
Speaker
Like,
00:29:23
Speaker
If you have 100 installs with solar and you're not getting 20, 30 referrals every year just from those 100, then you are missing so much meat on the bone.
00:29:39
Speaker
You're not fully utilizing the resources that you have at your disposal, which our customers and our clients, they are our best resources.
00:29:51
Speaker
Yeah.
00:29:51
Speaker
Well, and I think like for me coming from pest control, a lot of the other door to door, it's just like quick sell slamming in and then you forget about it.
00:29:58
Speaker
Yeah.
00:29:58
Speaker
So for so many years, that's how I thought solar was too, is like just get a cell and then cross your fingers.
00:30:03
Speaker
They don't cancel.
00:30:05
Speaker
Don't talk to them after because it's like if you talk to them, maybe more objections will come up.
00:30:09
Speaker
Yeah.
00:30:09
Speaker
Right, and that's like the opposite with solar.
00:30:12
Speaker
And so I've done a couple things to make myself more available for people, and it is more time consuming for sure.
00:30:23
Speaker
Like people that get a lot of referrals,
00:30:26
Speaker
you don't understand how much time they're actually spending on those referrals as well as on the backend side.
00:30:34
Speaker
Because, so like for instance, my customer Cynthia, she literally has had a number of issues with her install.
00:30:43
Speaker
Nothing major, just little things that I've had to fix over the past three years.
00:30:49
Speaker
If I would have not actually fixed the problems,
00:30:54
Speaker
would I have ever gotten more referrals from her?
00:30:57
Speaker
No.
00:30:58
Speaker
No way, yeah.
00:30:59
Speaker
No way at all, never.
00:31:02
Speaker
So if you just ignore your customers and if a problem arises and you just say, I'm just gonna let customer service handle that,
00:31:11
Speaker
you're never going to get a referral from that person and it's not going to be long term and if you've started getting referrals then that stops right and so what i've learned is it holds my feet to the fire and it keeps me really honest so that i take care of my customers perfectly yeah any issues that they have i'm the one handling them nice and it's more time on my end but then
00:31:34
Speaker
more referrals come so it kind of like replaces the extra time that i'd have to spend knocking doors or whatever else to get those contacts to get the leads i'm able to really like work with just that one person handle their issues personally they never call customer service nice and then when they start getting checks
00:31:58
Speaker
that's where they're like, okay, this is real.
00:32:01
Speaker
When you drop off the first referral check to someone, that's when they're really gonna get excited to work with you.
00:32:07
Speaker
Before, it's all just like, okay, we'll see.
00:32:09
Speaker
And I tell stories, I tell first person and third person stories to help understand, to help them understand the program and what's gonna happen.
00:32:23
Speaker
So that builds a little credibility.
00:32:24
Speaker
But until I drop off the first check, it's just like, okay, we'll see.
00:32:30
Speaker
But once you drop off that first check and then check number two, three, four, five, as that happens, you're building more and more trust and credibility with every single time you pay that person for their effort.
00:32:47
Speaker
So that's part of kind of my process is like really build a strong relationship with the client and then it's almost like the vacation side of it, you kind of make yourself
00:33:01
Speaker
in irreplaceable part of their life.
Maintaining Customer Relationships for Referrals
00:33:03
Speaker
Like no one else is offering to pay for their vacation next year.
00:33:08
Speaker
Like no one else is doing that except for you.
00:33:11
Speaker
And so if you do it the right way, you'll become great friends with these people.
00:33:15
Speaker
And all of those customers that I've paid for their vacations, we really are great friends.
00:33:22
Speaker
And a lot of them, like I'll go golfing with them or we do dinners or whatever.
00:33:28
Speaker
like we i have a couple customers in my area that all stop by like and almost every week we're hanging out uh chatting like they're making dinner for me unexpected yeah i've seen that on your instagram and stuff yeah eating dinner people's houses yeah i post that stuff and it's just like it just happens it's
00:33:48
Speaker
It's random, but I want to stay a part of their life because people will forget about you if you don't stay on their mind.
00:33:57
Speaker
Definitely.
00:33:58
Speaker
And I've been able to learn how to stay on their mind and also like
00:34:03
Speaker
basically just stay as a part of their lives without overstepping any bounds and without like really making it weird just like it's like hey you know I want to work with you let's let's do this together it's it's awesome it's cool to see and then I tell stories about how it's happened with others and
00:34:24
Speaker
And so like someone that would maybe want to start doing this program, just you can use these stories, right?
00:34:31
Speaker
You can just say our customers, right?
00:34:34
Speaker
Or our clients, like solar as a whole, not even the same company, but like our customers have had this experience with this program, like that type of thing.
00:34:45
Speaker
And I'd love to see more people, you know, kind of utilizing something like this.
00:34:49
Speaker
I think it really,
00:34:51
Speaker
really does make a difference of how you view your business.
00:34:55
Speaker
And it also like keeps you more committed because I know that like there's not an amount of money that could be offered me to change companies at this point.
00:35:06
Speaker
Because if I did that, I would be violating the trust of all of these referral partners that I have where it's like,
00:35:15
Speaker
hey, you know, I thought that you were there.
00:35:18
Speaker
Now it's like a different company would happen.
00:35:20
Speaker
Like, so I want to have total consistency in my life and total consistency in my business.
00:35:26
Speaker
And that's where people and my customers are able to say, wow, okay, cool.
00:35:31
Speaker
Like I can trust this guy.
00:35:32
Speaker
Yeah, that's so cool.
00:35:34
Speaker
Well, yeah, no, it's so cool how you can just build this long-term relationship and really serve them.
00:35:39
Speaker
And if you ever had it happen where it's like someone wasn't a referral partner and then they had an issue come up, you solve the issue super quick, super efficient, and then after that they start giving you referrals after that.
00:35:51
Speaker
Has that ever happened?
00:35:51
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:35:53
Speaker
That is actually how a lot of my top people became referrals
00:35:59
Speaker
So what I call is my A-team.
00:36:01
Speaker
My A-team is the people that either are on track for getting to their vacation, to getting to 10 installs, or they already hit it.
00:36:14
Speaker
Right.
00:36:15
Speaker
So, so I've probably got about 10, 15 people that are on the way that are over five installs under 10 installs.
00:36:23
Speaker
And then I've got a lot of people that are like less than five, but more than two.
00:36:29
Speaker
And so I have a list of all this that I keep track of, but my a team, I am constantly like, I'm constantly following up with the people on my a team.
00:36:40
Speaker
And the,
00:36:42
Speaker
And so, yeah, some people, they'll become part of the A-team because, so they don't send me a referral for a year, let's say.
00:36:50
Speaker
Or we're just not really working a lot together.
00:36:52
Speaker
And then something happens, I solve a problem, fix an issue, and then all of a sudden they send me five referrals because they're like, I can trust this person.
00:37:01
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:02
Speaker
That's awesome.
00:37:02
Speaker
It's all about trust, right?
00:37:04
Speaker
There's a great book, The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey.
00:37:08
Speaker
And that book, it talks about just like how much power trust actually has in business and how much power, especially like in this type of business, because it's very competitive, right?
00:37:20
Speaker
There's a ton of competitors in our market.
00:37:24
Speaker
And so you have
Advantages of Warm Referrals
00:37:25
Speaker
to stand out.
00:37:25
Speaker
You have to do something different.
00:37:27
Speaker
And that's kind of, and then the other thing is when you are referred to people, that appointment, you're getting all this trust just right from the get-go.
00:37:38
Speaker
Right.
00:37:38
Speaker
Right.
00:37:38
Speaker
If like people who are listening, you can think about an appointment or a sales presentation that you've been to that was a referral.
00:37:47
Speaker
When you walk into that door, it's a warm door.
00:37:50
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:51
Speaker
Right.
00:37:51
Speaker
It's a warm appointment compared to like a cold door.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:55
Speaker
A hundred percent.
00:37:58
Speaker
Ask yourself, what would you be willing to pay to have all of your doors warm?
00:38:04
Speaker
What would you be willing to pay to have all of your appointments as warm appointments or warmer at least?
00:38:12
Speaker
And that's where you're getting so much trust from the get-go just because their friend referred them to you.
00:38:21
Speaker
And then they're going to refer other people to you because that's what happened with them.
00:38:25
Speaker
So it becomes something that it just kind of cycles.
00:38:27
Speaker
Like I've got one person that I am like 11 layers deep where, and I can see if I can remember this, Lou referred me to Dion.
00:38:40
Speaker
Dion referred me to Andrew.
00:38:42
Speaker
Andrew referred me to Paul, and then Paul referred me to Joe.
00:38:52
Speaker
It literally goes about 11 layers deep, and then Joe referred me to 10 people.
00:38:58
Speaker
Right, so Joe's actually on my A team, and Lou is too, but like, it basically like, Joe's friends and family, they trusted me so much, those were easy sales.
00:39:12
Speaker
When I showed up, they were like, okay, sign me up.
00:39:14
Speaker
Like, Joe told me that I should do this, and that it's like a no-brainer, so just, yeah.
00:39:20
Speaker
And literally, one of those appointments was like 10 minutes.
00:39:23
Speaker
They didn't even want to hear anything.
00:39:25
Speaker
And they got installed a month later.
00:39:28
Speaker
And I was like, okay.
00:39:30
Speaker
And I usually would want to explain a lot more and still go into it just to secure the sale.
00:39:38
Speaker
So one more thing that I'll tell you is in the whole process, you're building credibility and you're building trust throughout this whole process.
00:39:52
Speaker
I'm going to get referral names the first time that I'm meeting with them, but I'm not going to even reach out to those people until after install.
00:40:01
Speaker
All right.
00:40:02
Speaker
Until after their friend is installed, and I'll say something like this, hey, I want to make sure that everything goes perfectly with your solar.
00:40:11
Speaker
No issues.
00:40:12
Speaker
Just make sure that it's all exactly what you want.
00:40:15
Speaker
I lived up to all the promises that I made and that –
00:40:18
Speaker
It's just an easy process, right?
00:40:20
Speaker
So I'm going to make sure that all of that happens.
00:40:23
Speaker
And then your mom, who you mentioned, was looking into solar.
00:40:28
Speaker
Let her know that I'll reach out to her a little bit later.
00:40:31
Speaker
And so then I'm going to follow up after install.
00:40:35
Speaker
Because I don't want to get 20 numbers on that day because there's nothing to do with them at that point.
00:40:43
Speaker
I want to follow up with them after install.
00:40:46
Speaker
their friend is installed so that they don't mess with that install.
00:40:51
Speaker
Because there's all sorts of stuff that can happen where their friend goes and says, hey, no, you should do it this way or this way.
00:40:58
Speaker
Or an uncle says, no, you definitely shouldn't do solar, solar, stupid.
00:41:01
Speaker
Like, there's just all sorts of stuff that can happen.
00:41:05
Speaker
And I want to protect everybody.
00:41:07
Speaker
that sale all the way up until install.
00:41:09
Speaker
So I'll get five names or 10 names, or I'll have a list that I make for myself during the appointment, but I'm not going to actually contact those people until after install.
00:41:22
Speaker
Okay.
00:41:22
Speaker
Interesting.
00:41:23
Speaker
Because I want to make sure that everything is smooth.
00:41:27
Speaker
And then I'll call all five of them the week of install.
00:41:32
Speaker
Right.
00:41:33
Speaker
Hey, just to let you know your friend, they just got their panels installed.
00:41:36
Speaker
Just wanted to reach out, give you some info, let you know kind of how this works.
00:41:40
Speaker
Okay.
00:41:40
Speaker
Yeah.
00:41:41
Speaker
Cause yeah, we were talking just before the recording and that's something that I've been doing is just getting the names and texting them.
00:41:47
Speaker
But I was telling you, I haven't had a ton of success sometimes just cause one night.
00:41:51
Speaker
Yeah.
00:41:51
Speaker
I've even had it happen to where they like block the cell.
00:41:54
Speaker
We're like, Oh no, we went with this company.
00:41:56
Speaker
You check them out before you do anything, before you sign, right after they just signed.
00:42:01
Speaker
I'm like, no, you just signed.
00:42:02
Speaker
Don't be like... Well, and that's what I'm saying.
00:42:06
Speaker
That's kind of a rookie move with, and not saying that that's like...
00:42:11
Speaker
Most people with referrals, they just don't know the process of how to do it the right way, especially with solar.
00:42:17
Speaker
Because this is a one to three month cycle for solar.
00:42:22
Speaker
So because of that, you've got to be super patient.
00:42:25
Speaker
And the patience looks like
00:42:28
Speaker
hey, I'm going to do a great job taking care of you just to let you know there's a thousand solar companies out there, tons of different options that you can go from, but no one is going to take better care of you than I will.
00:42:38
Speaker
Nice.
00:42:38
Speaker
And so I'll say things like that to just, you know, and I'll even say, yeah, and even, you know, other companies will offer different prices, different programs, stuff like that.
00:42:49
Speaker
Just know, like, you're in good hands here.
00:42:51
Speaker
You're getting taken care of.
00:42:53
Speaker
This is a great program.
00:42:55
Speaker
and I'm going to be working with you long-term.
00:42:58
Speaker
You're not going to find another person like me out there.
00:43:01
Speaker
And there's a thousand different companies out there that you could choose from.
00:43:04
Speaker
I know that no one's going to be working with you the way that I will.
00:43:08
Speaker
So you say things like that to just build confidence in you because you,
00:43:14
Speaker
They can read a review of your company and then cancel because of a review, but that rarely happens with me because I'm letting them know, hey, you're working with me directly.
00:43:27
Speaker
You don't call customer service if you have a problem.
00:43:29
Speaker
You call me.
00:43:30
Speaker
This is my cell phone.
00:43:31
Speaker
I will always answer your call and take care of everything that happens.
00:43:36
Speaker
It causes for me to work a lot more with the customer service issues and those type of
00:43:43
Speaker
problems, but when I fix the problems, then I get more referrals.
00:43:48
Speaker
So it actually keeps the pipeline flowing and it keeps volume coming because I'm just constantly there for my customers.
00:43:59
Speaker
And like I said, it's one out of 10 that are gonna be my top key players, the people on my A-team.
00:44:06
Speaker
And so I don't need every single person to be like my dynamite referral partner.
00:44:12
Speaker
I just need one out of 10.
00:44:13
Speaker
So half of it's a numbers game, but just know when you wait to reach out until after.
00:44:21
Speaker
Because once people are installed, they're going to defend their decision.
00:44:27
Speaker
Right after they sign...
00:44:29
Speaker
with you they're still kind of like we'll see right maybe if you're really good they're they're totally set up and like there's no change in their mind but most people they're still a little skeptical right and so that's why i don't want any friends or any people talking to them about it other than what i'm already telling them to expect right
00:44:53
Speaker
So that's why I'm going to reach out after install because then if their friend says, hey, you know, you really shouldn't do it that way, they'll say, no, no, I thought about it.
00:45:03
Speaker
Like, this is how I want to do it.
00:45:04
Speaker
It's a great way.
00:45:05
Speaker
Now they're defending their decision because it's done.
Strategy for Referral Base Building
00:45:08
Speaker
It's installed.
00:45:10
Speaker
They really, you know, they're just not going to go backwards.
00:45:14
Speaker
But if you do it before, that's where they're going to be like, oh, well, okay, maybe show me what you got with this other company or whatever.
00:45:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:45:23
Speaker
So be patient.
00:45:25
Speaker
Like, that's the biggest thing about referrals is you've got to be super patient with it and know that it's a long-term thing.
00:45:33
Speaker
But it's so cool seeing the whole thing play out where – because if this is your career, like, if solar is what you want to be doing long-term, this is your career path.
00:45:45
Speaker
then you can build this over your first two years.
00:45:50
Speaker
No problem.
00:45:52
Speaker
You build it for two years, and then you're set up for the next four to five years.
00:45:57
Speaker
It's totally worth those investments that you put into the referral business for what's going to come later.
00:46:05
Speaker
Yeah, that's fire.
00:46:07
Speaker
Yeah, and yeah, I love that, you know, sincerity you're talking about after the deal, just saying, hey, and like almost bringing up that, yeah, there are a thousand different companies, but I'm going to take care of you better than anyone.
00:46:18
Speaker
Just because I think at times I've just like tried to just push the side and tried to make them think, oh, we're the only company you can't get this from anywhere else.
00:46:26
Speaker
And then sometimes they talk to someone.
00:46:28
Speaker
They're like, oh, wait, other people are doing this type of program too?
00:46:30
Speaker
Okay.
00:46:31
Speaker
Then, yeah, maybe I should look into other options.
00:46:33
Speaker
Well, and this is the thing.
00:46:35
Speaker
Like, people don't buy your company.
00:46:38
Speaker
They buy you.
00:46:39
Speaker
Right.
00:46:40
Speaker
And that's the thing is, like, you've got to sell yourself.
00:46:43
Speaker
Right.
00:46:44
Speaker
And really be the only option because there is only one of you.
00:46:51
Speaker
And if you're real and authentic and people can sense that and they can feel it, now you're getting to a new level with them.
00:47:00
Speaker
Now you're going from the salesman.
00:47:04
Speaker
to human being you're going from the salesman and client to two friends yeah right and and you only get there by by breaking the you know basically breaking down the wall every person that you meet with uh in the beginning is going to have their wall up they're going to have their guard up and you've literally got to break through that wall by essentially really being authentic and
00:47:33
Speaker
being real and helping them feel comfortable working with you and talking with you and becoming friends with you compared to just getting the sale.
00:47:43
Speaker
So many people, they sell on a very shallow level.
00:47:47
Speaker
And I usually would prefer to go to a deeper level with people.
00:47:53
Speaker
And that's partly why I use this vacation model is because
00:47:58
Speaker
Like, that's kind of personal, but not that personal.
00:48:01
Speaker
Right.
00:48:02
Speaker
So they're opening up about something personal in their life that they wouldn't tell most people, but they're totally fine with talking about it.
00:48:09
Speaker
For sure.
00:48:11
Speaker
So when you do that, you're going to automatically be able to start going to a deeper level with them.
00:48:17
Speaker
And people don't cancel on their friends.
00:48:19
Speaker
Definitely.
Overcoming Company Reputation Issues
00:48:20
Speaker
If it's a friend and they really like you and they want to support you and it's not just like, oh yeah, this random guy knocked on my door and I don't even know who he is or whatever.
00:48:32
Speaker
It's not even about like...
00:48:33
Speaker
talking all about your family and about who you are in your life.
00:48:38
Speaker
It's just about being a real person.
00:48:40
Speaker
Yeah.
00:48:41
Speaker
Well, yeah, and I think that prevents canceling because, like, I don't know.
00:48:45
Speaker
I've worked for companies where sometimes they have negative reviews and all that, too, and it's like, okay, if you can make them look at you as a person,
00:48:53
Speaker
Like, hey, look, you see all these negatives?
00:48:55
Speaker
That was because it was a new rep or whatever.
00:48:58
Speaker
But if you're like, hey, you're working with me, it's not going to happen because, look, all those experiences were with someone else.
00:49:05
Speaker
They're not about me, right?
00:49:06
Speaker
Exactly.
00:49:07
Speaker
And so I think that's another thing.
00:49:08
Speaker
It's huge in preventing cancellations.
00:49:10
Speaker
And having personal reviews about yourself, right?
00:49:15
Speaker
So I have a few little reviews or references or, you know, little reviews
00:49:22
Speaker
things that were written from customers that they either sent me or they posted in reviews and and i'll show people hey this is this is what people have said about working with me yeah so it's not about the company it's about you and and when people can trust you now they don't have to second guess it because they're like oh well yeah he's going to take care of me and and you you really need to stand behind what you say yeah right and that's why like
00:49:51
Speaker
My process doesn't work for everyone because if everyone is not that dialed in and that committed to where they're going to be long term, then some of what you're saying might not be fully true.
00:50:03
Speaker
And you might be at a different company in a year, which isn't really fair to them.
00:50:09
Speaker
So that's why I always just tell people, like, stay where you're at.
00:50:13
Speaker
Be, you know, be committed and dig your feet in where you're at because you're going to thank yourself in five years or in 10 years.
00:50:21
Speaker
Because, yeah, the type of money that we make in solar is it's crazy money.
00:50:29
Speaker
it gets fun when when you get really good at this job i know well yeah and what about um so you talked about organization um and that's probably been my biggest struggle like you're saying and i know a lot of people struggle with the organization part so what do you do are you creating like a spreadsheet for each customer how do you like you're like putting it all in the notebook or how do you like keep track of all these and stay organized yeah
00:50:52
Speaker
So basically, I have a Google Doc, a Google spreadsheet for all of my top referral partners that have sent more than five people to me.
00:51:03
Speaker
Some of those people I haven't talked to for a year or two.
00:51:06
Speaker
And they're not my key players.
00:51:08
Speaker
And I'll text them and try to kind of light the flame again here and there just to kind of revitalize it.
00:51:15
Speaker
But...
00:51:16
Speaker
You know, I'm going to work with my top people.
00:51:19
Speaker
And right now I've got about 30 referring partners, 30 people that are referring business consistently.
00:51:27
Speaker
I would say that's every week to every month, 30 people.
00:51:32
Speaker
And then there's another, you know, probably 15 that are like here and there that have sent one or two.
00:51:39
Speaker
But yeah, so I'm nearly about 50, 55 total that are sending business to me.
Organizing and Communicating with Referrals
00:51:46
Speaker
And they're just all in that Google spreadsheet and Google Docs is, or I guess it's Google Sheets is super easy.
00:51:53
Speaker
It does it by the last one that you opened.
00:51:57
Speaker
So like the ones that you're working with the most will be at the top.
00:52:00
Speaker
Okay, of that list.
00:52:02
Speaker
So each one has their own individual.
00:52:04
Speaker
Yep.
00:52:04
Speaker
So you have like hundreds of spreadsheets in there at this point?
00:52:07
Speaker
A hundred.
00:52:08
Speaker
A hundred?
00:52:08
Speaker
Yeah.
00:52:09
Speaker
Yeah.
00:52:09
Speaker
And it's just they're there.
00:52:11
Speaker
And then the top most used ones, I'm going through them.
00:52:15
Speaker
And those are just at the top of the list.
00:52:18
Speaker
So there's that.
00:52:19
Speaker
And then I also take a note of all of the new referrals that come in every week.
00:52:24
Speaker
I have a week by week note of referrals received and appointments set.
00:52:31
Speaker
And that's on the doors and referrals.
00:52:33
Speaker
So every week I have a running...
00:52:36
Speaker
running list and that basically just helps me not lose track of people.
00:52:42
Speaker
And I write the date that I received the name and the referral and then I text them.
00:52:48
Speaker
So we were kind of talking about this earlier but
00:52:52
Speaker
Sending a text message, I have found, is the best way to reach out to these referrals.
00:52:57
Speaker
So after you receive a referral, or like in this case, after the neighbor is installed or the friend is installed, that week you're sending the text message to their friend.
00:53:13
Speaker
And basically I'll say something like this.
00:53:17
Speaker
Hey, Lauren, it's Matt from Sunrun.
00:53:21
Speaker
I'm friends with Dave, and he told me that I should reach out.
00:53:25
Speaker
Could we connect for five minutes for a quick phone call today?
00:53:29
Speaker
Does this afternoon work, or is it better after 6 p.m.?
00:53:32
Speaker
Nice.
00:53:33
Speaker
That's it.
00:53:33
Speaker
So you're not calling any people, just a single text like that?
00:53:36
Speaker
I'm texting them just that.
00:53:38
Speaker
Okay.
00:53:38
Speaker
Because it's super easy for them to respond.
00:53:41
Speaker
You want to keep things incredibly easy, especially with brand new people that you're reaching out to.
00:53:46
Speaker
So I literally will typically get a, sure, tonight works.
00:53:53
Speaker
Okay.
00:53:53
Speaker
And then, like, and sometimes I won't get any response.
00:53:57
Speaker
And if I don't, I'll text them once more in three days.
00:53:59
Speaker
Okay.
00:54:00
Speaker
And then if I don't get any response, then the next week I'm texting the person that referred me to them.
00:54:08
Speaker
And I'm going to go back to him and say, hey, Dave, just to let you know, I reached out to Lauren.
00:54:13
Speaker
She didn't get back to me.
00:54:14
Speaker
Maybe just check in with her and just see what's going on and if it's cool if I reach out again today.
00:54:21
Speaker
Oh, okay.
00:54:22
Speaker
So I'm never bombarding my referrals or, like, calling or texting way too much.
00:54:27
Speaker
I have a system around that, and it's all – it's just, you know, it's in your phone.
00:54:31
Speaker
So you can see when you texted those people.
00:54:34
Speaker
And what this – and, like, even –
00:54:37
Speaker
even with Cynthia, she just sent me, she sent me someone who I was talking to at the beginning of this year.
00:54:46
Speaker
So that was almost eight months ago.
00:54:48
Speaker
And she kind of went back to her after a phone call with me.
00:54:52
Speaker
So me and Cynthia were like, hey, what's going on?
00:54:53
Speaker
What's new?
00:54:55
Speaker
Like, what are we working on right now?
00:54:56
Speaker
And so like, we're literally like, it's almost like I'm working with her just the same that I work with people on my team.
00:55:03
Speaker
Just kind of like, hey, what's in the pipeline?
00:55:06
Speaker
And so,
00:55:07
Speaker
She went back to her friend and got her on board.
00:55:11
Speaker
And that person that I texted months ago never responded.
00:55:16
Speaker
And then I texted her yesterday and she said, yeah, next week works for a meeting.
00:55:22
Speaker
And I was like, okay, cool.
00:55:23
Speaker
What day?
00:55:24
Speaker
Wednesday.
00:55:25
Speaker
All right.
00:55:25
Speaker
Wednesday could work.
00:55:26
Speaker
I I'm available after seven.
00:55:28
Speaker
Okay.
00:55:29
Speaker
7 PM.
00:55:29
Speaker
Send me your address.
00:55:31
Speaker
Address sent appointment done.
00:55:32
Speaker
Wow.
00:55:33
Speaker
Like,
00:55:34
Speaker
And that was just, that was a 10-month wait on that referral.
00:55:40
Speaker
But, like, I wasn't stressed about it.
00:55:42
Speaker
I wasn't thinking about it.
00:55:43
Speaker
It was on the list for her spreadsheet.
00:55:46
Speaker
But it wasn't, like, something that was keeping me up at night.
00:55:49
Speaker
And so...
00:55:51
Speaker
The best way to do it is to really be, you know, having a good relationship with your referral partner.
00:55:58
Speaker
Yeah.
00:55:58
Speaker
Because that person is the person that's going to get them on board.
00:56:02
Speaker
I would rather just get one from them that's solid and responds to me and sets up an appointment than 10 phone numbers.
00:56:10
Speaker
Okay.
00:56:12
Speaker
Right?
00:56:12
Speaker
Yeah.
00:56:13
Speaker
Because then I can start with the one, get that one done.
00:56:17
Speaker
They trust me as I'm going through the process.
00:56:20
Speaker
Once I meet with them, hey, Dave, just to let you know, I met with Lauren.
00:56:23
Speaker
It went awesome.
00:56:24
Speaker
She signed up.
00:56:26
Speaker
I'll keep you posted on the next couple steps.
00:56:29
Speaker
So then Dave is like, I can trust this guy.
00:56:32
Speaker
I'm confident in his ability to do this.
00:56:35
Speaker
And then they'll either start, you know, either sending more people over or after it's installed and they get that check, then they're like, okay, this is a process.
00:56:45
Speaker
Like he is good at doing this.
00:56:48
Speaker
It's organized where most people, they like, they don't even like text their referral person back.
00:56:55
Speaker
They don't even like let them know what's going on.
00:56:57
Speaker
Yeah.
00:56:58
Speaker
I let my people know every single step of the way.
00:57:01
Speaker
And so it's not annoying.
00:57:03
Speaker
It's like, hey, let me go to work for you.
00:57:06
Speaker
That's how it feels.
00:57:07
Speaker
That's the vibe.
00:57:08
Speaker
It's not like, hey, I am excited to get paid for getting these referrals installed.
00:57:16
Speaker
It's like, no, let me go to work for you.
00:57:18
Speaker
I'm going to be doing all the heavy lifting and then you're just going to get the checks once they sign up.
00:57:24
Speaker
Yeah.
00:57:24
Speaker
Okay.
00:57:25
Speaker
So you're not just asking for like, hey, give me all your friends, neighbors, phone numbers.
00:57:30
Speaker
You're like just saying, hey, only send me someone who you talk to and it's like, exactly reaching out to him.
00:57:35
Speaker
I would rather them have a list for themselves first.
00:57:40
Speaker
And they're working their own list without sharing it all with me.
00:57:44
Speaker
I don't need that.
00:57:46
Speaker
I'd rather them have a list of 20 people that they're working on, and then they send me one when they're ready.
00:57:54
Speaker
And every time they send me one, that person is golden.
00:57:59
Speaker
And so instead of me getting 30 phone numbers from somebody, I'm just going to get one solid name, which turns into an appointment that day.
00:58:08
Speaker
And then, like, they trust me and the trust and credibility just keeps building.
00:58:15
Speaker
And then from there, now they've sent 10 people to me.
00:58:18
Speaker
And now we're in business.
00:58:20
Speaker
Now we're working together.
00:58:21
Speaker
And now they're going to start opening up more and more opportunities in this referral partnership.
00:58:28
Speaker
Okay.
00:58:29
Speaker
Yeah, that's really cool because, yeah, I mean, I was telling you I've been doing the opposite and just getting the names, phone numbers, taking it down.
00:58:35
Speaker
Hey, most people do it that way.
00:58:38
Speaker
And it's not horrible and sometimes it works out, but this is just so much more effective because it's your time.
00:58:45
Speaker
Way more efficient.
00:58:46
Speaker
Way more efficient.
00:58:48
Speaker
And I would rather not even think about someone that isn't ready to meet with me and me chase them.
Coaching and Patience in Referral Relationships
00:58:56
Speaker
I don't want to text or call someone 10 times when they really aren't even interested in it.
00:59:03
Speaker
And they don't even know what they're interested in.
00:59:05
Speaker
And that's why the process of what you're actually going through with people, it's more like
00:59:13
Speaker
You're basically just letting your referral partner know, hey, don't give them a ton of details.
00:59:19
Speaker
You don't have to go into all the ins and outs of how this works.
00:59:23
Speaker
All that you have to do is say, hey, meet with my guy.
00:59:27
Speaker
I trust him.
00:59:28
Speaker
It's a really cool program.
00:59:30
Speaker
He'll explain everything to you.
00:59:33
Speaker
That's it.
00:59:34
Speaker
That's good.
00:59:34
Speaker
So I'm coaching them to know exactly what to tell their friends so it's not like a weird...
00:59:42
Speaker
well, how does this work?
00:59:45
Speaker
If someone asks that type of question, I'll tell my referral partner, hey, if they ask you something specific, how does it work, all those details, just say, hey, I don't work for the company.
00:59:57
Speaker
Talk to him, he's super laid back.
01:00:00
Speaker
He'll answer all your questions.
01:00:02
Speaker
No pressure.
01:00:02
Speaker
Like if you like what you see, great.
01:00:04
Speaker
It's easy to sign up.
01:00:06
Speaker
Like it's not a hard process.
01:00:09
Speaker
And then if you don't, no worries.
01:00:10
Speaker
Then you've got a bunch of info and he's laid back.
01:00:13
Speaker
Like zero pressure.
01:00:14
Speaker
Nice.
01:00:15
Speaker
And that's exactly how I tell him.
01:00:17
Speaker
And that's exactly how I am.
01:00:18
Speaker
Like because if someone isn't ready, like after I meet with them, then it's fine.
01:00:22
Speaker
They've got more info and they might call me back later.
01:00:25
Speaker
And yeah.
01:00:28
Speaker
I value the referral relationship.
01:00:31
Speaker
That, for me, is more important than the person that I just met with because that person is going to keep sending more business.
01:00:38
Speaker
So even if one doesn't pan out, but I get 10 more from that person, I would rather...
01:00:45
Speaker
Really value and respect.
01:00:48
Speaker
I'm treating everybody with respect that I meet with, but I'm never going to be pushy with someone that I get referred to because that can come back to the person that referred you.
01:01:00
Speaker
like that referred, that that can come back to the referral partner.
01:01:04
Speaker
And they're like, exactly, I'm not gonna keep sending business to him because he's way too pushy.
01:01:10
Speaker
Right, so you have to be extra careful and extra like chill with it.
01:01:14
Speaker
And even, you know, I have,
01:01:16
Speaker
Couple referral meetings that I did earlier this week that I didn't close on that day.
01:01:21
Speaker
And they're thinking about it for a week or whatever.
01:01:25
Speaker
And so many people, they never, ever will get those sales where I'll get them like 50 plus percent of the time.
01:01:33
Speaker
Because there's already trust in the referral relationship.
01:01:37
Speaker
And because I let them know, hey, just to let you know, this is laid back.
01:01:41
Speaker
No pressure.
01:01:42
Speaker
I usually give people a little bit of time to think about everything because it's
01:01:46
Speaker
And this is the other thing.
01:01:47
Speaker
I only care about the install.
01:01:50
Speaker
I don't want to just sign up someone for the program and then them cancel in one week or three days or two months.
01:01:59
Speaker
Like I would so much rather just not even sign up that deal in the first place.
01:02:05
Speaker
Because all that I'm worried about is the install.
01:02:09
Speaker
And so that's why I'll give people more time.
01:02:11
Speaker
And you'd be surprised.
01:02:13
Speaker
I've got quite a few people that they'll call me even a week, two weeks later and say, hey, I'm ready now.
01:02:19
Speaker
Wow.
01:02:20
Speaker
That's awesome.
01:02:21
Speaker
Because, yeah, that's completely backwards.
01:02:22
Speaker
What most industry thinks they're just like throw it against the wall, push them as hard as you can.
01:02:27
Speaker
And then it sticks, it sticks.
01:02:29
Speaker
Like most people are like, yeah, they don't sign right now.
01:02:31
Speaker
I'm never getting this deal.
01:02:33
Speaker
And it is opposite for
Mindset and Personal Growth
01:02:35
Speaker
me.
01:02:35
Speaker
And that's because my whole process has been about like being laid back.
01:02:40
Speaker
and being patient with the program and patient with people because you just got to trust the process.
01:02:48
Speaker
We sell a product that everybody needs.
01:02:51
Speaker
Everybody needs and wants to save money.
01:02:55
Speaker
And every single person we sign up is going to save money.
01:02:59
Speaker
Yeah.
01:03:00
Speaker
And especially in California, other states, not quite as much savings.
01:03:04
Speaker
But, like, that's the beauty of solar is that the product itself is a no-brainer.
01:03:12
Speaker
And so you just have to be the right person, help them get through their own objections, get out of their own way, and kind of, like, be the person that's kind of helping nudge them along in a very chill way.
01:03:27
Speaker
Yeah.
01:03:28
Speaker
I don't know.
01:03:29
Speaker
I think that being laid back is something that's undervalued in this business.
01:03:33
Speaker
And...
01:03:34
Speaker
you know, even when I'm door knocking, I'm pretty laid back and I'll have multiple touches before I'll even get someone signed up, but I don't have very many cancellations from signing to install, but I give people a ton more space before.
01:03:47
Speaker
So they're so comfortable working with me.
01:03:49
Speaker
Yeah.
01:03:50
Speaker
Well, another benefit to that too, I think it's just mentally.
01:03:52
Speaker
Cause like, if you have all these cancels, like I had a month a while back where I had five cancels in a row and
01:03:59
Speaker
And I was like beating myself up over it and just like, you know, affected everything.
01:04:04
Speaker
So sometimes I think that definitely is, there's something to be said about just doing more touches.
01:04:10
Speaker
And that's the whole, you know, 50 doors a day.
01:04:15
Speaker
Like I always preach this.
01:04:18
Speaker
And it doesn't have to be 50 doors.
01:04:20
Speaker
It can be 50 text messages, 50 pitches, whatever.
01:04:24
Speaker
Like, whatever you're doing, you need to be doing enough of it so that the volume is there.
01:04:31
Speaker
And that's why, like, when someone is...
01:04:34
Speaker
really enjoying the flexibility and the autonomy of this job too much i think that they're missing it yeah because consistency is what creates real success and high level success not just like middle of the pack success but number one in your company type of success yeah and you know i my biggest install year was 97 installs
01:04:58
Speaker
Haven't broke 100 yet.
01:04:59
Speaker
I know you did 130 that one year.
01:05:03
Speaker
Yeah, I was getting a lot of leads, though, too.
01:05:05
Speaker
Yeah, you were getting leads.
01:05:06
Speaker
You did 97 all, door knocking.
01:05:08
Speaker
Yeah, that was 97.
01:05:11
Speaker
Which is fine, but I'm excited to break 100.
01:05:16
Speaker
That's my goal, and really 130 is my goal to break.
01:05:21
Speaker
And I think I can do it this upcoming year.
01:05:24
Speaker
It's just the job is all about consistency.
01:05:28
Speaker
Right.
01:05:29
Speaker
One more door.
01:05:30
Speaker
That's all you need to knock is one more door.
01:05:32
Speaker
Like at the end of the night when it's 7 p.m.
01:05:34
Speaker
and you're tired and you haven't had any sales like one more door.
01:05:38
Speaker
And a lot of times that last door is a sale.
01:05:42
Speaker
It's like it's crazy how that happens.
01:05:44
Speaker
And it's because like that's the law.
01:05:47
Speaker
of consistency like there's literally these universal laws and when you put you know i always say you can't cheat the grind but the grind always pays right like it always pays the the grind sees your effort and you're going to get rewarded for that in some way
01:06:06
Speaker
Yeah, well, I don't know if you follow Ed Milet, but he just wrote his book, Power One More, and that's like the whole book.
01:06:12
Speaker
It's just based off of that concept.
01:06:14
Speaker
I'm like, man, this might as well be a book about door knocking because it's like especially in our job.
01:06:19
Speaker
Yep, One More Door.
01:06:20
Speaker
So much applies for sure.
01:06:22
Speaker
Yep.
01:06:23
Speaker
Well, Matt, I know we spent a lot of time on referral, and that's my fault because I have a ton of questions around it.
01:06:28
Speaker
No, that's awesome.
01:06:29
Speaker
But, yeah, so before we kind of start wrapping up, I know we didn't get a ton of time to jam on, like, the, you know, the...
01:06:38
Speaker
self-discipline and some of the other things you're really good at as well.
01:06:42
Speaker
But here, last question I had with referrals, and then we can kind of start wrapping up here.
01:06:47
Speaker
Sure.
01:06:47
Speaker
What's your system around just like following up with your people that had given you the referrals?
01:06:55
Speaker
Like, do you text them once a week?
01:06:56
Speaker
Is it every day you're reaching out to someone?
01:07:00
Speaker
Do you have like a time block every single day you do this?
01:07:02
Speaker
Or what's your system around that?
01:07:04
Speaker
Yeah, I would say it's once a week.
01:07:08
Speaker
And there's not really any specific time.
01:07:10
Speaker
Like, my system is kind of silly, but, like, I literally will just throughout the day I'll write down –
01:07:22
Speaker
in my text messages, I'll just, I'll have drafts that are just saved that I won't finish.
01:07:27
Speaker
And then at the end of the day, I go back and I, and I send all of those text messages that I made drafts for.
01:07:35
Speaker
So like if I had 15 people that I was following up with for referrals, either referral partners or like people just, just kind of checking in if I don't hear from a referral for a week or something like that,
01:07:49
Speaker
basically I'll send those text messages at the end of the day.
01:07:53
Speaker
So I take about 30 minutes to like send all of those messages between probably 8 and 8.30 just to be up to date for the day.
01:08:02
Speaker
Okay.
01:08:03
Speaker
And that's like once a week you said or every day?
01:08:06
Speaker
Well, it's pretty much every day that I'm sending those, but like it's on a weekly rotation, right?
01:08:12
Speaker
Like I want to be –
01:08:15
Speaker
on my customers minds yeah and so i'm following up with my top people weekly yeah and and even if it's just checking in like you never want to be annoying you never want to be someone that is like just pestering people but for me it's always worked just to just to follow up and just i know quite a bit about these people which
01:08:36
Speaker
I take a lot of notes in my appointments, so I'll go back and revisit it and follow up on things they're interested in.
01:08:44
Speaker
Even just chatting about sports and stuff like that.
01:08:47
Speaker
I'm not huge into watching sports, but I know enough to be conversational about it.
01:08:54
Speaker
Yeah.
01:08:54
Speaker
I'll follow up with people, hey, how's your team doing this season, dot, dot, dot, like whatever.
01:08:59
Speaker
Just whatever I can do to stay on their mind, I'm following up and touching base with them, and then I'm keeping them on track with their list.
01:09:09
Speaker
So I'll remind them, hey,
01:09:10
Speaker
Just to let you know, I talked to your friend, dot, dot, dot.
01:09:14
Speaker
I didn't hear back from this person this week.
01:09:17
Speaker
Might be time to just check in with them just to see if they're ready to talk to me.
01:09:22
Speaker
Okay.
01:09:23
Speaker
So it's kind of like something you'll send in just...
01:09:26
Speaker
conversational type thing and then this second or third text will just be like a little check in on how their referrals are going with them yep okay and and and this builds with time right like this is something that you're going to build these relationships over time with people yeah okay that's awesome and then like um say someone um has told you in the deal you close the deal and then they're like oh yeah i'm at i want to win this trip that'd be awesome i'll send you some people after you know they install
01:09:55
Speaker
So how do you just go to, how do you go to like getting referrals?
01:09:58
Speaker
Do you show up to the install and then get them then?
01:10:00
Speaker
Or like when do you start actually getting names from them typically?
01:10:04
Speaker
That's a really good question.
01:10:06
Speaker
So basically I'll start getting names from them actually during the sit down.
01:10:12
Speaker
And I do it as part of my process to help them understand that they are excited to go solar.
01:10:20
Speaker
And I help them understand that by
01:10:23
Speaker
When they're giving me names and talking about friends that don't have solar yet and starting to really think about that, that means they've already decided to do solar for themselves.
01:10:35
Speaker
Yeah, true.
01:10:37
Speaker
So I let them kind of think about it and all ask questions like, who do you know that has a huge swimming pool?
01:10:44
Speaker
Who do you know that has a really high electric bill?
01:10:47
Speaker
Who do you know that is like the social butterfly that knows everybody?
01:10:52
Speaker
Yeah.
01:10:52
Speaker
Like that's the person that I really want to meet with.
01:10:55
Speaker
And that's the person that is going to really benefit from this program, especially.
01:11:00
Speaker
So I'll ask those questions.
01:11:03
Speaker
I'll write down the names.
01:11:05
Speaker
So I usually try to get three to five names per appointment.
01:11:09
Speaker
Okay.
01:11:10
Speaker
And then I'm going to be reminding them like throughout the process, then after install, I'll
01:11:16
Speaker
I'll stop by, I'll talk to them and I'll have the names like that I already looked at on the drive over.
01:11:22
Speaker
Okay.
01:11:23
Speaker
So I'm not even like pulling open my phone and saying, Hey, tell me about, uh, Denise.
01:11:27
Speaker
Like I'm just, just naturally while we're talking during that check-in during the install, I'll say, Hey, so I remember there was Denise, there was, uh, there was Jim and then there was, you know, whoever, um,
01:11:42
Speaker
Did you have a chance to chat with them about the solar yet?
01:11:45
Speaker
Okay, cool.
01:11:46
Speaker
So let's do this.
01:11:49
Speaker
Why don't I reach out to them?
01:11:50
Speaker
I'll shoot them a text message either today or tomorrow, and I can just get in contact with them to start setting up something, you know, in the next week or so.
01:11:59
Speaker
Okay.
01:11:59
Speaker
And then you'll tell them, so, hey, can you let them know I'll be reaching out to them?
01:12:03
Speaker
Yep.
01:12:03
Speaker
Okay.
01:12:04
Speaker
Yep, exactly.
01:12:05
Speaker
And if they haven't talked to them at all, I'll say, reach out to them first, and then I'll follow up with you about this, like, tomorrow or the next day, just to check and make sure that you talk to them.
01:12:18
Speaker
Okay.
01:12:18
Speaker
Okay.
01:12:19
Speaker
Because I never am going to reach out to someone that has not already been prepped by their friend.
01:12:24
Speaker
Because, like I said, I would rather wait for a month for that person to be fully prepped than to just, you know, basically...
01:12:35
Speaker
not have that extra advantage.
01:12:40
Speaker
One other thing I wanted to add on the referral side is for people that are just starting, they're just getting into solar, they're just either starting door knocking or they're starting with a company and they're like, I have zero installs.
01:12:55
Speaker
Just know you can build this pretty quick with two, three, four, five installs with your first deals.
01:13:05
Speaker
And it just comes to planting seeds.
01:13:08
Speaker
That's the key is like plant a ton of seeds and tell a ton of these stories, even stories that you like heard from me or that you hear from your manager, whoever, like just share those stories with people to help them understand.
01:13:23
Speaker
And even if you're brand new, still say, yeah, I do a lot of referral business.
01:13:27
Speaker
Like that's, that's the main way that we get business.
01:13:29
Speaker
Yeah.
01:13:30
Speaker
Even if you're kind of like faking until you make it, you're going to get so much more response from people where they're like, oh, wow, okay, cool.
01:13:39
Speaker
So this is like a referral thing.
01:13:41
Speaker
Exactly.
01:13:42
Speaker
Tons of people are looking into solar right now.
01:13:44
Speaker
If you talk to 10 people, guaranteed half of them either already have solar.
01:13:48
Speaker
or they're thinking about it right now.
01:13:51
Speaker
So, you know, this is a hot topic right now.
01:13:54
Speaker
And that's why I get a ton of referrals.
01:13:56
Speaker
You know, I'm actually going to be able to help you make extra money, you know, and then I'll add one other thing.
01:14:04
Speaker
I'll calculate how much their bills are gonna be with us per year, right?
01:14:08
Speaker
Whatever their monthly bill is, I add that up over 12 months.
01:14:13
Speaker
So let's say it's 2,500 bucks for the full year.
01:14:16
Speaker
And it's a, you know, whatever, they're saving 50% or they're saving 40% off their bills.
01:14:22
Speaker
I'll say, hey, so just so you know, you know, once you have your panels, that's about what you'd pay per year.
01:14:29
Speaker
We can cover all of that with referrals in the next year easily.
01:14:35
Speaker
That's two or three people.
01:14:37
Speaker
That's just two or three people that sign up.
01:14:39
Speaker
Do you think that in the next year we could find a couple people that want to save money and are also open to looking into solar and would meet with me?
01:14:48
Speaker
Most likely, yeah.
01:14:49
Speaker
So I'll help them understand, I want to cover all of your electric bills.
01:14:54
Speaker
I want to cover all of it and pay for your vacation coming up in the next year.
01:14:58
Speaker
Wow.
01:14:59
Speaker
So I could kind of layer those couple things to help them understand, like, we're going to be working together long term.
01:15:05
Speaker
This is going to be something that is going to be a real huge extra benefit in their life.
01:15:12
Speaker
Yeah.
01:15:12
Speaker
You know?
01:15:13
Speaker
And I'm not, like, shoving it down their throat.
01:15:15
Speaker
It's just, it's casual and it's,
01:15:18
Speaker
you know it's polished i've practiced it so many times that it just sounds like oh okay cool yeah that three people for sure i could definitely come up with a couple people that that would at least sit down and talk with you yeah yeah it's super powerful i love that
01:15:33
Speaker
And what about, like, do you ever do, like, add-ons?
01:15:36
Speaker
Because I know, for example, I had a deal just a few weeks ago.
01:15:40
Speaker
They gave me all these names, which I wasn't obviously not doing it your way yet.
01:15:44
Speaker
But they gave me all these names of people, and then we did the whole group texting.
01:15:49
Speaker
They introduced me, and it was like six or seven of them already said they had solar.
01:15:54
Speaker
So for you, I don't know if you get that a lot where, like, oh, I can think of some people.
01:15:59
Speaker
They might have solar.
01:16:00
Speaker
They might not.
01:16:01
Speaker
Do you encourage them to still reach out and then do you try to do add-on systems?
01:16:06
Speaker
Because I know about you, but out here, a lot of people have had solar for a while, but they need more panels up there.
01:16:12
Speaker
So is that part of your referral business right now?
01:16:14
Speaker
Yeah, no, I'll for sure do add-ons, but...
01:16:19
Speaker
you know, like I kind of said, on the group texting side, that's just like adding too many variables.
01:16:24
Speaker
You know, we talked about that a little bit.
01:16:26
Speaker
I just think that the one person text and just keep it simple to get a short call on the schedule.
01:16:34
Speaker
That's the easiest way to do it.
01:16:36
Speaker
When you add the extra variables of like a group text, even referral partner,
01:16:42
Speaker
you and the person that's referred over can kind of like just get a little weird.
01:16:48
Speaker
If they don't respond and then like the person's like, hey, did you see this message?
01:16:52
Speaker
It's like, it's just a little bit weird.
01:16:55
Speaker
It's best to just get the one message that you're in control of and then you can go back to the referral partner to get them to respond to you.
01:17:04
Speaker
Okay.
01:17:04
Speaker
So it kind of works a little bit better.
01:17:06
Speaker
But for sure, add-ons, and if they have solar already, I'm going to become their solar guy.
01:17:14
Speaker
Nice.
01:17:14
Speaker
Unless they are, like, working directly with someone that they are talking to all the time.
01:17:19
Speaker
Yeah.
01:17:20
Speaker
Which is, like,
01:17:21
Speaker
like hardly hardly ever hardly ever so all the mac brother exactly i'll become their new solar guy which is like now i can generate a referral relationship with that person and they already have solar for years so like i'll kind of do it that way and i i've actually had quite a few people that became like referral partners yeah not top partners but like they for sure started sending business over and
01:17:48
Speaker
That was something that they just kind of fell in my lap as a referral that already had solar.
01:17:52
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome.
01:17:54
Speaker
Well, cool, man.
01:17:55
Speaker
Well, I know we went super long on referrals and yeah, I love all the values shared with that.
01:18:00
Speaker
Awesome.
01:18:01
Speaker
And so just to wrap up, we won't dig too deep just because we've already gone over time here, but I know we were going to talk about kind of mindset.
01:18:08
Speaker
You've done Ironmans.
01:18:10
Speaker
You've got a ton of mental toughness.
01:18:13
Speaker
One of the toughest solar guys I know for sure in the industry.
01:18:16
Speaker
So just as we wrap up here, can you share some, I don't know, advice
Personal Mantras and Overcoming Challenges
01:18:19
Speaker
for that?
01:18:19
Speaker
Maybe people are struggling with having like positive mindset or pushing through doing that one more door.
01:18:25
Speaker
anything you've learned that's super valuable as you've done, like your Ironmans and, you know, speak on that.
01:18:30
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely.
01:18:32
Speaker
So the one thing that I'll share just kind of as we wrap up is you've got to understand that everything worth doing is going to be hard, right?
01:18:44
Speaker
Like,
01:18:45
Speaker
I honestly don't think that there are very many people out there that are super successful that had an easy journey to get there.
01:18:53
Speaker
I think that maybe a couple people just got really lucky, but as a whole, 98% of the people that are very successful that you'd want to be at their level of success, they had a very hard journey to get there, and they had to overcome a lot of obstacles.
01:19:12
Speaker
Okay.
01:19:12
Speaker
And so for me, and I did that full Ironman about two years ago.
01:19:18
Speaker
It was a crazy experience.
01:19:20
Speaker
It was in Cozumel, Mexico, and 13 and a half hours for that Ironman, for the full Ironman.
01:19:27
Speaker
And that was actually like a pretty good time for someone's first Ironman that they did.
01:19:33
Speaker
And I had a mantra that helped me through that race.
01:19:40
Speaker
And even while I was training for it, and I use this actually in my job, I use it on the doors.
01:19:47
Speaker
It's something that literally I think about all the time.
01:19:50
Speaker
So you've got to have positive affirmations that help you push through the hard times, especially because in solar, it's a hard job, right?
01:20:00
Speaker
And especially if you're knocking doors, it's a job that you have to be hungry and you've got to have that right mindset.
01:20:08
Speaker
So I say four things, and it's these lines that really helped me through that Ironman race, especially like the last few hours of it, just when my body was just done, as you can imagine.
01:20:26
Speaker
And it's this, anything is possible.
01:20:29
Speaker
I am unstoppable.
01:20:31
Speaker
I can do hard things.
01:20:33
Speaker
Never give up on my dreams.
01:20:34
Speaker
Wow.
01:20:36
Speaker
And it's like this affirmation helped me, and I just said it again and again for hours.
01:20:43
Speaker
Anything is possible.
01:20:45
Speaker
I am unstoppable.
01:20:46
Speaker
I can do hard things, never give up on my dreams.
01:20:50
Speaker
And it's like...
01:20:51
Speaker
never let yourself like just give up on what you really want in your life.
01:20:56
Speaker
Like understand that you're capable of anything.
01:21:00
Speaker
And you know, that belief, like that internal belief that you can do anything really will give you the strength to go for it.
01:21:09
Speaker
Right.
01:21:10
Speaker
And, and you know, I can do hard things.
01:21:12
Speaker
I say that all the time.
01:21:13
Speaker
If I'm going through something hard, it's like, I can do this.
01:21:16
Speaker
I can do hard things.
01:21:17
Speaker
Right.
01:21:17
Speaker
you know, I made for this and like, never give up on your dreams.
01:21:22
Speaker
It's so important to never, ever like justify why you can't do something.
01:21:29
Speaker
Like there's anything is possible literally.
01:21:32
Speaker
And, and this,
01:21:33
Speaker
This has kind of become a mantra of my life, and it's like that I am unstoppable, that unshakable spirit.
01:21:39
Speaker
It's so important to understand that, like, you've got to have a bulletproof mind, you know, no matter what.
01:21:46
Speaker
It's like – and I watch a lot of the Avenger movies and superhero movies.
01:21:51
Speaker
I love that stuff.
01:21:52
Speaker
Even, like, Shazam, and he's, like, bulletproof.
01:21:55
Speaker
And, like, the first time that he, like, realizes that he's bulletproof, you know, it's just –
01:22:02
Speaker
getting to that point where mentally you're bulletproof.
01:22:05
Speaker
Nothing can penetrate that mindset.
01:22:07
Speaker
Nothing can penetrate that belief that you have in yourself.
01:22:10
Speaker
Yeah.
01:22:11
Speaker
And if you can really, like, create that and then nurture that mindset, it's game changer, right?
01:22:20
Speaker
And you do it through a morning routine.
01:22:24
Speaker
You do it through, you know, really having positive thoughts that are going through your head, getting rid of the negative thoughts and focusing on the positive things.
01:22:34
Speaker
And then on top of that, like,
01:22:36
Speaker
watching the right type of material, reading good books, listening to audio books.
01:22:42
Speaker
All of that stuff adds up.
01:22:44
Speaker
Everything counts.
01:22:46
Speaker
And it all adds up to something that creates this person.
01:22:51
Speaker
You know, I love David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me.
01:22:55
Speaker
Like that book was game changer for me.
01:22:57
Speaker
I read it a couple years ago.
01:22:59
Speaker
And, you know, that book like just really showed me that, you know, no matter what you want, you can do it.
01:23:06
Speaker
And, you know, you're way stronger than you even think you are.
01:23:10
Speaker
And you learn that through practice.
01:23:12
Speaker
And then you learn it through repetition.
01:23:13
Speaker
And then you learn it through affirmations, saying the right stuff to yourself, having the right mindset.
01:23:20
Speaker
And then all of that really creates this person, this unshakable, bulletproof mindset.
01:23:28
Speaker
So that's...
01:23:29
Speaker
I guess that's my final thought about it.
01:23:31
Speaker
I love that.
01:23:32
Speaker
Well, yeah, and you were getting coached by Iron Cowboy himself, right?
01:23:35
Speaker
Yeah.
01:23:35
Speaker
James Lawrence.
01:23:36
Speaker
Yeah, I did.
01:23:37
Speaker
No, yeah, no, I agree 100%.
01:23:39
Speaker
Like, just by following people like that, you know, listing the books.
01:23:43
Speaker
Yeah, I watched the Iron Cowboy documentary, all that super inspirational.
01:23:47
Speaker
And, yeah, I mean, when I'm out there on the doors, sometimes I'm sure you're the same.
01:23:52
Speaker
Sometimes you just got to repeat it over and over because you got five rejections in a row.
01:23:56
Speaker
I'm just out there saying I like your little mantras you do.
01:24:00
Speaker
But, yeah, mine is like I like myself and I love my job.
01:24:03
Speaker
You know, just like repeat as I'm going.
01:24:05
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good one, too.
01:24:07
Speaker
So, yeah, I think for those that haven't done that, I mean, that's sometimes the only way I can make it through a day of knocking.
01:24:13
Speaker
I'm just out there like repeating these little affirmations, things like that.
01:24:17
Speaker
So, yeah.
01:24:17
Speaker
Yeah, love that.
01:24:18
Speaker
Love
Episode Conclusion and Guest Farewell
01:24:19
Speaker
it.
01:24:19
Speaker
Well, Matt, we appreciate you coming on the show.
01:24:21
Speaker
And we weren't planning on going this long, but it was just too good to stop, man.
01:24:25
Speaker
So no, I love it.
01:24:26
Speaker
Thanks for having me, man.
01:24:28
Speaker
So yeah, we appreciate you.
01:24:29
Speaker
And then just to wrap up here, people, I know we probably did this in the last podcast, but I know you've been on social media a little more active and stuff.
01:24:38
Speaker
Really cool to see your journey.
01:24:39
Speaker
So where can guys follow you and connect with you more if they want to do that?
01:24:43
Speaker
Yeah.
01:24:44
Speaker
You can find me on Facebook or Instagram, Matt Crowther Solar.
01:24:49
Speaker
And yeah, feel free to reach out.
01:24:52
Speaker
I'll get hit up here and there just from people.
01:24:55
Speaker
I enjoy, you know, helping other people.
01:24:57
Speaker
And so, you know, that's partly why I like doing these podcasts is just to kind of help give some ideas to help people to get to the next level that they're going for.
01:25:07
Speaker
Yeah, love it.
01:25:07
Speaker
Well, you've shared a ton of value with us today.
01:25:09
Speaker
I know it's going to come back to you hopefully tenfold.
01:25:12
Speaker
Hopefully we get ten referrals right after we walk out of this podcast today.
01:25:15
Speaker
Awesome.
01:25:17
Speaker
But appreciate you coming on, man.
01:25:19
Speaker
And we'll have to do a follow-up episode, hopefully not two years later, but even sooner.
01:25:24
Speaker
Sounds good, man.
01:25:24
Speaker
Okay, appreciate it.
01:25:25
Speaker
Thanks.
01:25:27
Speaker
Hey Solarpreneurs, are you sick and tired of spinning your wheels every month and not seeing your sales increase?
01:25:34
Speaker
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01:25:40
Speaker
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01:25:45
Speaker
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01:25:53
Speaker
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01:25:55
Speaker
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01:25:57
Speaker
Don't miss out.
01:25:58
Speaker
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01:26:03
Speaker
That's taylor at solarpreneurs with an S dot com.
01:26:07
Speaker
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01:26:12
Speaker
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