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When Should I Transition To Closing From Setting?
88 Plays2 years ago
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Transcript
Taylor Armstrong's Solar Sales Journey
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 fail.
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.
What is a Solopreneur?
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.
Transitioning from Setting to Closing Deals
00:00:41
Speaker
Hey, what's going on, solopreneurs?
00:00:42
Speaker
Today, we're going to be talking about how soon should you transition to closing deals.
00:00:48
Speaker
Maybe you are a newer rep in the solar industry.
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Speaker
Maybe you are managing a team, trying to figure out the best structure of
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for your newer reps.
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We're going to be talking about some things you should consider and just thoughts I have on the topic today.
00:01:02
Speaker
So before we get into the episode, I want to welcome
Life Updates: Taxes and Football
00:01:07
Speaker
you to the show.
00:01:07
Speaker
My name is Taylor Armstrong.
00:01:09
Speaker
As usual, we're here to help you close more deals, generate more leads and referrals, and have a much better time in the solar industry.
00:01:17
Speaker
I hope you're doing awesome.
00:01:18
Speaker
Whenever you're listening to this, the time of recording, we are ending the summer, going straight into fall here, but we are not slowing down the momentum.
00:01:27
Speaker
When others slow down, we speed up.
00:01:29
Speaker
And I think that is a good mindset to have.
00:01:31
Speaker
I'm excited for college football.
00:01:33
Speaker
I'm a big college football fan.
00:01:35
Speaker
And if you want to know an update for what's going on in my life, you can follow me on social media.
Importance of Closing Deals
00:01:41
Speaker
But just some quick things.
00:01:43
Speaker
Finished up a tax audit.
00:01:46
Speaker
Would not recommend it to anyone.
00:01:48
Speaker
Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemies.
00:01:51
Speaker
It freaking sucks.
00:01:53
Speaker
Finally got a resolution to that.
00:01:55
Speaker
Um...
00:01:56
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trying to figure out payment options, all that.
00:01:59
Speaker
Sat on the phone with the IRS for 55 minutes.
00:02:02
Speaker
Finally, when I get to someone to talk to, the call lasts two minutes and then somehow their line disconnects.
00:02:08
Speaker
Call them back and they're nowhere to be found.
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I guess the office is, well, it was getting late in the day.
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Speaker
The office was closed.
00:02:16
Speaker
So, um, just not a fun experience, but we are not here to talk about taxes.
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We are here to help you close more deals so you can pay for your taxes without having to worry about anything.
00:02:27
Speaker
That should be the goal.
00:02:29
Speaker
No matter what happens with Uncle Sam or whoever you owe money, hopefully you're closing lots of deals.
00:02:35
Speaker
So
Upcoming Episode with Cade Hillstead
00:02:36
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it's not a worry.
00:02:36
Speaker
Okay.
00:02:38
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Because if I was not in solar, I'd be stressed out of my mind.
00:02:41
Speaker
It's still stressful, still sucks, but hey, just go close another deal, right?
00:02:46
Speaker
Okay, but let's jump into the topic.
00:02:48
Speaker
And that is how soon should you transition from setting to closing?
00:02:54
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And you're in for a treat.
00:02:55
Speaker
Next episode, we have someone that is the epitome of this.
00:03:00
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He's someone that's really mastered the set before he got into closing.
Cade Hillstead's Sales Journey
00:03:04
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His name is Cade Hillstead.
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He comes from Momentous Solar.
00:03:07
Speaker
You heard from Travis Hartman most recently on the podcast.
00:03:11
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You're going to be hearing from Cade on the next episode.
00:03:13
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And what's really cool about his story, he's closing, I think, year to date.
00:03:18
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We're at like seven months, eight months.
00:03:22
Speaker
on the year.
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He's at over 250 deals already on the year.
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A little more than halfway through the year.
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It's absolutely insane.
00:03:33
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I think he has over 150 installed already, if you're wondering.
00:03:37
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But just madness.
00:03:38
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And he started as a setter less than a year ago.
00:03:42
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He's built his way up.
00:03:44
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He actually set deals for, I think, like five, six months before he even got into closing.
00:03:50
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So the reason I think this topic is so interesting is because usually if you have a high level rep, you think, oh, I'm sure they just set for like two weeks
When to Transition to Closing Deals
00:04:00
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and they started closing.
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This guy, he mastered the art of setting his appointments before he got into closing.
00:04:08
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And in a way, I think that's helped him out a lot.
00:04:11
Speaker
So it's really unique what they're doing over at Momentous Solar is most of their guys are setters.
00:04:17
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They have some really, really high level closers and a ton of setters and they're cranking out deals.
00:04:22
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So let's talk about this.
00:04:24
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When should you transition to closing?
00:04:27
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There's three things that I think every team, every rep should consider.
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And the way I do it and I think I
00:04:34
Speaker
a minimum amount of deals to aim for.
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I guess, first of all, there's no right or wrong answer here.
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But in my opinion, I think everybody should get at least 10 deals under their belts before transitioning to closing.
Key Considerations for Transitioning
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It's a good chunk of deals, good chunk of change you should make from that.
00:04:52
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And at that point, you should have gotten pretty good at setting appointments and
00:04:57
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And hopefully it's not taking you six months to do this.
00:05:01
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I know Momentus Solar, they have guys hit 10 deals for continuous months.
00:05:06
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They want their guys hitting 10 deals for multiple months before they even whisper the word, close my own deals.
00:05:12
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That's the way they do it.
00:05:14
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But I think...
00:05:15
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In general, most companies should have their new guys hit at least 10 deals before you start doing it.
00:05:20
Speaker
Okay.
00:05:21
Speaker
But three things to consider before you start closing deals or even wanting to start closing deals.
00:05:27
Speaker
Number one, ask yourself this.
00:05:29
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Am I getting consistent appointments?
00:05:32
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Am I getting at least six people sitting down a week to hear about solar?
00:05:36
Speaker
Because if you're not getting consistent appointments, if you're not getting people to sit down, how hard is it for you?
00:05:43
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Or how hard is it going to be for you to close deals?
00:05:45
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If you only have one or two sits a week, you better be the best closer in the world to close at least one deal a week.
00:05:51
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Because you got to have about near 100% close ratio.
00:05:55
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And I talk to people all the time, hitting me up on social media, you know, doing some of our coaching calls.
00:06:02
Speaker
which by the way, we do free complimentary sales audits.
00:06:05
Speaker
If you want to hear, you know, just analysis of where you are and where you are at in your cells, get some advice to, you know, maybe holes you're encountering in your business, in your solar cells.
00:06:15
Speaker
But the guys I talked to, a big problem I see is they're like, Taylor, why am I not closing consistent deals?
00:06:22
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When we dig into the numbers, we're
00:06:24
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A big reason is because they're not having enough sits in a week.
00:06:27
Speaker
So often this is the problem is that people are not giving themselves enough closing opportunities.
00:06:33
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So before you even start closing your own deals, have you mastered the art of getting people to sit down?
00:06:39
Speaker
Are you getting at least six sits a week?
00:06:41
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I think this is a minimum number you should be hitting consistently.
Mastering Appointment Setting
00:06:44
Speaker
Because if you're getting six people to sit down, then...
00:06:47
Speaker
Even if you're a pretty low level closer starting out, hopefully you should have a decent shot of closing at least one out of six in the beginning.
00:06:55
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That's number one.
00:06:56
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Number two, have I shadowed multiple closes?
00:07:00
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Have you seen a deal from start to finish?
00:07:02
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And a little side note on this, if you are starting out in solar, I would recommend not shadowing at all for your first 10 deals.
00:07:10
Speaker
I would go get set at least 10 deals, have them close momentum in setting.
00:07:15
Speaker
And then you can start learning after that if you're feeling comfortable and not everyone should close their own deals.
00:07:21
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I think there's guys that are better setters than closers.
00:07:25
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And good thing to ask yourself as well.
00:07:27
Speaker
Like, do you want to just stay continue setting?
00:07:30
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We should we shouldn't speak down to setters.
00:07:33
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That is, in my opinion, the most important part.
00:07:36
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of solar.
00:07:36
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If we don't have people setting up appointments, no one else has a job.
00:07:40
Speaker
Closers don't have leads to close unless you're self-shinning, right?
00:07:43
Speaker
Which all closers should be getting self-shin too, I think.
00:07:47
Speaker
Installers don't have business.
00:07:49
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So setting is the most important part of the process.
00:07:52
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It is the start of the funnel.
00:07:54
Speaker
We need really good setters.
00:07:57
Speaker
So it should not be considered like a low level job.
00:08:00
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It should not be considered the scum of solar setting is a very important part.
00:08:07
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And especially after talking with the guys over at Momentus, there's a lot of setters, especially in a high level organization like that, that are making more money than closers.
00:08:17
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I talked to setters recently over as I was doing these podcasts that are making two, three, four, even half a million just setting appointments.
00:08:27
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Because if you can get a really high level closer, then you're multiplying your income.
00:08:33
Speaker
And that's why I think you should not sit in your appointments, especially in the beginning, because you can go out and set up maybe two, three more appointments where if you would have been in that appointment for two hours, then you just missed opportunity cost right there.
Learning by Shadowing Experienced Closers
00:08:50
Speaker
So I would not shadow until you get to $10 minimum.
00:08:54
Speaker
But after you do that, the question is this.
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Can you say the script word for word?
00:09:00
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Can you overcome the objections that you're going to get hit with in the close word for word?
00:09:05
Speaker
When I first started closing...
00:09:08
Speaker
Um, first of all, I think I started way too early.
00:09:11
Speaker
I probably should have been setting for longer, but my company was a company where they're like, Hey, we want you to progress to closing as quick as possible setting.
00:09:19
Speaker
That's kind of the lower level thing.
00:09:20
Speaker
Let's get you closing as quick as possible.
00:09:22
Speaker
So I was making a big push for it, but the most important thing that I did that I feel like I
00:09:31
Speaker
I did try to improve constantly is I would listen back to recordings of closes.
00:09:37
Speaker
So for you, that's maybe learning to close or maybe you're managing a team.
00:09:41
Speaker
Do you have recordings of your guys closing deals?
00:09:45
Speaker
Do you have some really high quality, really high level closes?
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that you can send to people, then they go and go back and listen to.
00:09:53
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Because I know in my experience, I was not ready to go into a deal until I had that thing drilled into my brain.
00:10:00
Speaker
I would listen to this recording of a close at the gym.
00:10:03
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I'd listen to it when I was eating breakfast.
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I'd listen to it when I was going to sleep.
00:10:09
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I just put it over and over and over and over.
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And the biggest thing that helped me is just being able to say that thing word for word and go into a close.
00:10:16
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So I would recommend if you are learning to
00:10:18
Speaker
to close, make sure you have a script, have it down word for word.
00:10:23
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And then from there, you can pivot.
00:10:25
Speaker
Same thing as you're learning to set appointments, right?
00:10:27
Speaker
Have a script, follow it.
00:10:29
Speaker
Don't try to reinvent the wheel.
00:10:30
Speaker
Do what's working for someone else first.
00:10:33
Speaker
Hopefully you have some really high level closers in your office, in your company.
00:10:37
Speaker
If you don't hit me up, we got a program that we can help you out with the scripts that the top guys are using and exactly what they're saying word for word.
00:10:45
Speaker
And then the third thing to consider, last but not least, is just the money aspect.
00:10:52
Speaker
Most companies in solar right now, they front money to setters.
00:10:57
Speaker
You got M1s coming.
00:10:59
Speaker
You should get paid a lot quicker.
00:11:02
Speaker
If you are a company owner or a manager listening to this, then I would definitely recommend structuring something like that where setters can get paid quick.
00:11:09
Speaker
One of the quickest ways to lose a setter is they're not getting paid fast enough.
00:11:13
Speaker
Because let's be honest, most setters or most people stepping into solar don't have a ton of money saved up.
Financial Preparation for Transitioning
00:11:20
Speaker
They need money quick.
00:11:21
Speaker
So give them a way to make some quick
00:11:23
Speaker
bucks.
00:11:24
Speaker
But the third thing to consider when you are starting to learn to close, how much do you comfortably have saved up?
00:11:29
Speaker
Are you prepared to go three months without making a dime?
00:11:32
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Because depending on the market you're in, depending on how long it's going to take you to master closing, you might not see another check for three months.
00:11:40
Speaker
So that's another big reason I recommend having at least 10 closes, getting some money flowing, getting some money in the bank.
00:11:48
Speaker
Because you got to be prepared to fall on your face.
00:11:51
Speaker
No one's going to master closing right from the get go.
00:11:54
Speaker
There's guys like Cade Hills said that did have a pretty much a running start when they got into closing.
00:12:02
Speaker
But not everyone is going to be like Cade Hills said that you're going to hear on the next podcast.
00:12:07
Speaker
But I would recommend having some money saved up to where you can go with for, you know, maybe three months without seeing a check and be fine.
00:12:16
Speaker
Okay, so those are some things I think you should consider in your set or closer program.
00:12:23
Speaker
Or if you're a new rep, just ask yourself those questions, right?
00:12:27
Speaker
Number one, am I getting the consistent appointments?
00:12:29
Speaker
Am I getting at least six sits in a week?
00:12:31
Speaker
Number two, have I shadowed some closes, seen what's going on?
00:12:35
Speaker
Have I recorded them and got the script drilled into my skull?
00:12:39
Speaker
And number three, do I have money saved up?
00:12:41
Speaker
Am I comfortable for three months that as I learn a new step in the process, the close, am I comfortable that I can afford to not get paid?
00:12:49
Speaker
And maybe you do better with a ton of stress.
00:12:52
Speaker
Maybe you got only one month saved up.
00:12:54
Speaker
You better learn to close quick.
00:12:55
Speaker
But for most people, I'd recommend having a little bit because you don't want to go out there feeling desperate.
00:13:00
Speaker
Okay.
00:13:02
Speaker
Um,
00:13:02
Speaker
And my experience has just always been I'm stressed for money.
00:13:06
Speaker
I go out.
00:13:07
Speaker
I sound desperate.
00:13:08
Speaker
I got commission breath and customers don't want that.
00:13:11
Speaker
Your prospects don't want that.
00:13:12
Speaker
They want free flowing.
00:13:14
Speaker
They want to feel like there's zero pressure and that you got 10 more people lined up to
Engagement and Upcoming Episodes
00:13:19
Speaker
do this.
00:13:19
Speaker
You could care less if they do it or not.
00:13:22
Speaker
Hey, so those are some things to consider.
00:13:24
Speaker
I hope that helps.
00:13:25
Speaker
And I can't wait for the next episode.
00:13:26
Speaker
You're going to hear from the master Cade Hill said,
00:13:30
Speaker
250 deals in 2023.
00:13:32
Speaker
We're eight months into it.
00:13:34
Speaker
Or yeah, I guess eight months now, right?
00:13:37
Speaker
Time's flying so fast.
00:13:38
Speaker
I don't even know what month I'm in.
00:13:39
Speaker
Hey, but make sure you don't miss out on this episode.
00:13:42
Speaker
This guy is high level and he went from being a setter for five or six months to stepping into closing.
00:13:48
Speaker
He did not rush the process and now he is mastered full.
00:13:51
Speaker
So don't miss out.
00:13:52
Speaker
You're going to hear his secrets.
00:13:54
Speaker
We got some more exciting guests coming up.
00:13:56
Speaker
And then my last ask is just please, if you have not left us a review or shared the podcast, would appreciate if you would give us a shout out.
00:14:04
Speaker
It's been I think it's been like a whole month since we've got a review.
00:14:08
Speaker
So come on, guys.
00:14:09
Speaker
Can we please get a review if you have not left one?
00:14:11
Speaker
We're at 300, I think 60 something episodes.
00:14:14
Speaker
So if you've listened to more than 10 episodes, come on, go leave us a review, share the podcast.
00:14:20
Speaker
That's what keeps this thing going.
00:14:22
Speaker
Would appreciate it very much.
Free Sales Diagnostic Offer
00:14:24
Speaker
Love you guys.
00:14:24
Speaker
And we'll see you on the next podcast.
00:14:27
Speaker
Hey, solopreneurs, are you sick and tired of spinning your wheels every month and not seeing your sales increase?
00:14:33
Speaker
We'll
00:14:36
Speaker
until I figured out what was going wrong.
00:14:39
Speaker
So that's why I'm excited to announce for a limited time, we are doing a free sales diagnostic.
00:14:44
Speaker
You'll break down your sales process, figure out the holes in your business and see how we can help you improve.
00:14:50
Speaker
So at now we have six bucks for this month.
00:14:53
Speaker
So book a call now, don't miss out.
00:14:55
Speaker
What you're gonna do is send an email to taylor at solarpreneurs.com.
00:15:00
Speaker
That's taylor at solarpreneurs with an S.com.
00:15:03
Speaker
I'll send you out a calendar link.
00:15:05
Speaker
and we will figure out a time that works best.
00:15:07
Speaker
So shoot that email and let's increase your sales.