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What Not To Do When Knocking Doors
275 Plays25 days ago
How predictable are you as soon as you knock on the homeowner's door? This episode talks about the outside perspectives of our door-knocking and how we can learn to adapt and subvert everyone's expectations of a solar sales rep.
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Transcript
Taylor Armstrong's Sales Journey
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Solarpreneur Podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level. My name is Taylor Armstrong. I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in the year and cracking the code on why sales reps fail.
00:00:19
Speaker
I teach you 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? 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. Hey, what's going on,
Door-to-Door Sales Pitfalls
00:00:42
Speaker
solopreneurs? Today, we're going talk about what you should not do if you want to have success on the doors and in solar.
00:00:49
Speaker
I came across a video that ah pretty much demonstrates the things you should not do. so we're going to break down that video, give you some advice on how to have more success at the doors. So welcome to the podcast. My name is Taylor Armstrong. We're here to help you close more deals, generate more leads and referrals, and have a much better time in the solar industry. Hope you're enjoying the guests we have recently had on.
00:01:11
Speaker
We are having some a fire guests come on the show. And as always, if you have people that you know are crushing it in solar or in life or in any aspect that can benefit us as solar professionals, would love to have them on. So please send us your recommendations. And last thing, if you have not...
00:01:29
Speaker
please leave us a review on apple it itunes spotify youtube wherever you're listening to podcasts that's what makes this show possible and that's what keeps the good content coming please leave us a review if you have not hey so when i'm preparing for this podcast um some of you have heard of previous episodes where we like to break down presentations from other people on the doors you know sometimes i'll pop over on youtube see what people are posting.
Lack of New Content in D2D Sales
00:01:55
Speaker
To my surprise, there hasn't been much new door-to-door content posted on YouTube. It used to be where people post videos all all the time. And you know you had the staples of guys like Taylor McCarthy, who's he's still posting his regular content, which is great. You had some other guys like the Snapper Academy stuff ah that was posting pretty regularly. Outside of that, there wasn't a whole lot of content and there has not been. can't Can't forget about our friends over at Real Sales Dynamics. Had them on the podcast recently as well. There hasn't been a lot of new content from anyone besides, I would say, Taylor McCarthy. He's kind of the staple. And ah hopefully we can be included as in your staple of solar content as well. Taylor McCarthy, he's the one that's continuously posting door-to-door content on YouTube. I went and there wasn't a whole lot to break down outside of Taylor stuff. So what I did find, though, was a video of...
00:02:50
Speaker
what you
Analysis of Poor Sales Techniques
00:02:51
Speaker
should not be doing on the doors. And I thought, you know, this is probably might be common sense for some people, but there's probably people listening to maybe you're doing some of these things. And it just I got a good chuckle out of it. So if anything, this will probably make you laugh this video, we're going to play some of the audio from it. And um we can post a link to it if you want to see the actual video. But basically, it's of this um alternative energy company. It seems like one of those community power situations where it's like the energy, people are buying energy from solar panels. they're not putting it on the roof, but they're buying the energy from it.
00:03:27
Speaker
And it's of this door-to-door guy. i guess it's a basically how to handle a door-to-door salesman. from some company in Maryland that put out this video of how to handle energy door to door sales guys.
00:03:40
Speaker
Yes, we're going play it and it's going to illustrate some good points. And really, I think this is what's going on inside the minds of most people when they get their doors knocked. So we're going to play it and we're gonna break down a few things. Hopefully you get a little chuckle out of it. I thought it was funny.
00:03:55
Speaker
But it has some good points that we can refer back to. So let's jump into it. It's called Energy Choice How to Handle a Door-to-Door Sales Pitch. You're getting your house in order after work or on the weekend. You weren't expecting any company and the doorbell rings.
00:04:11
Speaker
What do you do? Run and hide? Unleash the hound? Don't be afraid. There are some simple steps you can take when an energy sales representative rings your doorbell.
00:04:24
Speaker
The individuals should promptly identify themselves, the company they represent, and why they are at your door. Here's a good approach. Hi, my name is Chuck. I am with XYZ Energy, an alternative energy supplier, not your local utility.
00:04:38
Speaker
I am interested in sharing a great offer with you that can help you better meet your energy needs. That's a good start. Okay, so if you're not laughing, then you should be because at least if you're in any markets, I've been in for solar. If you say what this guy just said, you're getting the door slammed on you right off the bat.
00:04:55
Speaker
And it's funny because these are what these are what people are expecting to hear. and this is exactly why people close the door, which is why it's funny, right? Because when you say that, people know exactly what you're there for. It's like telling the punchline of the joke before getting an actual joke. People just be like, yeah, forget about it. Okay, so it illustrates and reminds us of some important points. Okay, first of all, don't say what he said. Don't say, hey, I'm Dave with the so on XYZ Energy, and I'm interested in sharing ah sharing about whatever my product is, whatever, you know. It's pretty much the worst opening you could ever
00:05:34
Speaker
devise at the doorstep. And I promise you, if you say this, you're not going to make it very far unless you're in an extremely soft market that maybe has never been knocked for solar before. Maybe you can pull some leads out of this, but anywhere that has been knocked for solar, anywhere that has any saturation at all, this just is not going to work. Okay. So um yeah, a good example of what not to do. So let's continue on. Let's see what these guys think about this energy salesman ah few things to be aware of to make sure that Chuck is from a credible, competitive energy supplier.
00:06:06
Speaker
The sales representative should be clear about the company's rates, what's included, and any savings that might apply with their offer. Be sure to ask him how the rates are charged and how any savings are calculated. They should be polite and professional. taking the time to answer any questions you might have. Upon request, he should provide you more information to review before you make any decision and respect your request not to be solicited again. The energy sales representative will likely be wearing business casual clothes with apparel bearing the name of the company they represent.
00:06:42
Speaker
There they just gave us the other secrets.
Breaking Door Preoccupations
00:06:44
Speaker
What we want to do as sales professionals is we want to do the opposite of what people think, right? So yeah, you can wear business casual, but this is why I'm actually a fan of dressing a little bit different on the doors.
00:06:57
Speaker
This is why I'm a fan of wearing stuff that does not say, know, energy or solar. Right. And this is exactly why, because people have in their head that that's if someone comes the door like that, they're getting sold something.
00:07:11
Speaker
Right. And people have it in their head that, oh, yeah, you know, what I'm just going to request the information and he's going to give me a report. And i'm going to say, don't solicit me again. I'll think about it and call you. It's like, come on, man.
00:07:26
Speaker
We weren't born yesterday, but this is how people want it to be. And if we want to have success in sales, we need to do outside of the box. We need to be, think outside the box rather. And we need to zig when other people are zagging. We need to come across different goals. break the preoccupation. That's why the number one most important part of the presentation at the door, in my opinion, is breaking that preoccupation. because If you don't do that, then you're going to get the exact reaction and that this so-called expert, you know, expert how to handle door-to-door sales pitch, this is how they're going to handle us. And they're going to do just that. We're going to handled on the doors and we're never going to get called back. that's why this is so entertaining to me is because this is exactly how people think it should go in their heads. And if you come across like that, it's exactly how it will go in real life.
00:08:12
Speaker
You will get handled and it'll go exactly like this video is saying. So let's see let's see what else happens there. identification that is visible at all times The sales representative must provide you with details before you commit to any purchase.
00:08:28
Speaker
If you decide you're interested in the offer, be sure you understand the terms of the agreement and the circumstances under which you have the ability to terminate or cancel. Chuck should explain that if you purchase natural gas or electricity from the competitive energy supplier, your utility will continue to deliver your energy.
00:08:47
Speaker
Yep. And we're going to just that. We get one time, we leave. Okay, Chuck, um...
00:08:54
Speaker
politely tell chuck you aren't interested and he should leave if he doesn't unleash the hound energy marketers offer you options yeahp and so yeah we're goingnna do just that we get told no one time we leave yeah chuck and If you need a job, want some real training, hit me up because I don't think you're getting too many sales like you've been doing, Chuck.
00:09:18
Speaker
I hate to say it, but I think things are going pretty rough for you out there on the doors. And another reason why I typically don't like wearing a name tag at the doors, I carry it in my pocket personally because I know it can add credibility.
00:09:32
Speaker
Occasionally people ask for it, you know, but this is why i don't wear a name tag because people see the name tag and they think it's going to go like this. They think you're selling something. So if you dress a little bit different, then you're only buying yourself more time.
00:09:45
Speaker
I know a lot of people are into wearing the construction vests. I'm not quite to that level yet, but I can see why people do it. Because yeah, I mean, i think it's a little less people are starting to catch on to it, at least in my market, because so many people wear construction vests out here. But especially in the beginning,
00:10:02
Speaker
someone come to the door wearing a construction vest, they're buying themselves time and they were getting heard more on the doors because they didn't look like the typical guy. Let's do like, like described in this video, um you know, polo, tucked in shirts, name tag, they were different.
00:10:19
Speaker
So you don't have to wear the vest, but you can be different, right? You don't have to dress just like Chuck did and you shouldn't dress like Chuck is. Okay, so let's finish off. Got like 15 more seconds here.
00:10:30
Speaker
for alternative services that can enable you to take control of your energy sources, usage, and bills. It's important for you to know that you have a choice. For more information on door-to-door sales, be sure to visit your Public Utility Commission website.
00:10:46
Speaker
Okay, so that's pretty much it so that just goes to show what most people think of us. You know, you should maybe show this to every new rep that steps into your office of how not to be. Okay, because I think a lot of new guys, they come in and they think it should be like that too. They think they should go to the door and be, hey, Mr. Homeowner, are you were interested in hearing about my offer for and renewable energy?
00:11:09
Speaker
Would you like some information on it? And that's the extent of their pay. I've heard people say that at doors, crazy enough. And, ah you know, if people walk around saying that, we train our people completely different. If someone walked around saying that, then they're going to get eaten alive out here. Okay. And so again, maybe it works in a softer market, but even then you still should be doing something different than that. Chuck, I don't think he, even in his soft market, I don't think he's having as much success as he should be. And so ah for you listening, just make sure, you know, if anything, hopefully you got a little chuckle out of this, but make sure you're being different at the door. Make sure you're breaking that preoccupation.
00:11:48
Speaker
Make sure you're not just accepting the first no and moving on in the next door like Chuck does. You need to give people the reason why no at the door is a request for more information because they don't know what you're saying no to.
00:12:00
Speaker
right They
Overcoming Objections in Solar Sales
00:12:01
Speaker
don't know what's different. We went to a door today. the guy said, no, we looked into this two years ago. And I said, Mr. Homeowner, that's actually why we're here. Everyone on your street looked at it two years ago.
00:12:11
Speaker
the reason they know The reason they don't have it is because it costs a lot of money. They put liens on their home and then they had to take out big loans. I'm guessing for you is probably something similar. Yes, that's why we're here because now the program is totally different.
00:12:25
Speaker
You do have to qualify though. The ones that do, they're not paying anything out of pocket and they're just lowering their bill. There's no liens, there's no debts, there's no loans. ah But yeah, our is just to figure out if the home is a potential candidate and get you guys the information.
00:12:40
Speaker
So usually here afternoon, you go straight in your clothes. Okay, so ah get in the habits of doing the opposite of what Chuck does in this video. I promise you, you will have more success. than the typical door-to-door guy okay that's being portrayed in this video. So I hope you enjoyed the ah little video today. yeah And speaking of that, this all came out of me looking for people's presentations to review on YouTube, which there's not a lot right now. So if you would like to have your presentation reviewed live on the show,
00:13:14
Speaker
either in video or audio format. Would love to have you featured on the podcast. Shoot us an email, support at solopreneurs.com, or can send me a DM on Instagram. We'll try my best to get back to you in a timely manner. Would love to feature on the show and help you improve via some um great feedback that we can give you. So hope you enjoyed today's content.
00:13:36
Speaker
Go be great this week, close lots of deals, and we'll see you on the next one. So some of you already know that I run my own door-to-door sales team here in San Diego. And as we are gearing up for the summer, I realized if we do the same thing we always did, we're going to get the same results. But if I want to increase my deal flow, I need to do something different to get an advantage.
SolarScout Introduction
00:13:56
Speaker
Then we discovered an app called SolarScout, but it's not a door-knocking app. It's a data platform that shows us who is likely to go solar in our market. It shows us who has previously applied for solar but later canceled the deal, who has moved in recently, and even how much electricity the homes are using in a given neighborhood.
00:14:15
Speaker
It's been working for a lot of teams across the country, and now I'm on board too. I'm going to be one of the first to use SolarScout in San Diego, so I decided to partner up. But I told them, hey, I'm going to talk about SolarScout on my show. you need to give my listeners a great deal, and they did.
00:14:30
Speaker
So go to solarscout.app forward slash Taylor and book a demo with them, and you'll get 10% off your first month when you sign up. That's solarscout.app forward slash Taylor.
00:14:42
Speaker
Okay, back to the show. Hey, solopreneurs, quick question. What if you could surround yourself with the industry's top performing sales pros, marketers, and CEOs and learn from their experience and wisdom in less than 20 minutes a day.
00:14:57
Speaker
For the last three years, I've been placed in the fortunate position to interview dozens of elite level solar professionals and learn exactly what they do behind closed doors to build their solar careers to an all-star level. That's why I want to make a truly special announcement about the new learning community exclusively for solar professionals to learn, compete, and win with top performers in the industry. And
Launching Solcitee
00:15:20
Speaker
it's called Solcitee.
00:15:22
Speaker
This learning community was designed from the ground up to level the playing field and give Solar Pros access to proven mentors who want to give back to this community and help you or your team to be held accountable by the industry's brightest minds for, are you ready for it, less than $3.45
00:15:41
Speaker
Currently, SoulCity is open, launched, and ready to be enrolled. So go to SoulCity.co to learn more and join the learning experience now. This is exclusively for solopreneur listeners, so be sure to go to SoulCity.co and join. We'll see you on the inside.