CASE STUDY · COMMERCIAL SOLAR INSTALLER · 5 MIN READ

GECC: What a Commercial Solar Contractor Confirms Before It Takes a Lead

in solar

15 years

in solar

residential installs a year as a contractor

400+

residential installs a year as a contractor

the size of job they target

100 to 200kW

the size of job they target

the largest leads so far

Up to 500kW

the largest leads so far

5:48

Who GECC are

GECC has been in solar for 15 years, mostly hired as the general contractor on large commercial jobs, and it does more than 400 installs a year for a residential solar company: "one foot in the residential and one foot in the commercial". Until recently it had not done much selling of its own, because it was brought in further down the line. When it started to sell directly, it went looking for appointment setting and lead generation firms.

Why partnerships alone were too slow

One way GECC finds work is partnering with realtors, property developers and roofing companies. Mike's problem is the time it takes for a partnership to produce a lead, on top of a solar sales process that runs "four months to a year depending on the size of the project". What he wanted instead:

“we were really looking for somebody who could just put us in front of qualified candidates that are receptive to our sales pitch”

Partnerships still have a place; our guide to solar partnerships and referrals covers how UK installers make them work, and what they take.

What GECC confirms on every lead

GECC and our team agreed a target customer together, and the leads were then checked against it. Mike names three things that were confirmed:

1. 1

   The size of the roof

   Enough roof for the size of system GECC wants to sell.

2. 2

   The type of business

   A business that fits the profile GECC is targeting.

3. 3

   Whether they own the building

   "you've kind of dialed in you know the size of the roof and the business type that we've confirmed everybody owned it"

   An owner can decide about the roof; a tenant usually needs the landlord's agreement first.

The same three are worth checking on any lead before you drive out. Our commercial solar survey checklist adds the rest of what to confirm before, during and after a UK site visit.

The person on the other end of the call

What matters most to Mike is who he is speaking to. He wanted a "direct phone call with the decision maker", and he says that is what he has had:

“you're not putting us in touch with somebody who's like a a maintenance tech or a low level salesperson”

With mostly small to mid-sized businesses, that means "somebody who's either a president a VP or someone who is in charge of a sector of the business". If you are selling to business owners, our guide to selling commercial solar covers the conversation once you are in the room.

Job sizes

Some leads have been around 500kW, while GECC's target is 100 to 200kW, and the two sides have been fine-tuning towards it. Mike is not going to turn down a bigger one: "we're not going to complain about getting a bigger deal".

The price, and giving it a try

It was GECC's first time using lead generation, and Mike was wary of the dead leads common on the residential side. He found the starting price fair for someone making that decision: "it's fair enough entry price where as somebody like me who's making a decision you're willing to give it a shot".

You only pay for appointments that are actually attended, and any that aren't viable we replace. Our guide to commercial solar lead costs explains how prices are worked out for UK installers.

The full interview is in the video above. TNW Marketing's own write-up of Mike's interview is on tnwmarketing.com. More installers talk about their leads in our case studies and on the reviews page.

GECC case study: FAQ