Handle Common Objections 

Handling Common Objections

Here is the recommended sequence of steps to address any objection:

Listen: Listening and letting the homeowner finish what they are saying is one of the most important things for a salesperson to do, and yet it seems to be the most difficult thing to execute. It is common sense to let someone finish talking. Interrupting them is rude as it communicates that you don’t feel what they have to say is valuable and it instantly discredits you as someone they can trust. Also, the key to handling objections is usually offered by the customer in the description of their concern - if you are too busy thinking about what you are going to say INSTEAD OF JUST LISTENING - you will miss that golden nugget of information.

Smile & Nod: Smiling is a sign of acceptance. A salesperson that is truly caring and willing to hear their client out does so with cheerfulness. This is a sign of professionalism and will remove some of the power of their objection’s effect on you almost immediately. Nodding can be a positive and affirming effect on the customer, letting them know you are hearing them. Be careful not to nod too much though as robotic nodding can easily be spotted.

Acknowledge: Always acknowledge the concern or objection FIRST before trying to address it. Have you ever told someone something and they didn’t give you a proper acknowledgment letting you know they heard you? How did that make you feel? Have you ever had someone not acknowledge your concern and reply back with their opinion or handling? That almost always sounds like they are arguing with you or in some way telling you that you are wrong. Acknowledge first to let the customer know you fully understand what they just said.

Agree: Agreement is the basis for people wanting to communicate with another. Communicating agreement also indicates whether you think the person is right or wrong to think or act a certain way. You may have heard the idea to never make the customer wrong, well agreeing with them ensures you do not make them wrong. What if they say something you don’t agree with? Well, you shouldn’t say “I completely agree with you” as that would be a lie. Instead, you can say “I can see how you would feel that way”. This is agreeing that he feels that way and that you can understand why he would.

Handle: The key to handling the objection is getting the person to see another viewpoint than their own. Without the above steps in place, handling an objection is an uphill battle. Listening will give you their current viewpoint, acknowledging will show them you heard them, agreeing will show them you are open to seeing their viewpoint and could see how they would think that. This puts them in a place where they can now receive information (the handling) that could potentially change their viewpoint. Good handling relates back to how we will help them achieve their goals, solve problems, save them time and save them money,

Close (loopback): Once the handling has been given you want to leverage the momentum and power of what was just said by tieing/looping back in the point in the conversation where they objected to. For example, let’s say the objection given after hearing the presentation was “We’re still not sure because we might be moving soon”. The response from the Sales Consultant could be “I completely understand how that would be a concern for you (Acknowledge/Agree). In the past moving with solar was very difficult. With our programs they understand that the average homeowner moves every 7 years -  so they’ve made ownership of solar transferrable and way easier than before. There are a lot of perks now to selling your home with solar. (Handle).” The Close or Loop Back here could be “Now, are there any other concerns you have before we take a look at the agreement for installation?”

Here are common objections our Sales Consultants get at the door, and how we recommend responding to them. 

Concern: Is it Solar?

Answer: Yes, however, this is totally different. I’m sure many people come by here and try to sell you solar but they realized not enough people want to shovel out $30K - $40K to purchase their own solar system. So what they’re doing now, for homes with good exposure, like yours, is offering a way to upgrade to solar with $0 upfront, and immediately save 30% - 50% on your electricity bill, depending what they spend. What does [Utility Name] currently charge you every month on average?

Answer: Yes, it sounds like you’ve probably had a lot of people calling trying to sell you solar..? This is actually totally different. The government is now investing in renewable energy the same way they used to invest in oil refineries. If you've been paying your [Utility Name] bill on time and have a roof with enough sunlight then you can be upgraded to a solar system at no upfront cost and pay anywhere from 30-50% less for electricity.

Answer: Yes, it sounds like you’ve looked into it before? The government realized that in order to hit its renewable energy mandate they had to start investing in solar themselves, so now for homes with good enough exposure they have the potential to go solar at no upfront cost by replacing the [Utility name] bill liability with a fixed solar bill asset that is essentially a 30% - 50% discount on electricity.

Objection: Not interested. (before a completed pitch)

Answer: Yes, I’m right there with you sir/miss. My trucks are already coming out to this area in the next few days to get a reading on the roofs here to see which have good enough exposure — sorry, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, you’re the property owner correct? (Approach with mandate).

Answer: Yes, I’m sure you’ve probably had many people call you to sell you something & waste your time. I’m actually simply here working with homeowners providing information about the state and federal incentives for the new renewable energy program, are you familiar with them?

Answer: Yes ma’am/sir, I understand, I’m not really that interested either. The state recently mandated all homes have to be renewable in the coming future, so what they’re doing, for homes like yours with good exposure, is offering a way to upgrade to solar at no upfront cost and cut electricity bills immediately. However, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, what do you currently pay for power?

Objection: Not interested. (after a completed pitch)

Answer: Yes miss/sir, I’m with you. Does it sound like you’ve looked into solar before? (Find real objection)

Answer: I understand. You agree that saving money without having to spend any money while helping the environment is a good value, right?

Answer: Yes I’m sure you’ve probably had many people approach you about this. Hypothetically, forgetting EVERYTHING you’ve heard & seen about solar in the past, just hypothetically, if you could get a no-obligation consultation from me and I showed you that you simply cut your costs on electricity IMMEDIATELY by 30% - 50% is that something you would be interested in?

Answer: Yes, I totally hear you - I wouldn’t be interested in something without concrete data about what I’d be saving. My trucks are coming out to the area this week anyway to do no-obligation roof assessments for the homes to simply show people 1) what their system would look like (approach with example) and how much they would be saving. I’m sure you’re busy, but they’re going to be here anyway and you don’t even need to be home. If you could see what the decrease in costs & design would be without lifting a finger is that something you would be interested in?

Concern: It sounds too good to be true/ What's the catch?

Answer: I understand, that's one of the main concerns with this program. The truth is we can't do this for every single person which is why I’m at your door and not (point) your neighbors with all the trees there. Some homes simply don’t have the exposure, some homeowners don’t have a good enough credit history to qualify. My job today is just to see which homes in this neighborhood even have the exposure. My guys are coming by X & Y which day is better for you?

Answer: I understand it sounds too good to be true. Before I started this work I felt the same way. The fact of the matter is that technology has finally reached a point to where it costs less to get electricity straight from the sun than to dig for it and physically transport it over hundreds of miles with [Utility name]. This is the main reason the state is leading the country with solar — we get charged a higher rate for our energy than any other state making Solar not only a smart environmental investment (like it is in every state), but more importantly, a financial one as well being cheaper than our electricity provider.

Answer: I understand this sounds too good to be true. Before I started this work I felt the same way. The reason we’re able to do this is that the state of the state allows homeowners to choose where they buy their electricity from, and the technology has finally gotten so advanced we can now create electricity from the sun at a lower cost than from fossil fuels! However, we still can't do this for every single person.

Answer: I totally understand. The main reason why this makes so much sense vs. leasing or renting your system is that the federal government pays for 26% of your system, leaving you with 74% vs. paying 100% for [Utility name].

Objection: I'm moving soon.

Answer: Yes, that's perfect. That’s why we designed this program to make sure it was something beneficial not only for the incoming homeowners but for the current homeowners as well. With this, the incoming homeowner instead of having to step into a high [Utility name] bill, which what did you say you currently spend? Right — so instead of having to step into much higher than that down the road, with this they are allowed to step into a fixed solar bill that at that time will likely be 60% of the [Utility name] cost. At the same time, you as the current homeowner get to benefit from cash flow savings on day 1!

Answer: That’s actually the main reason this program was created was that most people don't plan on staying in one house forever and the other solar programs were putting liens on properties. With this, the incoming homeowner instead of having to step into a high [Utility name] bill, which what did you say you currently spend? Right — so instead of having to step into much higher than that down the road, with this they are allowed to step into a fixed solar bill that at that time will likely be 60% of the [Utility name] cost. At the same time, you as the current homeowner get to benefit from cash flow savings day 1!

Answer: Perfect! Many homeowners didn’t want to go solar in the past because if they had it, the incoming homeowner had to step into a lease/lien for the Solar which made it very difficult to move. With this however, since you own this system day 1, your home will now sell faster since there is no lien and you have a cheaper, fixed solar bill vs. a high increasing [Utility name] bill. Additionally, you can simply bake the value of the system into your home sale since you now have an additional asset on your home!

Concern: I don't like the way it looks.

Answer: **Know roof exposure & direction of sun so know where panels will go**

Actually I feel the same way, I don't like the look of most panels either. You’re probably used to these (show iPad with old panels). We didn’t like the grid lines, that’s why with ours they're extremely low profile and are all-black for a total blended-in look on the roof (show on iPad). Close.

Answer: Yeah I’m totally with you on that. Most people can’t stand the looks of those old panels (show on iPad). Since Solar has become so popular, it isn’t really an option for homes to get Solar, it’s inevitable for everyone based off of the state mandates & requirements, we figured if people are going to have to get them, they might as well look nice! So we use these ones (show on iPad). I know you don’t like the looks, but the fact of the matter is everyone is almost being forced into getting it these days so with us you can rest assured you’ll have the best looking ones out there! Close.

Answer: I totally get you not wanting to see panels on the roof of a nice looking home. The fact of the matter is the way your house is positioned, we can likely get panels on either roof plane — I can make sure to tell our surveyor to hone in on the specific roof on the sides & back so we don’t even have to use the front! Close.

Concern: I don't want holes/damage/leaks in my roof.

Answer:I definitely understand your concern with roofing damage and we’re in the same boat as you, we won’t mess with a roof that isn’t strong enough. Did you recently get a new roof or think you may need a new one soon? (Find real objection). 

If: Just got new roof — know which roof they have

Answer: Since we are liable for any work we do on a roof, we won’t even touch a roof that structurally isn’t strong enough because then it’s our liability insurance on the line — that’s the main reason we do the roof assessment before showing you anything. With your new roof it will obviously qualify, so instead of the sun wearing out your roof day in and day out the solar acts as a huge glob of sunscreen. Additionally, now with technology being so advanced, we use this lightweight aluminum racking system (show on iPad) which allows us to go every 6 feet on your roof, and the panels simply lay on top of the racking system which are protected by air tight sealant called Geocel. Lastly, we do put our own warranty all across your roof in case of any issue whatsoever.

Answer: I understand your concern with something going on your roof, I’d feel the exact same way. Before I took this job I looked into this and found out that you have a better chance of getting a leak on the roof without solar panels than the side with them because the panels not only act as a coat of armor for the roof but they’re mounted with Geocel which is used in underwater pipe welding environments. Plus we do warrant everything with our own insurance policy.

If: Old Roof — Thinks needs new one eventually

Answer: Ok got it, yes we definitely will need to make sure your roof is still in good enough condition. That’s the main reason we have the survey, because we are liable for any work we do on your roof, and won’t mess with a roof that isn’t structurally strong enough. If it does check out at the survey we’re good to go! 

Answer: Yes we found that almost all of our homeowners need a new roof sometime in the next 5 - 10 years, it was actually a big bottleneck in the industry at one point. That being said, if you roof currently does check out, you can go ahead and start saving with solar immediately, and when you need that new roof, we’ll come out, take the system off, and re-install it when you get that new roof! It’s a flat fee of $X, (and your savings by then will be far greater than that).

Concern: What happens if my roof leaks because Solar is installed? 

Answer: That is a great question - and it’s extremely improbable for a roof to leak from having Solar installed. Here’s why: The mounts are attached to the roof with a 3" lag bolt that screws through the roof surface into the rafters in the ceiling of the house. There are four powerful layers of protection that ensure absolutely no leaks are possible.

1. The first layer of water and leak protection is a specialized sealant called Geocel. Geocel is liquid polymer placed in and around the area surrounding the penetration. It hardens to a semi-solid that will fill any potential cracks or leak points and is actually used in underwater welding environments, so it leads their entire industry for this sort of thing. 

2. The second layer is a simple aluminum flashing that covers the area around the penetration roughly 10" in diameter. It’s lagged down at such a strong pressure that this layer alone, even without the other four protections, would almost be enough. 

3. Adding to that, the third layer is an EPDM gasket built into the underside of the flashing which also compresses tightly against that lag.

4. The fourth and final layer is a specialized melded aluminum-EPDM washer placed above the lag and compressed against the whole mounting hardware at that critical point.

Objection: My partner/spouse makes all the decisions.

Answer: Smart of you! Do you know if you get the [Utility name] bills online or in the mail? 

If They Know

Perfect, so I definitely want to chat with your spouse too. For the time being, since we don’t even know if you’re eligible or not I don’t want to waste either of our times. So I’ll get you on our survey schedule for the time being to see and I’ll make sure I connect with your spouse at the survey as well. Is he/she home on weekdays or weekends? — Close

If They Don’t Know

Got it. Let’s do this: when is your spouse typically home? Weekdays or weekends? What time? 

Here’s my contact information — BUILD RAPPORT

After building rapport — get  spouse’s contact information & set appointment to meet him/her.

Objection: My bill is too low. (for bills over $50)

**Most people think their bills are less than it actually is — always get bill**

Answer: Ah I see, it sounds like you’ve looked at your bills recently? Do you get them online or in the mail?

Great, if you can bring that to me I’ll save us both some time and let you know right now if you qualify or not.

Questions you can ask to bring out pain points:

Got it, it sounds like you must be fairly conservative with your energy usage already? Are you conservative with it due to the crazy rates [Utility name] charges? 

Don’t you feel a bit constrained with your power? 

Wouldn’t you like to have some more flexibility?

I understand you may not be spending that much right now, but I find that most people hesitate to pay full price for anything. Hypothetically, if you could continue paying the same amount you have been to [Utility name], or even less, and avoid anyjfuture rate increases (are you familiar with [Utility name]’s rate increase?) — while now switching to clean energy, isn’t that something you feel would be beneficial?