[RE-wrenches] Marketing your kaizen (was Solar Installers Education)
Keith Cronin
electrichi01 at yahoo.com
Mon Jul 20 13:01:47 PDT 2009
Joel
Excellent perspective.
Ray- whenever, we as humans have been doing something for a considerable amount of time longer than the new people entering into the "business", we can feel the threat of their presence and their potentially unsophisticated approach to a host of ways in which they market themselves. This is completely understandable, as you and others have done the time in the business and generally feel you are better suited to fulfill the needs of the end user. This happens in every business industry and we all feel it at times as the "free" market mechanisms we work in offer opportunity to all, yet the buying public might not have the best information in front of them to make a good decision. This is a difficult topic to bridge and fully optimize as the dizzying amount of choices can overwhelm the masses.
My personal view on your second question lies in perhaps a simple answer. It is all about relationships you have with your existing customers, as they should be your loyal fans eager to promote you and your team. It isn't always about a marketing blitzkrieg to the masses, as this could build a brand over time, expensively, the best route to the next customer lies in the relationship you build with yesterdays client.
This is where training comes in again. Not just installer training, but everyone within the organization. From the front line folks who take calls, project managers, engineers- you name the position and I will spout the same answer- they all need customer service training 101. We have been all underwhelmed at companies in regards to dealing with the front line or back line individuals on the phone to the one on one interactions. How do we fix the image- again- training. Most astute consumers recognize excellent service and have plenty to say about reprehensible service at the water cooler or at the country store.
This is fundamentally why we all can be frustrated by wondering why someone didn't go with us in a bidding environment- they have not had a chance to develop a relationship and only want the transaction at its lowest cost, as this is the psychological measure of value in their perception. On the other hand, if we can truly engage people, from an educational point of view about solar, we are providing valuable information that they need and focus on helping them get the most significant details, we have a much better opportunity to establish and maintain the loyal relationship. This is not to say someone will take the information and shake down the next service provider, because it will happen, just that the likelihood will generally be less.
Lastly- I don't want to sound like the cable company, but I believe we need to offer value added services beyond the basic installation and service clients every year by providing a checkup, just like we do at the doctor annually to see how the "system" is performing. Again, relationship building 101. This sticks in the hearts and minds (and wallets) of consumers as they feel more certain their system integrator is considerate and a stake holder in the successful operation of their power plant. The challenge is, we generally are selling on price/rebates/ROI/ etc. and O&M becomes a backseat driver to the equation. I wonder how many systems that are deployed out there today are not optimized that could be.......another opportunity to ask your client every year if they know someone who is like them that could use our services. Behind every simple answer is usually a complex challenge, but my belief that we can do better as an industry to foster these
relationships will take time to trickle into our trade, most specifically for the grid tied market.
Aloha
________________________________
From: Joel Davidson <joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net>
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Cc: RE Marketing for home scale RE industry <re-markets at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 8:50:35 AM
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Marketing your kaizen (was Solar Installers Education)
Hello Ray,
Your question is an important marketing question so
I am copying it over to RE-Marketing.
The short answer is (1) identify your company's
competitive advantages, (2) differentiate from your competition, and
(3) position your company in the marketplace. These are the questions that you
have to ask yourself, but not on-line. You don't want to show your
cards to your competitors.
(1) What does your company do that is better
(quality), faster, and ultimately cheaper (higher kWh/$ invested, less
problems, fewer callbacks, etc.)?
(2) How is your company different from your
competitors? Be specific.
(3) What markets do you serve (off-grid, on-grid,
residential, commercial, up-scale, what territory, what complementary
products/markets, etc.)?
Once you have clear, concise answers, then you make
your marketing and sales plans. They are 2 different critters.
See http://marketing.about.com/cs/advertising/a/mrktingvssales.htm
and http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/operating/marketing/salesmktdiff.html
and http://marketing.about.com/cs/advertising/a/mrktingvssales.htm
and google difference between marketing and
selling
Good luck.
Joel Davidson
----- Original Message -----
>From: R. Walters
>To: RE-wrenches
>Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 11:03
>AM
>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Solar
> Installers Education
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>The one
>> commonality to all of this is really the passion to constant learning. The
>> Japanese have a word- Kaizen- constant
>> improvement.
>>
>
>
>Excellent, thanks for the new word. Unfortunately, I'm just not seeing
> any of that passion in the new people flocking to this industry.
>
>Where it is peculiar to me, is to see us not being able to charge
>> enough to take care of our families and co-workers (team mates) on the ship
>> of life.
>>
>
>
>Now you've hit the sore spot for us: we've worked and studied hard, spent
> countless unpaid hours contributing to this list for our mutual Kaizen, only
> to see a growing market that is not necessarily valuing our experience. The
> question is how do we get across to the customer why they should pay more for
> that experience and knowledge? How besides NABCEP, do we even demonstrate we
> have that knowledge?
>
>
>Mahalo,
>
>
>Ray
>
>Aloha
>>
>>Keith
>>
>>
>>
>>
________________________________
From: Joel Davidson <joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net>
>>To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>>Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 5:50:24
>> AM
>>Subject: Re:
>> [RE-wrenches] Solar Installers Education
>>
>> >>
>>I agree. I have DIY customers who know
>> more about PV systems than a lot of so-called PV professionals. Designing
>> and installing PV systems is a continuous learning
>> experience. We are practitioners because, like doctors,
>> we practice our trade, expand our knowledge, and
>> hone our skills. I tell people who wants to get in the
>> PV business to put a PV system on their own
>> home. People who tell me that they want to sell PV
>> but can not go solar personally for whatever reason have less
>> credibility. They get less respect from prospective customers who
>> use the same reasons or excuses for not going solar. They either
>> don't last long in the business or are in it only for the money. Granted,
>> there are less operational nuances to a batteryless, grid-tied PV system
>> than a battery-based system or wind or water generator, but living with
>> your work is essential. It makes you keenly aware of unique subtleties
>> and helps you better understand your customers concerns.
>>
>>Joel Davidson
>>-----
>>> Original Message -----
>>>From: R.
>>> Walters
>>>To: RE-wrenches
>>>Sent: >>> Saturday, July 18, 2009 12:05 AM
>>>Subject: >>> Re: [RE-wrenches] Solar Installers Education
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>For Off grid, no one should even attempt being a designer/ installer
>>> without living for a full year on their own off grid system.
>>>GT w/ batteries, you need off grid smarts and understand GT.
>>>Training newbies, I can't imagine them being able to do anything
>>> other than schlep modules/ do grunt work for a couple of years.
>>>I could see a licensed electrician with a year of full time training
>>> being able to do GT w/o batteries.
>>>Most of the market and all the growth is in the GT w/o batteries, so
>>> I think your training should concentrate there.
>>>I've taught a semester long PV class, and all I was able to do was
>>> create well educated consumers.
>>>
>>>
>>>R. Walters
>>>Solarray.com
>>>NABCEP # 04170442
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Jul 17, 2009, at 9:44 AM, Keith Cronin wrote:
>>>
>>>Hi gang
>>>>
>>>>I was wondering, what percentage do you believe
>>>> represents the ratio of classroom training to field training for PV and
>>>> what percentage you believe should be performed by licensed electricians
>>>> vs what is deemed mechanical work?
>>>>
>>>>Residential Grid Tie w/out
>>>> batteries
>>>>___% classroom- electrician
>>>>___% field-
>>>> electrician
>>>>
>>>>Residential Grid Tie w/out batteries
>>>>___%
>>>> classroom- mechanical
>>>>___% field- mechanical
>>>>
>>>>Commercial Grid
>>>> Tie w/out batteries
>>>>___% classroom-electrician
>>>>___%
>>>> field-electrician
>>>>
>>>>Commercial Grid Tie w/out batteries
>>>>___%
>>>> classroom-mechanical
>>>>___% field-mechanical
>>>>
>>>>Residential GT with
>>>> batteries
>>>>____% classroom-electrician
>>>>____%
>>>> field-electrician
>>>>
>>>>Residential GT with batteries
>>>>____%
>>>> classroom-mechanical
>>>>____% field-mechanical
>>>>
>>>>Any takers on the
>>>> off grid market percentages?
>>>>
>>>>Commercial w/ batteries is utility
>>>> scale and I don't think it can be quantified today as the projects are
>>>> generally design build and perhaps hard to put an exact # on
>>>> these.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>>
>>>>Keith
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>List sponsored by Home Power magazine
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>>>
>>>
>>>
________________________________
>>>
>>>
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>>List sponsored by Home Power magazine
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