1 SOLAR COMPANY Solar Investigation Report. 2 PROJECT OVERVIEW Research solar products and services...
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1 SOLAR COMPANY Solar Investigation Report
1 SOLAR COMPANY Solar Investigation Report. 2 PROJECT OVERVIEW Research solar products and services and how companies market and sell them to consumers
2 PROJECT OVERVIEW Research solar products and services and how
companies market and sell them to consumers. This will allow us to
better understand the marketing of solar in Massachusetts and what
the sales process is like to convert someone to solar. We asked the
same 6 questions to 6 Solar competitors.
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3 DATA GATHERED
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4 WHAT ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WAYS YOU HAVE ATTRACTED
CUSTOMERS AND RAISED AWARENESS OF SOLAR? Solar Company #1Word of
Mouth from Customers Solar Company #2Geotargeting Solar Company
#3Company Website Solar Company #4Declined to Answer Solar Company
#5Declined to Answer Solar Company #6Declined to Answer
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5 WHAT PERCENT OF YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS COME FROM
TELEMARKETING, IF ANY, AND WHAT OTHER WAYS DO YOU GENERATE LEADS?
Solar Company #1Some SEO Solar Company #2Referrals, Door-to-Door,
SEO, Mail Campaigns, Events Solar Company #3Referrals,
Partnerships, other Direct Marketing Solar Company #4Referral
Program, Lead Generation Solar Company #5Unsure Solar Company
#6Word of Mouth, Referrals
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6 WHAT ARE THE TOP REASONS PEOPLE CHOOSE TO CONVERT TO SOLAR?
Solar Company #1Financial Savings, Environmental Impact Solar
Company #2Economic ROI, Environmental Impact Solar Company
#3Financial Savings, Environmental Impact Solar Company #4Financial
Savings, Environmental Impact Solar Company #5Economic ROI,
Environmental Impact Solar Company #6Financial Savings,
Environmental Impact
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7 WHAT ARE THE TOP REASONS PEOPLE CHOOSE NOT TO CONVERT TO
SOLAR? Solar Company #1Lack of Solar & Financial Understanding
Solar Company #2Lack of Solar & Financial Understanding Solar
Company #3Low Financial ROI Solar Company #4Permit Issues, Systems
too Expensive Solar Company #5Unable to see Economic Benefits Solar
Company #6Unable to see Economic & Environmental Benefits
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8 WHAT PERCENT OF INTERESTED PARTIES HOMES HAVE ENOUGH SUN TO
JUSTIFY THE CONVERSION TO SOLAR? Solar Company #1Unsure Solar
Company #220-40% Solar Company #3Unsure Solar Company #4Varies;
Shading can be a Problem Solar Company #5Unsure Solar Company
#6Unsure
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9 HOW MANY INTERACTIONS DO YOU TYPICALLY HAVE WITH A CUSTOMER
BEFORE THEY BUY? Solar Company #1A Few Interactions Solar Company
#2A Few Interactions Solar Company #3A Few Interactions-
Combination of Phone & Online Solar Company #4Declined to
Answer Solar Company #5Several Interactions Solar Company
#6Declined to Answer
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10 COMPETITIVE REVIEW
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11 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #1 ProductsMarketing Tools
Energy Efficient Lighting Indoor & Outdoor EV (Electric
Vehicle) Charging Stations Residential & Commercial Solar EV
Installations PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) Sun Science Synergy
Slogan used to express the idea that sun and science are working
together to create clean energy Portfolio Photo Gallery Tax
Credits, Rebates & Incentives Partners List not yet provided
Customer Testimonials
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12 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #2 ProductsMarketing Tools
PV System PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) Leasing Buying Purchase
vs. Lease Comparison Blog Project EmPower Resources, Support &
Education Non-Profit Community Groups Events Seminars Home Energy
Analysis Customer Stories
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13 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #3 ProductsMarketing Tools
Solar Panels Prepaid Leases Solar Inverter Solar Lease PPA (Power
Purchase Agreement) PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) The Grid
Creative Blog Partnerships Lowes Credo Sierra Club National Parks
Helpful Videos Guaranteed Power If system ever fails, Sungevity
will reimburse customer Solar Fundraising Program Raises money for
non-profit organizations If non-profits refer a customer, Sungevity
donates $750 and gives customer $750 credit Online Tracking
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14 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #4 ProductsMarketing Tools
Solar Lease Residential Solar Panels X-Series Solar Panels E-Series
Solar Panels Signature Black Solar Panels AC Solar Panels Solar
Power Monitoring Systems Business & Government Options Success
Stories Promotional Video Insights Blog Events Trade Shows SunPower
Foundation Educational Tools Funding Non-Profits Community-based
Solar Power Initiatives
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15 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #5 ProductsMarketing Tools
Solar Lease PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) Solar Financing Sunrun
Advantage 20 years of experience Best care, quality, and financial
deals Solar Success Stories Solar Lease vs. PPA Comparison
Massachusetts Installations Page Terminology Page Solar FAQs Videos
Informational Customer Testimonials
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16 COMPETITIVE REVIEW: SOLAR COMPANY #6 ProductsMarketing Tools
Solar Panels SolarPPA SolarLease Home Improvement Insulation Water
Heaters Heating/Cooling Systems Air Sealing Solar Thermal Solar
Electric Pool Pumps Energy Star Appliances Events Trade Shows Home
Remodeling Shows Local Seminars Webinars Customer Testimonials
Client Portfolio Case Studies Photo & Video Gallery Partnership
with Google $280 million fund to finance residential solar projects
Googles largest investment to date in clean energy sector Creates
solar financing options
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17 INTERVIEWS: INTERESTED CUSTOMERS
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18 STACEY C Friends had solar installed on their house Friend
Introduced Stacey to Sungevity Friend gets $500 if Stacey buys 10
hours of internet-based research 1.5 hour call with Sungevity
Explained how solar lease worked and did an analysis How many solar
panels they could fit on the roof Reviewed electricity bills
Developed a plan based on length and strength of the sun and their
usage The lease would be $100/month for 25 years Pay more than $100
if they use more than avg amount If summer generates more
electricity than used, meter runs backwards, saving $/electricity
for winter Stacey pays difference between consumption and creation
of electricity (avg $10-$20/month annually) Researched but decided
to wait
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19 STACEY C Process outlined by Sungevity Local comes to do
measurement and assessment on the ground to verify Sungevitys
calculations If Sungevity can meet their end of the contract,
Stacey gets to decide to move forward Install panels, attach to
electrical panel, attach converter next to fuse box NStar switches
electrical meter to read through the converter (could take 2 months
from signed contract) NStar goes live in 7 months (April October)
Additional offerings from Sungevity Free installation process
25-year warrantee covering any equipment issues $1,000,000
insurance against house for any damages incurred by equipment Free
generator replacement every 10 years Researched but decided to
wait
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20 STACEY C What kept Stacey from buying? Timing was not right
could not install until October Husband did not want holes drilled
in the roof If you lease and sell your house, buyer has to buy into
lease for it to transfer (otherwise pay for removal) Did some math
and felt it was better to own panels rather than lease (more money
quickly) Will wait a few years to see if husbands holes in roof
issue goes away and when they have the cash to buy themselves
(estimating $25K-$30K) Researched but decided to wait
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21 KAMALA Has been thinking about solar for 7 years Her sister
looked at a house 10-15 years ago that had solar and it had a large
system in the basement Thought you needed a lot of basement space,
which she does not have Friends sent out holiday card about getting
solar Talked to them thought it was doable Friends used them
because there was a deal If a certain number of houses used it in
Wayland, they all got a discount Called the same company (thinks it
was SolarCity) Would not come to her house to talk to her They
looked at Google maps and said because of the trees that surrounded
her house, she did not get enough consistent sunlight She realized
this after looking herself Looking into it but does not have enough
sun
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22 KAMALA Liked the idea of solar because of the economics of
it Grew up in the 70s Her house was heated by electric heat
Conserving electricity was important Has always aware of electrical
consumption Bought a small house with 3 heat zones Put an addition
on and added more heat zones Still has this as a part of her
mindset Would like to have solar but cant cut down the trees Feels
that it would be a tradeoff she is not willing to make Looking into
it but does not have enough sun
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23 SONALI Wanted something more green with more environmental
value Move away from electric/coal/etc. Be able to recoup the costs
quickly Wants panels that can be placed on the side of the house as
opposed to the roof Continuing to research so she is well-informed
Has used the internet and a couple friends who got traditional
solar installed Solution does not need to be unique, but has to
have a quicker pay off time frame Her process Look for
opportunities that are of interest to her See if she can support
solar on her house Conducting Research
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24 TAKEAWAYS
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25 TOP SUCCESSFUL SOLAR COMPANIES Solar Company #6: Their web
presence is the most compelling of the ones that were researched.
Their website is the most modern and interactive, and provides a
very helpful infographics explaining residential solar. Some of
their clients include Wal-Mart, eBay and Stanford University. Also,
remarkable is that a third of their business was generated from
positive referrals, which is validated by their positive reviews
and 80+ testimonials. Probably the most noteworthy is SolarCitys
partnership with Google; the fact that Google would make an
investment of $280 million gives SolarCity a lot of credibility.
Solar Company #3: They have experts who custom-design the systems
for clients. They also provide clients with a Project Manager that
they are able to keep in touch with. Sungevity also has an advanced
monitoring system that clients can use for free, which allows them
to track their solar systems output, carbon savings, and more. This
provides convenience and transparency, while also being a great
marketing tool. They have the Sunshine Network, which is a referral
program that rewards customers when they refer new clients. Not
only does Sungevity reward their existing client with $1,000, but
the new client also saves $500, and there is no limit to the number
of people they can refer. The only negative feedback I noted was
that a few reviews stated that Sungevity wouldnt come to their
house for a consultation, but instead used Google maps to look at
their house and concluded that they did not have enough sunlight
and/or their roof was a certain shape that prevented them from
being able to install solar panels.
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26 MARKETING TOOLS Call to Action Buttons Request a Free iQuote
Today! Learn More Get started Chat With Us Get educated See for
yourself Informative and helpful videos Graphic representation and
walk through of process Experts, clients or employees explaining
solar Combination of visuals and short bullet points to make
information easy to understand Use of charts Especially when
describing money saved over time Addressing FAQs Solicited reviews
online Best Practices
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27 MARKETING TOOLS About (Company) Contact us Products &
Services Types Residential Commercial Government Etc. Financing
Options Why Solar? / How Solar Works Getting Started Our Process
Competitive Advantage Why Solar Universe 128? Solar Universe
Advantage Our Commitment/Our Promise Client Reviews, Testimonials,
Case Studies, etc. Locations/Solar By State Partners News &
Events Blog Essential Tabs/Sections