Solar PV Sales

[EcoCentral]

Hi, If anybody knows of any good Solar Sales people we have a few positions going. We're a strong and fast expanding company. Please contact me here asap.
thanks

 

[Somecamel]

I know a couple of bad ones :45:

 

[EcoCentral]

There's plenty of them about!

 

[solarsavings]

Don't you have to be a good liar to be a successful "salesman" perhaps the bad ones are honest.

 

[SRE]

You have to wear a shiny suit, have bryl cream in your hair and tell porkies like the ones I found at my customer's this afteroon.

43p tariff for the 25 years - in black and white.
19% ROI from a 14k system

The guy has cashed in an Isa to take advantage of this fab offer - think I might too ...

 

[moggy1968]

I sold my children for one just like that yesterday. seemed too good to miss!!

 

[babba]

All you need now is the kit to go with the salesman ...shortages are comming or here in some supply chains...

You need a sales director if you need to come here to look for sales people...

SRE you are also a sales person believe it or not and lets face its, not all tell lies and not all electricans or good...ditto..

 

[trevor79]

The best people in sales are very ethical and hate cowboys, they pull down the whole industry!

There is many hard working people in Solar on all sides, and we should all support each other as we are committed to focusing on giving the best service
to our customers, especially in these difficult times where DECC are behaving in the way that it is.

 

[moggy1968]

it's not what I hear out on the street talking to customers I'm afraid. The sales techniques I hear being used range from outragous to downright illegal.
And thats not isolated, it's many times every week.
This industry needs to clean up it's act, fast.

 

[trevor79]

Glad I don't work down in Dorset then!

 

[SRE]

Or in the North West cos that's what's happening up here. Moggy's right the industry is getting a really bad reputation - mind you it makes it easier for us to pick up sales. This is the third from this company in the last couple of months that we've picked up.

 

[Somecamel]

First rule of sales- Never be the first one in

 

[babba]

The best people in sales are very ethical and hate cowboys, they pull down the whole industry!

There is many hard working people in Solar on all sides, and we should all support each other as we are committed to focusing on giving the best service
to our customers, especially in these difficult times where DECC are behaving in the way that it is.

I couldn't agree more, it's all about ethics and your passion for what you do, not about your position. I have met some very sloppy installers, met some very unethical sales people, there will always be good and bad.

 

[moggy1968]

true I'm afraid, but the sales tactics is a particular concern. Rot I suspect follows rot. High pressure unethical sales followed by a substandard installation. This behaviour will be endemic through a company from the top down. Today I noticed a top of the range brand new Audi outside one of the double glazing firms in our area who routinely quote more than double what we do. They still get the business, how??

I was trying to find my copy of which magazine but couldn't find it.
There's an article in there of a couple sold a system for twice the price we would sell it for. pressurised into signing on the night for a 'discount' (the final price was thousands over what we charge). Then the actual installed capacity was almost half what it should have been.
really a disgrace
there was a picture asside the article, a very elderly couple (80+) in a bungalow, you might as well just go out and mug elderly people on the street, it's a disgrace.

It's interesting to note I haven't installed a single system for anyone over 70, but then I'm not a salesman!

 

[solarsavings]

The best people in sales are very ethical and hate cowboys, they pull down the whole industry!

I'm sure they were just as passionate and knowledgeable when selling windows, driveways, blinds etc.

 

[babba]

I'm sure they were just as passionate and knowledgeable when selling windows, driveways, blinds etc.

I hope you would be as passionate when doing a rewire.

 

[solarsavings]

no, but I am when laying...................................

 

[Somecamel]

Might get a bit of flack for this but want to reiterate the point that there are some good sales people who don't go out to rip people off but have a real passion for this.

Me for instance.

I'm not an electrician, I like business, I like selling to people and I believe in what I'm selling.

I run my own small solar company, I employ 2 Engineers, I pay my taxes etc and I earn a good living.

We became a limited company in 2009 having traded as a sole trader for a few years previous.

The economy needs salespeople as much as industry needs people to sell stuff for them.

Not everyone can sell, I certainly couldn't wire up a PV system.

The people that are ripping people off I hope are few and far between, I certainly haven't come across many 'really' bad ones and the green media industry are trying to spread the word to avoid them.

How many of you guys are ready to move your 'green' business forward?

Mass PV has gone for the time being- far too many other companies doing it now.

Got to diversify

 

[solarsavings]

I would most tradesmen have been diversifying since finishing their apprenticeships. I have for the last 34 years

 

[FB.]

You have to wear a shiny suit, have bryl cream in your hair and tell porkies like the ones I found at my customer's this afteroon.

43p tariff for the 25 years - in black and white.
19% ROI from a 14k system

The guy has cashed in an Isa to take advantage of this fab offer - think I might too ...

The 19% ROI will be due to generous assumptions in the rate of inflation and energy price increases. Easy to whack in an assumption of 15% p.a. energy price increases (and get away with it because of the recent steep rises in the cost of our bills). The higher the rate of inflation, the faster the inflation-linked FiT will rise, and, the faster the inflation the more expensive electricity prices would become and therefore the more in-house savings which could be made by not having to import as much from the grid.

My rough 'n' ready calculation for a 4kWp/£12000 system suggests:
@43p FiT = 13.5% annual rate of return, but, of course, none of the original capital will ever be returned (it will be a near-worthless/depreciated asset), unlike most ISA's/bank accounts.
@21p FiT = 7.8% annual rate of return, but capital is not returned.

So with the "write-off" of the original outlay, the 43p FiT drops to 5% p.a. annual *real* return (i.e. return stripping out the effect of inflation).
The 21p FiT drops to 3% p.a. annual *real* return.

Then add on-top whatever you think the inflation rate will be (e.g. 4% inflation/RPI would make 9% ROI for 43p FiT and 7% ROI for 21p FiT).

The returns might lose another 1% p.a. if the inverter has a meltdown a couple of years after its warranty has expired; certainly it is very possible that the system will need a replacement inverter in the 25-year lifespan and potentially might need two new inverters over the government's 35-year assumed lifespan.

--------