If you're in the solar industry, you already know how difficult it can be to get exclusive solar leads. You want to contact residential homeowners that haven't been bombarded by other companies already. Exclusive solar leads are out there; you just have to know how to find them.
You've likely heard about other solar companies buying their leads through solar lead vendors. It's super easy because all you do is pay a set fee and they hand over the details. The problem is, many of the leads they give you aren't going anywhere. Either the contacts they have aren't interested in solar energy, or the leads have been sitting around for so long the details aren't relevant or updated at all.
You can waste your time cold calling, email, or visiting these homeowners, but there's a good chance they simply won't' convert into a sale. In some instances, the leads you get go to people that have already had their solar installation done. In essence, buying solar leads can be like taking your money and throwing it in the trash.
There are solar lead vendors out there that will offer you an attractive price per lead, so you jump on the thought of investing in them. You think you've gotten the deal of the century purchasing a lead for $30 when they go for anywhere up to $100 or more. However, when you start trying to use these leads to your advantage, you quickly discover that you're not making any headway. Even though you got a bargain compared to some of the other choices for buying leads, you're still stuck with something you can't use.
Your other option is spending the money on those more expensive leads. When paying top dollar, you can demand that the lead you get be an exclusive one. Not only that, you can request that they prove to you that it's not one that's been sitting around for months or even years. Many lead generation vendors will promise to you that they are only selling leads that are a couple of days old.
That sounds good in theory, but then there's no guarantee that these homeowners are actually interested in solar energy. They could have pulled a list of people using other methods. One common strategy is finding people with interests that are similar to solar, like owning an electric car. That doesn't necessarily mean that the person wants solar installation though, or that they even own their home and have the authority to order the work.
So, buying solar leads at a higher price point is a risk. You could get a conversion out of your purchase, or you could be chasing your tail. In the end, you're gambling your money on something that isn't necessarily going to turn a profit for your solar lead company.
There are solar lead generation vendors out there like PickMySolar.com and SolarPowerRocks.com where homeowners that are interested in solar energy can visit. They fill out a form including all of their contact information and then wait for someone to get in touch with them. The problem is, these people may have never heard of you before. When you call, they will be confused as to why you're contacting them instead of another solar contractor that they're more familiar with.
After you make the initial connection with your new solar lead, you could even reach the point where you set up an appointment to do an assessment. You might have even given an estimate over the phone. If they don't know who you are, then they don't feel any obligation to follow through. Your lead can drop out of your project without worrying about doing any harm. All they care about is getting a quote at the lowest price. By the time you get over to visit them, they may have already been given an assessment by one of your competitors that was lower. Cheaper work is always more attractive, so there's a good chance they will go with whatever solar company gives them the best price.
As a business owner or operator, the primary focus is always on becoming the best in your industry. You don't just want to be another no-name solar installation company. The only way to get your name out there is by having a presence online. People look to the internet to find the most reputable business 
for the services that they need. They will explore websites, reviews, comments, and any other information they can find out about a company before deciding on an investment as significant as this one.
Putting your name at the top of the list in Google or other search engines takes time and nurturing. You can't just build a website and expect it to take off. There is work that has to be done behind the scenes first. LeadsForward has a team of experts that are dedicated solely to getting contractors boosted up the list in the shortest amount of time possible.
If you don't have an online website already, then you have to start from scratch. Most of the time, it can take anywhere from three to six months or even longer to start getting traffic to your website. Having a reputable company working alongside you will help in speeding up this process at least a little bit.
You're probably thinking, "I don't want to wait six months to start getting exclusive solar leads. I don't have that kind of time." However, if you want your business to start growing and continue to grow well into the future, you have to be patient. It's one of those things that is worth investing in, but you have to wait for your results.
After your website is getting traffic and it starts ranking higher in Google, homeowners that are genuinely interested in solar energy are going to come looking for you. As long as you have a well-built website that they can visit, you're already ahead of the competition. They will take the time to explore what they see there. If the solar lead generation company you're working with has done their job, they will fill out the contact form before they navigate away from your page.
That's how you get your exclusive lead. When people are giving you their contact information on your website, then you're the only one that's receiving it. You don't have to share it with anyone else, and it's coming to you in real-time. You can even have it set up so that as soon as someone fills out the form, you get a text or email to your phone. Then, you can contact them instantly before they have time to think about it or go somewhere else.
Maybe you've already purchased a few solar leads from some of the vendors out there. They didn't turn out to be worth anything. Now you're frustrated and perhaps even wondering if there are any fresh solar leads available anymore. The solar industry is becoming more and more saturated, but there is still a high level of interest in the updated technology.
Ultimately, how you get your high-quality solar leads is up to you. You can spend a ton of money upfront and buy exclusive solar leads from a vendor and probably see some results. The high dollar leads generally convert anywhere between 5% and 10%. Even if you get one or two jobs out of a few lead purchases, you're getting your money back. The thing to remember is, when those leads run out, you have to go and purchase more.
When you build your online presence with the help of a trusted lead generation company like LeadsForward, you will have to wait a little bit longer. After you start growing, those leads will keep coming in, though. You won't have to waste time and start the process all over again from scratch. You're continuing to build on what you already have, and you might be surprised to find out just how effective it is.
Starting your own lead generation system now through the use of a trusted, modern, mobile-friendly, SEO optimized website is your first step to obtaining those well sought after solar leads. The longer you wait, the longer the process is going to take. Even if you don't want to give up on purchasing your solar leads from a vendor just yet, you can use both methods. After a while, homeowners will be coming to you. You won't ever have to buy another solar lead again!
