Solar At Scale - Solar Closer Mastery

5. Handling Objections

Partner Objection

Ideally, all appointments should be run with both homeowners present. This will maximise close rates and minimise the need for these steps. However, this may not always be possible. In the case, you are running a single-party appointment, and you run into a partner objection, follow the steps below.

Step 1. Get the YES

The goal is to get the prospect to admit that if the partner agrees to proceed, they will move forward as there will be no other objections or concerns.

Okay. So, if your partner was here, and they were all for it, would you do it?

Okay. But why? What specifically do you think is the element that benefits you and your partner most?

Okay. So, How does your partner feel about you making sure that you’re saving money on your electricity bills and doing it with no out-of-pocket cost?

Step 2. Get the NO

The goal here is to understand from the prospect what would happen if their partner says no. There are only two results in this scenario. If they say the partner isn’t on board, but your prospect is willing to do it, then go for a soft close and handle the following objections. By then, you can determine that it’s a fear-based objection. If they say they won’t move forward without their partner’s agreement, this is most likely a logistical objection and must be handled differently.

Option 1: The prospect will move forward without their partner

Okay. Well, what if your partner says no? What happens, then?

Prospect: He/she won’t say no, OR I will do it anyway

You seem pretty sure of that, mind if I ask why?

The prospect is telling you this isn’t a logistical issue since they will go ahead anyway, whether the partner approves their decision. Your goal here will be to get them to justify their reasons so they sell themselves on this even further and then go for a soft close. How hard you close will be based on your judgement of how certain they are about going ahead regardless of their partner’s approval.

Ok, if you’re sure of that, what we usually do from here is to arrange your pre-approval for the payment plan, which takes about 2 minutes. We would just need some details from your driver’s licence. Then, I can set up your welcome call in 24 hours to give you time to talk with your partner. That way, we can ensure a smooth and speedy process for you while also ensuring their questions are answered. Would that be appropriate, or how would you like to proceed from here?

Softener if needed: If you’d like to, I’m also happy to set up another call with you and your partner to ensure all their questions are answered. Would that help you?

If handled correctly, most of your prospects should close right here. However, you may find some of them still hesitate and may insist on speaking with their partner before moving forward. In this case, go for a deposit close below. Before that, let’s explore what happens if they won’t move forward.

Option 2: The prospect won’t move forward without their partner

Okay. Well, what if your partner says no? What happens, then?

Prospect: We won’t do it. We always make decisions like this together.

In this case, the prospect admits they will need the partner’s permission before moving forward. However, that doesn’t mean they will be unwilling to put down a deposit towards their goals. Before going for the deposit, though, we need to find out the partner's concerns to see if we can solidify them.

That’s not a problem. Based on what we’ve spoken about, can you see anything your partner may be opposed to? Any possible concerns you can anticipate?

From here, they will either start naming concerns, the main one being money, or they will simply say they don’t think their partner will have concerns but need to speak to them regardless. If they do name one or more concerns, it is imperative that you have an open conversation about those to alleviate them as best as you can before moving on to the next steps. If they have what you determine to be valid logistical concerns other than just their partner, it may be best to skip the deposit close and move straight to scheduling a follow-up. If not, go for the deposit close before scheduling a follow-up.

The deposit (or Pre-Approval) close:

This type of close is a “soft-close” to gain a minor commitment to moving forward when the total commitment cannot be attained on this call. This aims to begin the process with the prospect, get the approval, and make them leave the call on a high note, as well as with the psychology of commitment vs. not committing.

Okay. So, we have a couple of options to move forward from here. We can either schedule a follow-up, or option two is we can process a small $500 deposit. We don’t do this to “hold your spot” or anything bullshit like that. We do it as an emotional commitment to moving forward on your goals.

We find that when you go to your partner without giving some form of commitment, you may still have the mindset of “If I do this...”. Whereas, if you go to your partner after giving a small commitment, even if it’s just a refundable deposit, your mindset is now of “how we will do this”, which will increase your level of conviction when explaining it to them and usually leads to them being more likely to be on board, but it also respects them enough to give them the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process. Worst case scenario, they’re not on board, and we fully refund your deposit. Would you be opposed to putting down a small deposit for whatever reason?

Step 3. Schedule a follow-up

If the prospect is unwilling to put down a deposit, or even if they do, you will need to schedule a follow-up with the partner present, if possible or appropriate.

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