How to Hire Good Salespeople for Your Solar or Heat Pump Business
For many solar and heat pump installers, hiring a salesperson becomes a priority once the founder reaches the point where they are handling too much of the sales process themselves. Appointments, surveys, quotes, follow-ups and closing deals can quickly consume the founder's time and place a limit on how much the business can sell.
Bringing a salesperson into the business can help create additional capacity, but hiring someone does not automatically remove the founder from the sales process. If the salesperson has an inconsistent diary, poor-quality leads, a weak offer or inadequate sales systems around them, the founder may still need to step in repeatedly to help move deals forward.
In Episode 029 of the InstallrHub video series, Brad Clark discusses the key areas solar and heat pump installers should have in place to attract and retain good salespeople. The discussion begins with one of the biggest considerations for salespeople, particularly those working on commission: earning potential.
That means the question is not simply how to find a salesperson. It is also whether the business has created the conditions that allow a good salesperson to earn, perform and stay.
Why Hiring a Salesperson Does Not Always Solve the Problem
A common reason installers look to hire a salesperson is that the founder has become the bottleneck. The owner may still be setting appointments, carrying out surveys, preparing quotes, following up with customers and stepping in to close deals.
The intention behind the hire is to remove some of that pressure. However, if the business does not have the right systems in place, the salesperson can create a different type of dependency.
Brad describes situations where salespeople still rely on the founder to change quotes, follow up with customers or get deals over the line. In those circumstances, the founder can end up spending significant time supporting the salesperson rather than actually stepping away from sales.
The solution is therefore not simply to find someone with good sales skills. The business also needs to provide that person with enough opportunities, a suitable offer, useful tools and a process that allows them to work independently.
Consistent Lead Flow Creates a Realistic Sales Opportunity
One of the first areas to address before hiring is lead flow.
A salesperson needs enough opportunities to sell. If their calendar changes dramatically from one week to the next, their earning potential becomes less predictable.
Brad gives the example of having enough appointments booked for a surveyor to average around two appointments per day, without requiring the surveyor to generate all of those opportunities themselves. He also points out the importance of having an office team that can manage bookings, cancellations and rescheduling so the salesperson can focus on speaking to customers and getting deals over the line.
For example, a salesperson might have eight appointments in one week, followed by three the next and five the week after. From the business owner's perspective, there may still be leads coming into the company. From the salesperson's perspective, however, there are significant gaps in the calendar.
That matters because salespeople need to see a realistic opportunity to earn. Brad explains that earning potential is a major consideration for salespeople and that a lack of earning opportunity can lead someone to decline a role or eventually look elsewhere.
Before recruiting, installers should therefore look at their recent pipeline and understand how consistently they can provide qualified appointments. It is useful to examine enquiry volume, qualification rates, booked surveys, completed surveys, cancellations and eventual sales rather than looking only at the number of leads generated.
Lead Quality Matters as Much as Lead Volume
Consistent lead flow is only useful if the leads themselves are suitable.
Brad's second area is lead quality. He highlights the importance of having price-qualified leads with reasonable intent and properties that are technically suitable before passing those opportunities to a salesperson.
Poor-quality opportunities can affect a salesperson in several ways. A survey may take place at a property that is not suitable for the proposed installation. A homeowner may not be serious about moving forward. Someone may have enquired simply to understand the rough cost without having any intention of buying.
If these situations happen repeatedly, the salesperson may begin to question whether the role provides enough genuine opportunities to earn the income they expected.
This is particularly important for commission-based salespeople. Their earning potential is directly connected to the quality and quantity of opportunities entering the sales process.
For that reason, installers should look beyond lead volume and examine the journey from enquiry to sale. A useful way to understand the pipeline is:
Lead → Qualified Opportunity → Survey → Quote → Sale
Looking at where opportunities drop out can reveal whether the problem is actually a lack of leads or whether too many unsuitable enquiries are reaching the sales team.
Your Brand Is Part of the Sales Process
A salesperson does not operate independently of the company they represent. The customer is also evaluating the business behind the salesperson.
After a survey, a homeowner may look at the company's website, reviews, social media, previous installations and general reputation before deciding whether to move forward.
Brad describes brand as a “silent killer” because a weak online presence can make a salesperson's job more difficult. If the salesperson has a good conversation with a customer but the company's online presence creates uncertainty afterwards, the salesperson has another obstacle to overcome.
A strong website and positive customer reviews do not replace good selling, but they can reinforce the trust created during the sales conversation.
Before hiring, it is therefore worth reviewing what a potential customer sees when they search for the company. The website, reviews and other public-facing material should give the salesperson additional credibility rather than creating doubt.
Make Sure the Offer and Pricing Give the Salesperson a Chance
Another important consideration is the offer itself.
A salesperson can only sell the products, pricing and commercial options provided by the business. If the company is significantly overpriced without a clear reason, cannot offer suitable finance options or is selling products that do not match customer demand, the salesperson is starting from a difficult position.
Brad specifically discusses pricing, finance and product fit as areas that need to be considered before hiring a salesperson.
This does not mean an installer needs to become the cheapest provider in the market. Instead, the salesperson needs to be able to clearly communicate why the company's offer represents good value.
That value might come from the quality of the products, installation standards, warranties, customer service, experience, finance options or aftercare.
The important point is that the salesperson needs an offer they can confidently sell.
If they repeatedly find themselves in situations where the business cannot compete because of pricing, limited finance options or an unsuitable product, the salesperson may struggle regardless of their individual ability.
Give Salespeople a Reason to Stay
Hiring a salesperson is only part of the challenge. Retaining a good salesperson requires the business to provide a realistic path for continued earning and development.
Brad identifies growth and incentives as another important area. Salespeople should have a clear roadmap for increasing their earnings and taking on greater responsibility.
This could involve increased commission, bonuses, training and development, additional responsibility or other performance incentives.
The exact structure will depend on the business and its sales model. What matters is that the salesperson can understand how improving their performance can improve their position within the company.
A clear progression path can also help during slower periods. If a salesperson knows that the business is committed to their longer-term development and earning potential, a temporary drop in sales does not necessarily have to become a reason to look elsewhere.
Build Processes That Allow Salespeople to Sell
The final area is the sales process itself.
A salesperson should not have to fight through inefficient internal processes to close a deal. If quoting takes too long, the CRM is not properly set up, follow-up is inconsistent and every unusual customer question has to go back to the founder, the salesperson will remain dependent on the owner.
Brad explains that messy processes can result in the founder spending almost as much time supporting the salesperson as they would have spent doing the sales work themselves.
A better approach is to provide tools and processes that allow the salesperson to manage their pipeline and move opportunities forward.
This can include a properly configured CRM, quoting tools, clear follow-up procedures, customer communications, case studies and other sales resources.
The objective is to allow the salesperson to spend their time where it creates the most value: speaking to customers and progressing deals.
Fast Quoting and Follow-Up Can Support the Sales Process
The work does not stop when the survey ends.
Brad also discusses the importance of having a process for producing quotes quickly, ideally in the home or otherwise on the same day or by the following day.
Speed can help maintain momentum after a positive survey. The longer a customer waits for the next step, the more opportunity there is for that momentum to disappear.
Follow-up and nurturing are also important. Brad describes using emails, WhatsApp messages, videos and case studies before and after the survey so the customer continues to receive useful information without the salesperson having to manage every communication manually.
This allows the sales team to focus on the conversations that require a salesperson while the wider business supports the customer journey around those conversations.
What Should Be in Place Before Hiring?
Before recruiting a salesperson, a solar or heat pump installer can assess several areas of the existing sales operation.
Lead flow: Can the business consistently provide enough appointments?
Lead quality: Are the opportunities suitable, reasonably serious and appropriate for the products being sold?
Brand: Does the company's website, reputation and customer evidence support the salesperson's conversations?
Offer: Are the products, pricing and finance options suitable and competitive?
Earning potential: Can a salesperson realistically earn the income they expect?
Growth: Is there a clear path for increased earnings, training or responsibility?
Processes: Can the salesperson quote, manage their pipeline and follow up without constantly relying on the founder?
These areas are interconnected. A salesperson with strong skills can still struggle if the business cannot provide enough opportunities or if the sales process around them is difficult to operate.
Building a Sales Operation That Does Not Depend on the Founder
The purpose of hiring a salesperson is ultimately bigger than filling a role.
For an installer who wants to grow beyond their own personal sales capacity, the goal is to build an operation where another person can consistently handle customer conversations and progress opportunities without the founder having to intervene in every deal.
That requires more than recruitment.
It requires a reliable pipeline, suitable leads, a trusted brand, an attractive offer, realistic earning potential and systems that support the sales process.
Brad summarises these as the foundational areas installers should have in place before hiring and retaining good sales talent.
The more of those foundations that are already working, the easier it becomes for a salesperson to step into the business and focus on selling rather than spending their time trying to overcome problems elsewhere in the system.
Conclusion
Hiring a salesperson can help a solar or heat pump installer create more sales capacity, but recruitment should not be treated as a standalone solution.
Before hiring, look at the sales environment the new person will be entering. Make sure there is enough lead flow to create a realistic opportunity, that the leads are suitable, that the brand and offer support the sales conversation, and that the salesperson has a clear path to earning and developing within the business.
Just as importantly, make sure the systems behind the salesperson work efficiently. Fast quoting, CRM management, follow-up and customer nurturing can reduce the amount of founder involvement required and allow the salesperson to focus on what they were hired to do.
The objective is not simply to hire a salesperson.
It is to build a sales system in which a good salesperson has a genuine opportunity to succeed.
Want to Build a More Consistent Sales Pipeline?
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