Solar sales call script for quote follow-up and site assessments

The opener that promises competence

A homeowner who requested a solar quote is being worked by three companies, and two of them will read a script at her. The opener that stands apart asks to ask: “five minutes so I can ask the right questions before I waste your time with a wrong proposal.” That line frames the call as preparation, which it is, and homeowners give five minutes to a caller who frames it that way and then keeps to it.

The five questions, in order

Utility and tariff first, because net metering terms change the entire economics and the co-op versus investor-owned distinction decides which math applies. Bill range second, July and shoulder months, because the seasonal profile sizes the system. Roof age and orientation third, with shading, because a 2019 south roof with midday sun is a different proposal than a shaded west face. HOA fourth, because it changes the timeline and the paperwork. Who decides fifth, because the assessment booked with one spouse is a re-quote waiting to happen.

The AI summary writes all five from the recording while the rep dials the next row: utility, bill band, roof, HOA, household decision structure, product posture, the objection. The Saturday visit starts with the comparison document the husband asked for, not a generic deck, and on a purchase this size that preparation is the close.

The objections and the lines that hold

“What is the payback, ballpark”

The most common question and the one that ends careers when answered carelessly. The script refuses to guess, out loud, with the reason attached: the number depends on the roof measurement and the tariff, and a wrong ballpark is worse than a two-day wait. Then it promises the written 25-year comparison at the kitchen table. Savings and production claims must match the actual roof and tariff; the exaggerated ones are what regulators chase, and the recording of this call is the rep’s protection.

“I do not trust the lease thing”

Agree the skepticism deserves numbers, not persuasion. “Then I will bring purchase and lease side by side, with the payback in writing, and you two can judge them together.” Never argue product preference on the phone; the household that distrusts leases often buys, and the side-by-side is what earns the sale either way.

“We cannot afford this right now”

Separate the timing question from the math question. If the bill profile supports a system, the financing conversation belongs at the assessment with real numbers, not a phone assumption. If the timing is genuinely wrong, disposition it with the trigger that would reopen it: a rate change, a roof replacement, a retirement date.

“Another company said our bill would go to zero”

Do not attack the competitor; correct the expectation. “A system sized to your usage can offset a large share of it, and the exact share depends on the roof and the tariff. Anyone promising zero without seeing your roof is guessing.” Homeowners remember the rep who declined to out-promise the competition, and the claim discipline is the reputation.

The close, and the Saturday structure

The close books the free site assessment for a window when both decision makers can attend, and it names what gets delivered: the roof measurement, the shading check, the written purchase-versus-lease comparison using their actual bill and tariff. The confirmation mentions both names and the document, because the no-show rate drops when the visit has a promised deliverable attached.

The voicemail variant

Name, company, the quote request or event, callback number, and one honest sentence: “the utility and the roof decide everything, and the assessment measures both for free.” No bill-elimination talk, no urgency. One drop, then a different day.

Logging before the next dial

Disposition: site assessment booked, callback, send proposal, HOA approval pending, not interested, wrong roof, unreachable, do not call. Then verify the summary: utility, bill figures and roof age against the recording. A misheard bill figure produces a proposal sized for someone else’s house, and the homeowner never forgets it.

Compliance lines that frame this script

Calls to homeowners who requested quotes are consumer telemarketing under the Telemarketing Sales Rule: truthful identity and purpose, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the homeowner’s location, DNC rules unless consent or an established business relationship applies, opt-outs honored immediately (16 CFR 310.4). Cold calls to numbers on the National DNC Registry are not allowed for telemarketing absent an applicable exception; work your quote requests, event leads and consented lists, and keep the consent evidence from your lead forms. The TCPA’s consent and wireless rules apply regardless (47 CFR 64.1200). Solar-specific exposure sits on top: savings and production claims must match the roof and tariff, several states impose licensing and solar disclosure requirements, and never promise bill elimination on a recorded line. All-party recording consent where your states require it. Nothing here is legal advice.

Coaching the script from recordings

Pull three calls a week per rep: one booked assessment, one payback question, one lease-distrust call. Listen for the five questions in order and for whether the payback refusal stayed unhurried. The AI summary flags the coaching targets: any summary where the objection field contains a production promise instead of a preference is the first recording to open. One fix per rep per week, and the floor’s claims stay inside what the roof and the tariff can support.