DISCOVERY SCRIPT
STEP 1: WATCH THE TRAINING VIDEO HERE
Utility Calculator (you must make a copy to use it)
Consider: Value Buyer vs Commodity Buyer
Hey it’s ____ with COMPANY and I’m just giving you a call for our chat today about solar.
So how’s your day so far? (Insert simple small talk here…)
So it looks like you wanted to get some more information on saving money on your energy bills by potentially
exploring solar, is that right?
So the first part of this call is pretty basic. It’s really more for us to find out what your specific situation is, and
to see if we can even help. And then at that point we can discuss next steps if that’s something you’re
interested in. Does that sound like a good plan?
Awesome, so I’ve got about 20 minutes before my next appointment to give you the big picture about solar
and still leave us some time for your questions. So let’s jump right in…
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So what sparked your interest in solar?
○ If saving money is their goal, ask these probing questions…
○ When you say you want to save money with solar, is it just because you think you’re
spending too much and you’d like to save that money instead; or is it because the
additional expense is actually posing a real financial problem for you?
If Value Buyer: What kind of impact is that having on you?
Have you ever looked closely on your utility bill and seen all of those bogus charges?
Is this your first time looking into solar?
○ If No: Why are you looking into solar again now?
○ If No: Do you remember what company you sat down with and what that experience was
like?
Are there any major concerns that are stopping you from going solar? (note these)
So what is it that you do for a living? (Fishing to see if they’re employed or retired to see if they
qualify for STC)
○ If retired/no taxable income: might need a Sunnova lease (you need to get qualified for
this)
PERSONAL BIO
So let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a Senior Energy Consultant here with COMPANY, and personally,
I’ve helped over 100 people go solar just this year. And because of my experience in designing solar systems,
I was able to put over $40,000 back into each family’s pocket - so I really love what I do!
ELEVATOR PITCH
So you probably already know the basics of how solar works. I’m sure you know that solar panels collect
sunlight and turn it into energy for our homes. But from a financial perspective, going solar is basically just a
simple bill swap where we get rid of your expensive electric bill – which, as you know, always keeps going up
- and we replace it with much cheaper solar - that never goes up (hard pause). So, as long as we’re able to
get you qualified for this newest program - this should be a total no-brainer as you literally start saving from
day number 1. Make sense?
And with solar you actually get to own the equipment that makes electricity for your home as opposed to just
renting it from your utility company like you have.
PROBLEM AWARENESS
What’s the name of your utility company NAME? And do you like how things are going with them?
So NAME, do you know about how much they’re charging per month on average? (Note this on your Intake
Form and enter it into the Utility Calculator spreadsheet and let’s assume they say $150 for this script)
SHOW BILL-SHOCK HERE REGARDLESS OF WHAT AMOUNT THEY SAY!
Ask why it’s so high with questions like:
● Oh wow! Why do YOU think it’s so high?
● Do you have a lot of people living in the house?
● Do you have a large swimming pool?
● Do you have multiple air conditioning units?
So I’m looking at my reports here and it’s telling me that there are new rate increases coming for CITY - so is
that $150 AFTER the new rate increases they announced?
(IF NOT SURE: have you seen a recent big spike in the past couple months?)
Oh, so that’s BEFORE the new rate increases they announced????
Wow… how long have these high bills been going on for?
How long have you lived in your home NAME? Were you paying $150 a month X years ago????? So how
much was it back then? So it’s gone up quite a bit right?
How much do you think your utility bill goes up every year? …Ok so you think around $___ a year - so then I
gotta ask - how many more years do you think you’re going to live in this house? (Assuming they say 10
years)
So would it be helpful for you to see what your monthly bills will look like in the near future?
So if we look at the US Department of Energy’s website, they have an energy inflation calculator. Now keep in
mind this calculator is based on national averages, and the price hikes in STATE are quite a bit higher than
the national average. So these numbers will be pretty conservative. So let me share this picture with you and
just let me know when you get it…
(Share screen if on Zoom or take a screenshot up to year 10)
MONTHLY:
● So we know that LAST year, your average monthly bill was $150 a month right? (wait for response)
● So like you said, that’s what you paid LAST year. But as we know, you won’t be paying that ever again
right, because that’s your old average from last year? Does that make sense?
● So if we look at what your NEW average will be THIS year, that’ll go up to $164 a month (wait for
response)
● And then NEXT year it’ll go up again to $177 a month (wait for response)
● And then by year 10… Oh shoot, my window just accidentally closed… hey can you tell me how much
you’ll be paying PER MONTH on year 10? Oh wow, $353 A MONTH? (wait for response).
● So if you’re still living in the house 10 years from now, is paying $353 EVERY MONTH going to be a
problem for you?
FOR THE VALUE BUYER: How tough of a position would that put you in?
● Probe more here!!!
○ Tell me more about that?
○ Can you help me understand that a little better?
○ What do you mean when you say ____?
■ END WITH: How would that make you feel?
So NAME have you started doing anything else major to reduce your energy bills???
So NAME if you’re going to be living in the house for X years like you mentioned, would you want to know
what your NEW monthly average payment for your utility bill would be over that X year period?
So NAME,,, if we took the average,,, over just the next X years moving forward,,, you’ll actually be spending
$272 a month on average! (Pause)... you see that number there at the top of your screen? So $272 is the
number we gotta beat! We gotta beat $272 NAME! (Hard Pause)
SOLVING PAIN
So NAME, as long as you’re able to get qualified for this newest program - we can switch you over to solar
with no upfront cost - so nothing out of pocket at all …and we’re actually one of the only state sponsored
programs in STATE that has access to these programs….
And if you do get approved for funding, there are also state and federal programs that’ll give you thousands of
dollars back on top of that, just for going solar - make sense?
NAME, have you done any home improvements or remodels?
● IF NO: Any plans for any?
● IF NO: But can you imagine how a kitchen remodel would add value to your home?
● Nice! Tell me more about it… (get some details like you’re truly curious!)
● And why did you choose to remodel XYZ?
● And what did that project cost you?
● How much do you think it increased the value of your home? If you had to guess, how much do
you think? Sounds like it was a great idea!
● NAME did you know that Zillow showed that solar increases a home’s value by 4-6% - and
sometimes a lot more?
So you mentioned you’ve lived in your house for X years right?
● When was the last time you were a renter?
● What did you think about being a renter versus being an owner?
● How did you feel about giving your rent money to a landlord every month?
● So do you see that by staying with your utility company, you’re just renting power from them?
● Do you see that by going solar you’re building a powerplant on your roof - which is an asset that
YOU now own?
● Can you see how instead of giving away your payment every month to some company - now you’ll
be putting it right back into your own pocket? Does that make sense?
● And what people love so much about solar - is that this IS NOT a new payment for you. I mean, do
you have any plans to stop using electricity - any plans to become Amish NAME?
● So since you’re always going to be using electricity, wouldn’t it be nice to get your cost on it way
down? Awesome…
GAS PRICE STORY
So funny story, I was helping a family go solar not far from you, a few weeks ago, and the guy owns a delivery
driving service. So I was like, hey Bill, do you happen to remember what you paid per gallon of gas to fill up
your van recently?...
And he said it was somewhere around $3.50 a gallon at the time. And then I asked him if he remembered
what it cost around 10 years ago per gallon - and he said something like $1.50 per gallon.
So, I was like, hey Bill, if you could’ve bought your own gas pump, stuck it in your garage, and locked in gas
prices from 10 years ago, you obviously would’ve done that right? And he was like, yeah of course!
Well NAME, do you see how that’s exactly what you’re doing by going solar? Do you see how you get to lock
in your electricity prices forever - so 10 years from now, when all of your neighbors are paying double for their
electric bills (pause), you’ll still be paying that old flat rate from 10 years ago. Does THAT make sense?
(pause)
Can you imagine what you would’ve saved over that 10 years????
NAME, let me ask you, do you have a fixed rate mortgage, or variable rate? I mean, if you were buying a new
home, would you buy one with a variable rate mortgage, and on top of that, had no end date to it???
Of course not right? But isn’t that interesting how we’ve all become SO comfortable doing this with our utility
companies????
Don’t feel bad, even I was guilty of this for decades! I was no different until I went solar?
I’m glad all of this is making sense for you…
TAX CREDIT(if retired skip this section)
NAME, have you heard about the federal income tax credit that’s available right now for homeowners that go
solar this year?
So if you go solar THIS year, you’ll get 30% of the total project value back, as a tax credit – and that can be
anywhere from 5 to 15 thousand dollars - and we’ll find that out here in just a bit once we crunch some
numbers. So IF you’re approved, that’s money the federal government will give you just for going solar!
Any questions about how that works?
ONLY IF ASKED: (If W2 Employee): so the way it works is that it’s a dollar for dollar tax credit - it’s
not just a tax deduction - it’s a lot better than that. So if your employer took out $15,000 for taxes, then
you’ll get $15,000 right back!
ONLY IF ASKED: (If Independent Contractors or business owner): so the way it works is that it’s a
dollar for dollar tax credit - so if let’s say your tax obligation for the year is $20,000, then it gets totally
wiped away and you owe nothing. Plus what’s really cool is that the tax credit can be used for up to 20
years in the future, so if you’ve already got enough tax deductions right now, then you can use this
credit anytime in the future when you need more deductions!
HOME DETAILS
Alright let’s get a little info about your home - because a lot of homes can’t qualify - and these help us
determine how we pick the home…
● So NAME, do you know what type of roof you have - are they typical asphalt shingles, I’m
assuming? (or concrete; metal; clay)
● Do you know roughly how old your roof is? Ok thanks, not every roof works for solar, so hopefully
everything checks out here
● Do you have really large trees that create a lot of shade on your roof?
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IF YES: If it got you a better rate, would you be ok to do a little trimming if need be?
● Do you live in an HOA?
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IF YES: Do you happen to have the name of that HOA and their number handy?
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Is there anyone else you own the home with? (find out who else to avoid a one-legger…)
Do you know roughly what your credit score might be?
Has any solar company properly sized your system yet? (determine if they’re getting other quotes
with this question…)
Do you happen to know what size electric panel you have – do you know if it’s 100 amp or 200
amp?
Do you happen to know if you have 2 open slots in your panel?
Do you have any plans to add in a hot tub or pool in the next few years?
Do you expect to have fewer or more people in your home in the next few years?
Do you have any plans to purchase an electric vehicle in the next few years?
BATTERIES ONLY IF ASKED
How many outages have you had in the past couple years? How long do they last for on average?
Batteries are great so that you can still have your essentials like AC, your refrigerator, hot water, or Wifi in
case of an outage…
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(1 Battery): Just so you know, one battery is enough to power some essential items in your home
for up to around 10 hours - but not your AC.
(2 Batteries): If air conditioning is a must, then you’d want to look at 2 batteries, which would also
be enough to handle most things in your home for 1 full day.
Which scenario is a better fit for you?
COMPANY BIO
So NAME, help me understand what’s important for you… what kind of qualities do you look for in a company
that you choose to work with?
So NAME, XYZ COMPANY exists because everyone else is doing solar the old way and we wanted to
radically improve EVERYTHING.
Mention their values in relation to what we offer…
● For example, with ___ you’ll have a 30 year, bumper to bumper warranty, that covers absolutely
everything from roof penetrations to labor. It’s also fully transferable if you sell your home. And it’s
even fully insured, so there’s never any risk of losing your warranty - even if someone were to go
out of business. So basically you have the peace of mind knowing you’re always protected. Cool?
● With ___ you’ll also have 24/7 live monitoring right from an app on your phone - so if there’s ever
any problem, we’ll both get immediately notified we can come fix it right away.
● And a refreshing touch is that with ___, people like me are actual certified Energy Consultants - as
opposed to pushy salesmen chasing a quick paycheck. One week they’re selling windows and the
next they’re knocking on your door selling solar…
● MISC QUALITIES: Could you imagine if we did/didn’t ____ (insert their concern here) what that
would do to our reviews online? They’d be trashed right? So feel free to look up our reviews
online, so you can see it for yourself.
● Any questions about any of this?
● Do we sound like the company that you’d enjoy working with?
ONE CALL CLOSE? SKIP AHEAD TO THE CLOSING PRESENTATION SCRIPT
GETTING THE UBILL (if you don’t have it yet)
Awesome, so we’re pretty much done here… So the next step is just to have our engineers put a solar report
together for you so you can see all the numbers black and white. So to do that, they’ll need to see how much
electricity your home uses. Do you get your utility bill online or in the mail?
Can you grab one and tell me real fast if you see a graph on it that shows how much electricity you use month
by month?
Can you text me a pic of that real fast so I can send it to my engineers so they can calculate savings for you…
KILL THE BILL
Can you take a look at your bill with me?
● Go over misc charges
● Delivery fee (Amazon Prime analogy)
● Time of use/tiers, etc
When we talk next I’ll show you how this all goes away with solar.
SOLAR DEBT CONDITIONING
Let me ask you a question NAME, when you bought your house, did you pay cash for it or take a mortgage?
Because you knew that a low interest mortgage is good debt right? It’s for a good purpose - you were buying
an asset right? Because we all know that there’s good debt and bad debt – like for example, we all know that
high interest credit cards are bad debt right?
Have you refinanced before? People refinance their loans to get better terms and better payments all the time
right?
So can you see how that’s all we’re doing - simply refinancing an absolutely TERRIBLE financial situation that
has no end date to it, and they can raise the payment whenever they want - versus now with solar you will
have a fixed end date and the payment will NEVER go up on you. And for some people they even pay it off all
the way and then they have free power for life. But even without that last part it’s still a no-brainer as you can
see.
I mean can you see how your utility company has had you locked into a lifelong contract this whole time and
they just hope you didn’t notice? And let me ask you, if they want to raise the monthly payment on you, do
they have to call you and get your permission???
I hope you’re having your lightbulb moment here like everyone else does about this time! This IS why I told
my own mom who went solar with me last year - it doesn’t even matter what the solar payment is - because
whatever it is, they’ll for sure be a heck of a lot better than the bad situation you’re dealing with now. She’s on
a fixed income so solar really saved her financially and emotionally just not having to stress about those
finances anymore.
SETTING THE PRESENTATION APPT
Ok well that’s about all I have for you now. So for our next call we can take a look at the numbers, and if you
feel like solar is a good option for your family, then we can check to see if you qualify and discuss possible
next steps - does that sound like it might help you?
Ok great, I can have the numbers put together in about 1 hour. Would you be available to get back on a call in
1 hour so I can go over it with you - or would you prefer tomorrow instead?
If wishy-washy: Yeah that’s no problem… let me see when I might be available for you tomorrow or
the day after, so we can confirm eligibility then. How is tomorrow at Xpm or Ypm?
IF 2 DECISION MAKERS: So NAME, the way this government program works, is that your spouse is
required to be there for qualification purposes - so does that time work for both of you?
ELECTRICAL PANEL PHOTOS: I do need 1 favor from you. We’re going to need photos of your main
electric panel. Can you go over there and grab a couple photos for me and text them to me?
● Can you take one photo standing back so I can see any and all electrical panels on your wall?
● Can you take 1 up close of the entire panel (and any additional panels/sub-panels)?
● Can you take 1 of the main breaker, which is the one on the top, by itself, so I can see the number
printed on the switch? It’ll usually say 100, or 200 on it
● Can you take a photo of the spec sheet that’s usually stuck on the inside of the door?
So we’ll get working on your eligibility and hopefully I’ll have some good news for you tomorrow!
So we’re pretty much done here for today. Is everything we’ve discussed so far making perfect sense or is
there anything you’d like me to go back and clarify more? I still have a couple minutes left, so do you have
any other questions or concerns at all?
Awesome, then I look forward to chatting with you again tomorrow!
•• END OF DISCOVERY ••
WANT THE CLOSING SCRIPT TOO???