How to become a 4.0 seller in the solar segment?

We live in an era of innovation, intelligence and interactivity. This global scenario requires adaptation from professionals, especially those who work with technology.

At the solar segment, which brings a synergy between technology and sustainability, it is essential that sales professionals seek capabilities to increasingly integrate them into the Industry 4.0.

But, after all, what qualifies a 4.0 salesperson in our sector?

First of all, let's briefly remember what the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is about. In history, we see the 3 previous revolutions:

• The 1st Industrial Revolution was about scale production and mass sales;
• The 2nd introduced electricity into manufacturing processes, which brought more agile and effective production;
• The 3rd brought computing, binary code and automation in general, which favored globalization.

A Industrial Revolution 4.0 added intelligence to everything we have developed in recent decades, through technologies such as robotics and Artificial intelligence. Around the world, it is now possible to find countless businesses that offer virtual service, provided by Artificial Intelligence programmed for increasingly personalized and sophisticated communication. Given this scenario, the most standardized jobs will be attributed to AIs and other innovations that the Internet of Things will provide us.

Thus, the only things that make human beings irreplaceable are creativity and empathy. The 4.0 professional needs to be able to reinvent himself to relate to customers in a closer and more humanized way, breaking away from traditional sales scripts. Below, I highlight the main characteristics of a 4.0 seller for the solar energy segment. Good reading!

Offer more solution than price

It is clear that the pricing matters when it comes to overcoming the competition. However, consumers looking for solar energy see the enormous importance of long-term solutions. Even if, at first, the customer appears to be concerned only with the savings that solar energy guarantees, it is implicit that he hopes to trust in the quality of the product and installation, precisely so as not to have unforeseen events and extra maintenance costs.

In this sense, it is clear that the customer also values the convenience. The 4.0 seller is the one who anticipates solutions capable of delivering this convenience to the consumer.

A great example for the not-so-distant future are the storage solutions, which allow the customer to be sure of not running out of energy. This market will be extremely important for Brazil, and especially strategic for our electrical development. Remembering that, for many, time without power means more than just an inconvenience, but also the loss of income.

Another service that will add a lot of value from 2023 onwards is simultaneity factor, which must be constantly evaluated by the seller with his customer, in order to establish the correct consumption, considering the energy loss factor, exposed in the Law 14,300, approved in 2022.

The salesperson who knows how to offer solutions will be remembered and highly recommended, as a satisfied customer becomes a promoter of your company. In an industry so based on trust, customer promoters are the best sales channel.

Get to know industry innovations in depth

To offer innovative solutions, you obviously need to be up to date on them. Many may fall into the trap of postponing the study of technologies that are still timid in the Brazilian market, however, the sooner you offer these solutions and their benefits, the greater the likelihood of becoming a reference in your region.

Here, we can bring electric cars and their accessories as an example. Despite little incentive, electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to grow 10% in market share by 2025, with 10,000 new public charging stations across Brazil, according to the Alliance for Sustainable Mobility.

With this in mind, it is high time to deepen your knowledge and sales arguments about products such as the EV Charger, so that consumers can charge their electric vehicle at home. There are already products that combine Artificial Intelligence with chargers, enabling monitoring via mobile app and functions such as intelligent scheduling for charging at the best times.

Imagine offering this to your customer while the competition is still limited to traditional panels. This is the ideal time to differentiate yourself through innovations, using your persuasiveness and assertiveness.

Position yourself in new media

The world of Industry 4.0 is multimedia. In addition to mastering communication for in-person presentations and calls, the 4.0 salesperson in the solar segment needs to know how to make the best of technology, and this includes new media.

Consumer 4.0 is known for staying on social media almost 24 hours a day. He consumes online and offline, and when it comes to publicizing your shopping experience, whether positive or negative, you will also do so across all media. Therefore, as a 4.0 seller, you need to prepare yourself to meet all these needs quickly, maintaining a differentiated service.

How is this possible? First of all, remember what sets human beings apart: empathy. Whether by chat, phone or direct message, your most efficient positioning will come from indicators, such as conversion rate. These are the indicators that clarify consumer behavior and open doors for you to use your empathy more assertively.

Therefore, in addition to being present both in digital media and in the offline, it is very important that you and your marketing team are able to collect and analyze data about your potential customers. Paying attention to research in the solar photovoltaic segment is also essential, as they provide a general overview of Brazilian customer behavior and experience.

Maintain a trajectory of evolution

Consistency will be your ally in your evolution process to become a 4.0 salesperson. In the first quarter of 2022, we have already surpassed a total of 5 GW of equipment that entered Brazil. In other words, the sector is growing quickly and will continue to do so, so we need to keep up.

Therefore, I conclude this article with the importance of continuing to evolve beyond the tips listed here. Seek to understand how customers see solar energy, how they invest and how they choose who to buy from. Calibrate your positioning for each profile, try to deliver value in each closed deal. Finally, share your knowledge with your team, especially with the installers, as it is in their service that your argument must be materialized into a solution.

With these attitudes, you will be more than a 4.0 salesperson. You will come out ahead to embrace the next market revolutions. After all, Revolution 4.0 arrived just 12 years ago, in 2010. With the speed of innovations, it is not difficult to imagine that the next one will arrive in less than 10 years. Are you prepared?