The solar industry is clearly in a unique predicament as everything is ramping up for a rather interesting turn of events. In light of a declaratory ruling from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban cold calling from automatic telephone dialing systems, there will soon be a new set of rules affecting the way the solar industry generates leads. Despite this major change, Rich Feola, founder and CEO of solar advertising agency Solar Exclusive, believes his company can be a ray of hope.
“With no more cold call lead lists, companies will have to generate exclusive leads online,” Feola says. “And that’s what we specialize in—generating exclusive leads. Since inception, the new regulations have not impacted us because we’ve complied with these laws, the FTC and the FCC.”
As the news of the declaratory ruling continues to pass through the solar networks, it’s clear that the effects of the new regulations will drastically change how companies function and gain traction. When it comes to the industry’s future, it’s Feola’s opinion that if people don’t have exclusive leads coming in, they will have to revert back to “old-school marketing tactics like door knocking—something most businesses don’t want to do again.”
This method has significant limits, considering you can only knock on so many doors. This makes reaching as many people as possible with a click of a button a much more attractive option for gaining quality leads. While Feola feels that using balanced tactics to grow your business is vital to more substantial growth, on the opposite side of the spectrum, many solar companies don’t door-knock at all.
“They do everything through a call center, and this new law will greatly impact those companies because they won’t be able to use their systems anymore on age leads,” Feola says. For any business looking to continue generating revenue, it’s important to expand and avoid being left behind as the industry becomes more established and smaller players are eliminated, according to the CEO.
“Building a solid pipeline and consistently generating leads has become a necessity,” Feola says. “We accomplish this by sending our clients to pre-set appointments and a constant stream of exclusive solar leads targeted and tailored to their goals and businesses.”
Feola started as a door-to-door salesman selling windows and doors, but later shifted to advertising, eventually launching Solar Exclusive in 2017. He and his team utilize advanced analytics and data—drawn from the likes of Facebook, Google and YouTube—to hone in on what they consider higher-quality candidates to place their clients ahead of their competition. Feola claims Solar Exclusive has collaborated with more than 2,500 clients across over 280 markets, delivering them cost-effective solar lead figures.
In addition to alleviating client stress and decision-making when running day-to-day operations, Solar Exclusive offers resources and firsthand industry insight during any marketing strategy.
Leaders and owners who invest in Solar Exclusive’s leads “won’t have to compete with Tesla or discount solar companies,” Feola says. “Instead, they can sell at a healthy margin, keeping their business healthy and growing.”
