6 tips which help solar system installers to gain increased turnover from their PV installations on roofs

Even if the connection isn’t obvious at first glance, solar system installers and PV installation companies can acquire significantly more new customers with a partner who is a certified and professional manufacturer of fall protection systems for PV installations on roofs.

The reason why is very simple: They are able to cover the subject of safety in the very first meeting with the customer, thereby relieving their potential clients of a large amount of research work.

Ultimately, that creates confidence and wins the solar system installer a significant image advantage compared with his competitor who, in practice, generally involves himself only peripherally with the very important aspect of safety, and sells only his own product, the PV system.

The following tips are intended to help solar system installers to acquire new customers – by acting responsibly through providing professional protection for their PV system.

But even existing solar power plants on a roof can be retrofitted with a certified, solid safety system. In this way, the solar system installer again has the possibility of building up contact with his customers, in order to make them aware of these circumstances. The end effect is to bring the solar system installer potential turnover which cannot be ignored. 

Tip 1: Convince your customers also to install suitable professional fall protection at the same time as the PV system.

In the course of their consultancy, solar system installers are obliged to inform their customers about the topic of safety and about the responsibility which they take when installing a PV system on their roof.

However, this information alone does help the future PV system operator any further. Quite the contrary. In this way, from their customers’ perspective, solar system installers may open a completely new chapter with many additional questions which unfortunately remain mostly unanswered. 

As a solar system installer, you can eliminate this unfortunate state of affairs! You do this by offering the appropriate fall protection for the respective PV system at the same time – in this way you practically become the full service provider for your customers.

And they will appreciate this, because they then no longer need to gather further information about potential liability for work on the roof. Instead, they know after the meeting with their PV installer that they received very good advice and that they have absolute legal certainty.

In addition, they can be sure that their solar power plant on the roof is always able to provide optimum performance, because important servicing and cleaning tasks can be performed in safety at any time. That gives a good, secure feeling. 

The benefits at a glance: 

Sales arguments:

• Logistics benefits for the customer - The installation of both systems – the PV and the fall protection systems – takes place in a single step. This means that no further logistics, construction measures, or additional journeys are required. This saves a huge amount of time and money! 

• More rapid commissioning - the system operator can commission the solar power plant significantly faster through the simultaneous installation of a professional safety concept. 

• Everything from a single source - For the customer there is a single contact partner -> Significant savings of costs and time

The benefits for you:

• Satisfied customer – good image – further recommendations by the customers! Not only is that the best publicity, it’s also completely free. 

• New customers - by extending your range of services, you become a full service provider and you get “a new image”.

• Increased turnover - By combining PV and safety solutions you increase your potential turnover. Depending on the project, this can create additional turnovers of € 1,000 for small systems.
  
  For large projects, our experience shows that turnovers of even € 80,000 can be achieved for fall protection systems for PV installations. 

Tip 2: Use the ballasting of the solar panels as the ballast for the fall protection system as well.

All roof-installed systems must be appropriately weighted, in order to dissipate any suction effects caused by strong winds and prevent an undesired lifting of the panels. And this naturally also applies to the fall protection system for the PV system on the roof. This too requires ballasting.

Here INNOTECH takes a very efficient and modern course, and uses the PV system’s dead weight to ballast the fall protection system. In this way, the safety solution and the solar power plant are combined together into a very stable entity, in order to absorb 100% of the forces arising from a fall in the event of an emergency.

This of course works best when tip 1 is implemented. 

Tip 3: Use the collaboration with INNOTECH to obtain additional new business and increased project volumes.

As early as the inspection of the respective roof, the solar system installer can record and report potential safety loopholes and obstacles, in order then to simultaneously present the appropriate safety solution. Compared with the overall project, this mostly results in modest additional sums required to make a roof and the PV system installed upon it really safe.

But please make no mistake! This is not a matter of packing as much as possible into the shopping list of the operator of or client for the PV system, with the aim of driving the turnover as high as possible. No – don’t fall into this trap, because that would be counter-productive in the medium term.

Instead, it is a matter of indicating to the customer risks which could have enormous impacts in an emergency, but which can be eliminated relatively simply and cost-effectively. In this way, the customer knows that he is in safe hands and is not being taken for a ride!

And on occasion, with such tips, you as a solar system installer even save your customers hard cash in the long term. This is because damage to the roof cladding does not arise with a comprehensive integrated fall protection system installed directly on the substructure of the PV system.

In the medium to longer term, this ensures chip-free work and also avoids leak points on the roof.

Tip 4: Take advantage of the support from INNOTECH!

It is completely obvious that solar system installers are clearly not experts when it comes to the very sensitive matter of fall protection systems for PV installations on a roof. But that is no problem at all. Whenever uncertainties or questions arise in this regard, INNOTECH is always at your side with support and advice.

As per the motto “360° service for absolute safety”, our experts help all solar system installer partners to solve challenges together. The support from INNOTECH begins with the project initiation, and goes all the way to the full documentation of each project.

All products and components of the fall protection system are manufactured in Austria. This is also a benefit that your customers will almost certainly appreciate, especially in times like the present!

Tip 5: Develop reference projects together with INNOTECH, and put yourself in the limelight.

The implementation of joint projects has benefits for everyone involved. On the one hand, this creates meaningful references for you as a solar system installer, and also for INNOTECH, while the customers benefit from both sets of expertise, without having to research and commission both activities themselves separately.

On the other hand, the collaboration can also significantly extend respective networks, and this too can be a great benefit in terms of customer acquisition. In addition, the reference projects thus created can also be used as professional case studies for an absolutely safe PV system on a roof, as well as for potential publicity campaigns.

It thus becomes possible to exploit the reach of both companies, and to simultaneously achieve greater awareness.  However, the most important thing is that mutual trust is also built up through the actual implementation of projects in practice.

This is a trust which also gives the potential PV operators a positive feeling, because in this means that they are always on the safe side.

Furthermore, with INNOTECH, solar system installers have a partner at their side who covers the complete range of solutions for fall protection systems for PV installations on a roof – from simple systems, to standard solutions, to convenient all-round solutions.

The end customer is therefore offered a wide range of options from which to choose. And: he can be sure that all products are appropriately certified and legally compliant. 

Tip 6: New customer acquisition that works.

The market is always changing, which is why it is important to define it realistically, as well as also breaking new ground. Because not everyone has the same penetrative power as giants like Apple, SAP, and Bosch, to name just a few. But how can new customer acquisition work successfully?

At the very outset, you have to get to know your customers and define prospective customers. For this, an exchange of information with your customers is essential. In meetings, enquire about their problems and wishes, and also ask them about their sources of information. In this way, you are in turn able to position proposals exactly where your customers obtain their information. 

Furthermore, you should provide only the concrete information relevant to the customer. The focus is always on the benefits for the customer, and so at this point the technical features are of secondary importance. 

Summary

Solar system installers who collaborate with a profession, trustworthy manufacturer of fall protection systems for PV installations on a roof can present themselves as full service providers, and thereby make their customers’ lives significantly simpler.

But this also has benefits for the solar system installer himself, because he can thereby significantly improve his image, and correspondingly distinguish himself from the competition. This in turn can have a significant effect on turnover.

Contact us immediately for further information. Our experts are very happy to go through the relevant collaboration options with you, and will answer all your questions.

And: Download our checklist/tips on this topic now.