If you’re lucky enough to live in the certain markets around the country that are finally making their way out of the recession, your sales are probably beginning to rebound. If not – and since you can’t move your business – you have to make the best out of what you have; but does it really just come down to luck of the geographic draw?

We tapped our network leaders and here’s what they have to say about the definition of luck:
<blockquote><strong>Luck is the moment when opportunity and preparedness meet.</strong></blockquote>
Here are a couple of ideas you can implement even in the busy season to add to your marketing efforts:

First, regardless of where you’re located, there’s a lot of pent-up demand in the marketplace. Consumers have put off making major purchasing decisions and are just plain tired of waiting for the economy to improve. That’s the opportunity.

Be ready when they are by following up with any presentations you’ve given in the last three to four years that didn’t purchase from you. You never know when they’re going to be ready, but you can make sure your name is the one that comes to mind when they are. That’s preparedness.

But how do you stay in front of these potential customers till then? Sure, a call is best, but it’s also time consuming and you don’t want to hound them to death every few months. Today, getting an email address is a key part of the sales process.

Where and how should you ask for their email address?
<ul>
	<li>Ask for their email address when you set the appointment so you can email them a reminder prior to your meeting.</li>
	<li>Add it to your contract form as part of your contact information section. This sets the stage for requesting testimonials, referrals, and a “thank you” note for their business.</li>
	<li>At a home show, add it to your lead form for every show and send a quick “thank you for stopping by our booth” note. Try including a coupon or offer they can use during your meeting. Then you can follow up with a phone call to set the appointment.</li>
</ul>
It takes about 10-15 minutes to craft an email and blast it off to your list. If you use one of the dozens of email marketing services (e.g. Constant Contact or iContact), you can even see who opens your emails and what links they click. Feel free to reach out to Dan with any questions on setting something up.

Now, on to the sales numbers for last month. Congratulations to <strong>Mark Naylor Solar Specialists</strong> who takes the top spot in March with 294 collectors and narrowly beat out <strong>Stilwell Solar</strong> who came in second with 280 collectors for the month. Way to go Mark and Bill! Coming in with a 3rd place finish is <strong>Performance Solar</strong> with 240 collectors. Nice job Dennis.

The Top Salesman spot goes to <strong>Mark Naylor</strong> from Mark Naylor Solar Specialists with 41 sales for March. Outstanding job Mark! In 2nd place is <strong>Bill Long</strong> of Stilwell Solar with 24 sales – nice month Bill. Tying for third with 19 each are <strong>Bill Park</strong> and <strong>Terry</strong> Naylor.

I’d also like to call out <strong>Gerry Kilgore</strong>, <strong>Bill Long</strong> and <strong>Bill Park</strong>, who are each up over 50% for the year, and <strong>Jim Roark</strong>, who is up over 200% from last year!

Thank you all for your efforts.

Aquatherm will be exhibiting at the World Renewable Energy Forum (formerly known as the ASES National Solar Conference) in Denver, Colorado, May 15 – 17. We will be in booth 1016 and hope to see some of you there!

Best,

Molly