A solar advisor is a relatively new career. Yes, we’ve had clean energy companies and businesses for decades now, but that’s the technological and scientific side of things. What I’m talking about is the promotional, marketing side, i.e. the people who sell green energy systems to the public. But what does that entail? What kind of work must you do in order to sell solar energy to the masses? Well, allow me to share my experience as an Atlantic Key Energy solar advisor to help you understand what it’s all about.
Solar Advisor Job Description
Some people might struggle to find this particular job. That’s because a website might list it under a different name. Some of those names include ‘solar energy consultant’, clean energy consultant’, ‘energy broker’, ‘green energy advisor’, ‘clean energy sales,’ etc. To make things easier to understand, I’ll stick to the term ‘advisor’.
So, what was my job during my time with Atlantic Energy? Well, as an advisor, I had several duties:
- Guiding each potential customer; I would talk them through the system purchase from start to finish
- Analyzing potential solar bids
- Providing the customer with the best quote
- Answering all questions in a timely manner
- Maintaining a high level of customer relationship management or CRM
- Keeping an up-to-date inbox daily
- Researching modern solar energy trends and staying in touch
- Assisting in business improvements on different levels
Of course, I wasn’t always out in the field. Sometimes I would have to answer customer questions via phone, email, social media, or various apps. It was a bit draining at first since I was still new to the whole solar energy business. But, in time, I slowly got used to it and gradually became more comfortable. I had already had a career in sales, so all I really needed was to figure out how to sell a different type of product and/or service.
Pros and Cons
As I stated earlier, working as a solar advisor was difficult at first until I got used to the workflow. However, while I found my time at Atlantic Energy to be the best working experience of my whole adult life, it was not perfect. With that in mind, here are a few ups and downs when it comes to working as an energy consultant.
The Pros
By far the biggest advantage of working as a solar advisor was traveling around the state and learning new experiences. A lot of people think that working as a solar advisor is basically the same as being a glorified door-to-door salesperson. I’ve even read testimonies where employers forced their advisors to learn a set of lines and stick to them in order to gain as many sales as possible.
That was not the case with Atlantic Key Energy. While I was given a set of guidelines to follow, the sales pitch and the tactics of promoting the product were all mine. With Atlantic Key Energy, I had a level of autonomy that allowed me to get creative. In addition, the higher-ups rewarded creativity; one of my colleagues got promoted after a single successful sale for simply using an unorthodox sales tactic. I won’t share what it was, though — I know the competition likes to keep an eye out.
The Cons
As awesome as my experience as an Atlantic Energy solar advisor was, it had one major downside. Because of the workload, every day was draining. Even when I didn’t move past my office, simply answering calls and doing the paperwork took a lot out of me. And during the pandemic and all of the lock downs, the workload intensified to the point where it was stressful and straining.
Also, I would not recommend this job to anyone who has had zero experience with either sales and marketing or the world of renewable energy. Most newcomers without these skills end up leaving within weeks, and those that stay may not handle the workload.
Solar Advisor Careers at Atlantic Key Energy
If you’re looking for an energy consultancy career, make sure to give Atlantic Key Energy a call. But make sure to do your research beforehand, and only apply if you feel that this career is something you really want to do. My experience as an Atlantic Energy solar advisor was great, but it might not be the best fit for everyone.
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