Industry Leader But Not The Best Place To Pursue Your Sales Career
Pros
Solar City is the undisputed leader in the clean energy industry and the upper management is extremely competent. They're well funded, have developed excellent partnerships, and have streamlined the mass residential solar installation process. I wouldn't be surprised if Solar City totally eliminated all of the competition within the next ten years- maybe sooner.
Cons
As a Field Energy Consultant most (if not all) of your leads will be self-generated. The majority of a new reps business comes from Home Depot. This entails standing in Home Depot for hours, cold calling on customers who walk by. Many customers have already been approached by reps and will try to walk by as fast as possible to avoid you. Occasionally, you will set an appointment. Some of these appointments will cancel, some will meet with you, and every now and then you'll close one. Afterwards, you'll be asked by your manager to get referrals from existing clients, knock on doors, and try to sell as many family members/friends as possible. The turnover rate for this position is enormous. The quota is difficult to achieve. You'll have three months to ramp- and if not, off with your head. The majority of successful reps come from a previous role as inside sales rep with Solar City. They already have a referral base that's enough to supplement their business and in effect- hit quota. The base is minimal (35K). You'll be forced to drop price because of competition or other various reasons. I did many deals for about 100 bucks in commission. Expect to make about 4 to 6k a month.
