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Sun Volt

Sun Volt Solar

earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment, a secure future and a higher return on investment for your hard earned dollar. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

Day two "Successful Solar Business"

26 Sep 07 | General Business, Training

A lot of ground was covered on day two. I am not sure how much information I want to reveal here because I don’t want to get in trouble with SEI with proprietary information. Suffice to say, the instructor, Chuck, has a lot of experience in the field (been in business since 1979) and is willing to share many aspects of the business, so long as we don’t move to New Mexico.

The main subject of the day was marketing and who to establish a company name. One thing that was talked about, but not extensively was an internet presence. I whole heartedly agree that an internet presence is necessary for an progressive business in the renewable energy field. I thought I would expand a little on that subject, since it is something that I understand a little about.

There are many types of websites, from a company information website, to an online store, and so on. So what makes a website good? I was looking around at some of the solar websites last night and made note of the ones that I would do business with. First of all, layout and color have a lot to do with a readers perception. Seabright Solar has a good installation company website, although I don’t like the flash program that loads before you see anything. It takes you to the several examples of the finished product straight away. It also has good coloring and good local information. Local information is key if you want to get local inquiries. After all, it does you little good if somebody from California calls you when you are based in Maryland.

A good wholesale distributor website is AEE Solar. Again, good color combinations, good use of the space above the fold and some example products right on the front page. I would do business with this company. Sunwize, located a few miles up the road from me also has a good distributor website. Since both of these companies are wholesale distributors, they do not sell to the general public.

The Alternative Energy Store has a good online store website. On this website you will find basic tutorials on solar thermal, photovoltiacs, wind, micro hydro. This is not in depth information, but should be enough for the layman to figure out what technology will work for him. They also have a design service. This is a retail sales website designed for do it yourselfers.

Those are just a few of the websites that are out there. As I get closer to launching this business, I will make a home page for sun-volt that will hopefully look as good as one of those. Of course, once you have a website, then it needs to be promoted. Joining local business lists, such as the list for the town I live in, and other lists for solar professional such as Find Solar, submitting to Home power magazine, et cetera are all good ways to promote your website and thus your business.

Of course, simply having a website is not enough marketing effort, other avenues are needed. For that information, you will have to take the class.

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26 Sep 07 | General Business, Training
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