Strategic Growth Solutions for Solar and BESS Retailers
Helping consumer-facing solar and battery brands acquire customers profitably, convert more of the pipeline and serve the installed base at a lower cost.
The Commercial Challenges Facing Solar & BESS Retailers
Australia’s rooftop solar and home battery market keeps growing, but retail economics are tightening. Acquisition costs more, offers are harder to explain, delivery usually sits with someone else, and the customer relationship continues long after the system is installed.
Customer acquisition costs are rising faster than margin
Retailers compete for the same enquiries across search, comparison sites, aggregators and lead resellers, while system prices keep falling. Blended cost per acquisition tells you very little about which channels actually pay.
Model acquisition cost against gross margin channel by channel, then move spend towards the sources that produce profitable customers rather than the cheapest leads.
Rebates, finance and offers make the sale harder to explain
Federal and state incentives, battery rebates, VPP offers and finance options all change what the customer actually pays — and every competitor presents them differently.
Simplify the proposition and the quote so a customer can compare and decide, and equip consultants to hold price instead of discounting to close.
Conversion is decided by the sales process, not the lead
Response time, follow-up discipline, proposal quality and consultant capability decide which quotes close. Most retailers buy more leads before fixing what happens to the ones they already have.
Rebuild the sales process end to end, tighten the CRM and follow-up sequence, and use AI follow-up so no quote goes cold.
Delivery is subcontracted, but the brand carries the risk
Most retailers rely on an installer network. Scheduling slippage, variable workmanship and rework land on the retailer’s reviews, warranty book and accreditation — not the subcontractor’s.
Tighten the network model: installer selection, scheduling, quality standards and the handover the customer actually experiences.
Aftercare quietly erodes the margin on every sale
Warranty claims, monitoring alerts, faults, performance questions and status enquiries accumulate long after the revenue was recognised, and they grow with the installed base.
Redesign aftercare and automate routine service contact so cost-to-serve falls as the installed base grows rather than rising with it.
Most retailers stop at the first transaction
The installed base is the cheapest source of the next sale — battery retrofits, system upgrades, VPP enrolment and referrals — yet it is usually managed as a service liability rather than a revenue channel.
Build retention and lifetime value around the customers you already have instead of buying every sale in the open market.
How We Help Solar & BESS Retailers Acquire, Convert and Retain Customers Profitably
Four capability groups, drawn from the same practices we run across the rest of the energy sector. For retailers we usually start with channel economics, because that is where the margin is decided.
Acquire customers profitably
Work out which channels produce profitable customers, and what each sale really costs to win.
Convert more of your pipeline
Improve speed-to-lead, proposal quality and follow-up so more of the quotes you already write close.
Serve customers at a lower cost
Bring down the cost of everything that happens after the sale, from handover to warranty.
Grow the value of your customer base
Add revenue from the base you already have, and new segments, without the cost base growing with it.
What We Can Help You Improve
Each priority connects a commercial objective to a specific intervention and the outcome it is intended to move.
Lower your cost per acquired customer
Model acquisition cost against margin channel by channel and reallocate spend to what pays back.
Convert more quotes
Tighten the sales process and add AI-powered follow-up across the pipeline.
Protect margin on every sale
Review pricing, discounting and offer structure so volume does not come at the cost of margin.
Respond to customers faster
Deploy AI customer service capabilities for routine enquiries, status updates and service requests.
Make subcontracted delivery consistent
Strengthen installer-network standards, scheduling and the handover the customer experiences.
Reduce the cost of aftercare
Automate warranty, monitoring and service workflows as the installed base grows.
Sell more to the base you already have
Build retrofit, upgrade, VPP and referral programmes around existing customers.
Scale without proportional headcount growth
Redesign process, automate administration and add capability rather than people.
Questions Solar & BESS Retailers Ask Us
What does a commercial consultant do for a solar retailer?
We work on the commercial side of the business rather than the technical or installation work: which channels produce profitable customers, how quotes are converted, what the offer does to margin, and what the installed base costs to serve. The output is a prioritised set of changes to sales, operations, technology and the operating model.
How can solar retailers reduce customer acquisition cost?
Usually by measuring it properly first. A blended figure hides the fact that some channels deliver customers who convert quickly at full margin and others deliver volume that never pays back. We model acquisition cost against gross margin per channel, then rebalance spend and fix the conversion steps that are wasting the leads you already buy.
How can AI agents help a solar and battery retailer?
Two places carry most of the value: the front of the funnel, where speed of response and follow-up discipline decide which quotes close, and the back of the installed base, where monitoring alerts, warranty questions and status enquiries arrive constantly. We identify which workflows are genuinely suitable, then design and integrate agents into the systems you already run.
How do solar retailers manage quality when installation is subcontracted?
By treating the installer network as part of the product rather than a supplier list. That means clear selection and accreditation criteria, scheduling that reflects real crew availability, defined workmanship and handover standards, and a feedback loop from customer reviews and warranty claims back into which crews get the work.
How can solar retailers increase revenue from existing customers?
The installed base is the cheapest pipeline a retailer owns. Battery retrofits to earlier solar-only customers, system upgrades, VPP enrolment, service plans and referrals all convert at a fraction of the acquisition cost of a new lead. It needs the customer data to be usable and someone accountable for the base as a revenue channel, not just a service queue.
Let’s Identify Where Your Biggest Commercial Opportunity Lies.
Whether the priority is acquisition cost, conversion, margin, cost-to-serve or the value of your installed base, we will help you identify the highest-value opportunities and determine what to do next.