News & Press

This week we talk with Borrego Solar‘s VP of sales, Ned DeWitt.

Commercial Integrator

November 18, 2011

How did you become involved in commercial integration?

I have always had a fascination with solar energy and it has always seemed crazy to me that as a society we have not made better choices about how to generate electricity. I got into commercial integration in the solar industry to see if I could make a difference, to see if I could help create a sustainable, renewable energy industry.

What is something special you bring to your position?

When I first got into sales, I spent a lot of time talking about what I thought was special or valuable about the product I was trying to sell. Before long, I realized that what I thought was interesting or valuable was irrelevant. What matters is what is valuable to our customers. As soon as I figured that out, my style changed. I started asking a lot questions and doing my best to listen to the answers. Asking questions and really listening instead of just planning what you are going to say next is a lot harder than most people think. It runs against most people’s natural instinct, but it is a critical skill to develop.

Is there a particular book that has inspired the way you approach business?

In 2002, I read a book called Natural Capitalism. The basic idea of the book is that it’s not just a feel-good notion that we should turn our businesses and economies away from unsustainable, polluting practices, but it’s an inevitable fact that our businesses will turn away from them because there are fortunes to be made in the process.

The book foretells of vast new industries based on sustainable business practices that are employed because green, sustainable practices are ultimately more efficient and more profitable. The book helped me gain the courage needed to join the fledgling solar industry eight years ago. As it turns out, the authors were on to something because as predicted in the book, the solar industry has been on an annual growth curve of about 40-50 percent a year over the last decade.

What business practices can integrators learn from other industries?

Communication. Communication. Communication. It comes up every time we do a customer survey and every time I talk with our customers. They want to know what’s going on with their installation. They want updates and they have questions. I don’t know which industry embodies communication the best, but wherever you see companies communicating often and well with their customers, you should take note and try to copy them.

What’s the biggest business change you see on the horizon, and how might it change the way integrators operate?

Certainly one of the big ones is cloud-based computing. We switched to a cloud-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system in 2006 and cloud-based email last year. The switch lowered our costs made an incredible difference in the productivity of our sales team and everyone in our organization.

With a smartphone or any Internet connection our teams have real time access to everything they need to do their job and help our customers, anytime and anywhere. I expect that improvements in information and communication technology will continue to benefit our business processes and our customers’ experience. The key is to remain open to better ways of running your business.

Explain a business or integration obstacle you have encountered.

The obstacle we encounter most consistently is that our customers lack the cash needed to make an upfront investment in our products and services. Everyone wants to go solar, but not everyone has the financial ability. The question I have for our sales reps is always, “How are they going to pay for it?” Solar is a great investment. Our customers can often achieve a 2-5 year simple payback with IRRs of 15 percent or better. But to achieve returns like this, they need to also be willing to invest some cash up front, they need to buy a solar system.

Whether we are talking with a Fortune 500 company, a school district, a municipality or a military base, the conversation always comes back to paying for the system and lack of extra cash is often the problem. Several years ago, we decided to solve this problem by putting up the cash ourselves if needed. We now offer an option where we pay for the system and the installation. Our customers simply pay us for the electricity we produce rather than buying a solar system that was just a means to an end anyway. The net result is a reduction in their electric bills with no money upfront. It was not easy, but we invested the time and effort to get an in-house financing program together and it has made a tremendous impact on our business over the last few years.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from a fellow CI?

The long-term success of your company will depend on the quality of your team. Spend more time than you think you should trying to find and hire the best employees.

What movie most closely reflects your life?

Fight Club… but I can’t talk about it.

If you weren’t a CI, what would you be doing?

Fly-fishing in the summer and snowboarding the winter.

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