What is a solar sales consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. John Hansen

A solar sales consultant sells solar power systems to residential and commercial clients. They educate customers on the benefits of going solar, provide quotes, and help with financing. Solar sales consultants work with installers and project managers to ensure a smooth installation process. They work to build relationships with customers and maintain customer satisfaction. Additionally, they remain current with industry trends and regulations. Overall, a solar sales consultant promotes renewable energy and helps customers make informed decisions.

What general advice would you give to a solar sales consultant?

Dr. John Hansen

Professor and Director, Center for Sales Leadership, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Regarding the third question, the only real way to maximize your salary in sales is to perform well against the success metrics in place in your role. Sales is, for the most part, an outcome-based profession, meaning that pay increases (or decreases) based on outcomes attained. Whatever the success metrics are in the position one is currently in, they will maximize their income to the extent that they perform well in relation to these success metrics.

ScoreSolar Sales ConsultantUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $84,739

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.13%

Black or African American 3.82%

Hispanic or Latino 14.14%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.96%

Gender

female 13.50%

male 86.50%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a solar sales consultant?

Pros

High potential for earning commissions and bonuses
Flexibility in work schedule and location
Opportunity for career advancement and growth
Opportunity to network and build relationships with industry professionals
Possibility of gaining experience in marketing, sales, and customer service

Cons

Requires a lot of self-motivation and discipline
Sales targets can be challenging to meet
May involve a lot of travel or working remotely
Must be comfortable with cold-calling and door-to-door sales
Commission-based pay means income can be inconsistent

Key steps to become a solar sales consultant

Explore solar sales consultant education requirements

Most common solar sales consultant degrees

Bachelor's

55.9 %

Associate

18.6 %

High School Diploma

11.2 %

Start to develop specific solar sales consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Renewable Energy	35.25%
Sales Process	32.25%
Lead Generation	15.08%
Solar Power	8.58%
Customer Satisfaction	2.03%

Complete relevant solar sales consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New solar sales consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a solar sales consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real solar sales consultant resumes.

Research solar sales consultant duties and responsibilities

Project manage to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control each PV system until close.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Employ use of SalesForce CRM to record pertinent data relate to perspective customer's site quality and financial qualifications.
Inform potential clients of NRG's services and solutions.

Prepare your solar sales consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your solar sales consultant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a solar sales consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable solar sales consultant resume templates

Build a professional solar sales consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your solar sales consultant resume.

Apply for solar sales consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a solar sales consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do solar sales consultants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Solar sales consultant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.

Cons

I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019