How To Become A Solar Sales Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is a solar sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

John Cicala Ph.D.

A solar sales representative is a person who offers customers sales information about solar-powered products and equipment. They work for either solar companies or retailers, and work with these businesses to market and sell their products. Solar sales representatives work with customers either in stores or at site locations, and may often demonstrate a company's solar products in a particular setting. Depending on the product, these individuals must have a working knowledge of the product and be prepared to answer all customer questions about cost, maintenance, and reliability.

These individuals do not necessarily have to have a bachelor's or an advanced degree in any particular field, however, they should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, and enjoy working with people. Many companies will train these representatives to ensure that they possess adequate knowledge of the solar products they are selling. Solar sales representatives should also possess strong computer and technological skills.

solar sales representative can make up to $79,000 annually, and with the rising popularity of solar panels and other related equipment, the job market is predicted to grow 2% by 2028.

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

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreSolar Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $95,427

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.14%

Black or African American 3.83%

Hispanic or Latino 14.19%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.90%

Gender

female 24.24%

male 75.76%

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

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a solar sales representative

Explore solar sales representative education requirements

Most common solar sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

59.4 %

Associate

25.0 %

High School Diploma

9.4 %

Start to develop specific solar sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Sales Presentations	58.35%
Lead Generation	20.73%
Solar Power	17.10%
Sales Process	1.12%
Solar Systems	1.05%

Complete relevant solar sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New solar sales representatives 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 representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real solar sales representative resumes.

Research solar sales representative duties and responsibilities

Develop social media strategies for Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging social networks, generating leads.
Prepare calculations to qualify existing or new buildings for roof-top PV systems.
Educate potential prospects and customers on how a residential PV systems works and the benefits of solar energy.
Conduct in-home sales consultation for rooftop photovoltaic systems.

Prepare your solar sales representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your solar sales representative 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 representative 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 representative resume templates

Build a professional solar sales representative 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 representative resume.