Solar lead follow-up: how to call quote requests before another installer does

Good solar lead follow-up comes down to three things. Call the person about the enquiry they actually made. Call while they still remember making it. Aim to finish that call with a site assessment in the diary. Many solar and battery quote requests go to several installers at once, so the homeowner often books with whoever calls promptly and sounds organised. The other side of this matters just as much. Once you contact someone who didn't ask to hear from you, or you start selling them something different from what they asked about, you can move into unsolicited selling territory, with cooling-off rights attached.

This guide covers how to follow up quickly, what the call should sound like, and where the legal lines sit.

Why shared solar leads reward fast, relevant follow-up

Comparison sites and lead providers often pass a homeowner's details to more than one installer. From the homeowner's side, they filled in a single form and now several businesses want to talk. The installers who reach them while the form is still fresh in their mind have an advantage. So do the ones who are clear about who they are and who make the next step easy.

Speed doesn't mean being pushy. A quick call that says "you asked about a quote for solar on your home, I'm calling about that" lands very differently from a call days later that the homeowner can't place. By then they may have already booked an assessment with someone else, or they're tired of their phone ringing.

Practical steps:

• Route new web and lead-provider enquiries straight to whoever (or whatever) makes the calls, not into a shared inbox that gets checked when someone has a spare moment.
• Set a clear internal standard for how quickly a new enquiry gets called, including after hours and on weekends, when many homeowners fill in forms.
• Decide in advance how many times you'll try to reach a new lead, over what period, and through which channels, so follow-up is consistent rather than left to whoever remembers.
• Record the source of every lead and what the person asked about, because that shapes what the call can be about.

Call about their enquiry, not your whole product range

The Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017 say a call is not a telemarketing call if it responds to a customer's or potential customer's order, request or inquiry about goods or services, is mainly about that request, the request hasn't been withdrawn, and the call is made within a reasonable time (Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017). The regulations give the example of a person who fills in an online form on a mortgage website asking for more information, and a mortgage broker who then phones them to discuss mortgage products (Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017).

For a solar installer, that points to a simple discipline. The call should be mainly about what the person asked for. If they requested a solar quote, talk about the solar quote. If they asked about adding a battery to an existing system, talk about that. Responding promptly also helps, because the exemption depends on the call being made within a reasonable time.

Shared leads raise questions you should get answered properly. Did the form make it clear that installers like you would be in touch? Was the enquiry about the product you're calling about? How old is the lead? These details can affect how your call is treated, so check with the ACMA or a lawyer about your specific lead sources rather than assuming every purchased lead counts as a request to you.

Open the call the right way

Within the opening lines, the homeowner should know:

• your name
• the business you represent
• why you're calling, in plain terms ("you requested a solar quote through [source] and I'm following up on that")

That's good manners, and it builds trust when the homeowner is hearing from several installers. As the next section explains, it also matters if a sale is later treated as unsolicited.

Book the site assessment on the call

The aim of the follow-up call is usually not to close a sale over the phone. It's to book the site assessment, so you can see the roof, switchboard, shading and meter, and give a quote the homeowner can rely on.

A good booking conversation:

• confirms the address and that the person is the owner or decision-maker
• asks a few qualifying questions: roof type, current bills, whether they're interested in a battery, any timing pressures
• offers specific appointment times rather than "when suits you?"
• explains what will happen at the assessment and roughly how long it takes
• confirms by SMS or email with the time, the installer's name and your business details

Once the assessment is booked, the regulations help with follow-up. A call isn't a telemarketing call if its primary purpose is rescheduling or reminding about an appointment (Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017). Keep reminder calls to that purpose. A reminder call that becomes a pitch for extra products is a different kind of call.

Where follow-up becomes unsolicited selling

This is where solar businesses get into trouble. The ACCC's examples of unsolicited sales include a salesperson phoning a consumer to sell a product, contacting someone who gave their details for another purpose (such as a competition) to sell something different, and a consumer returning a salesperson's missed call (ACCC: Telemarketing and door-to-door sales).

In solar terms, watch out for:

• calling people from bought lists who never asked about solar or batteries
• using details collected for something else, such as a giveaway, an energy-saving guide download or an event, to sell a system
• old leads where the original enquiry has gone cold or been withdrawn
• assuming a callback means the sale is solicited, when the homeowner is only returning your missed cold call
• door knocking in a street after an installation nearby

None of this is automatically off limits. It does mean the sale may be an unsolicited consumer agreement, which comes with extra obligations. If any part of your pipeline looks like this, get advice before you scale it.

What cooling-off rights mean for your installs

The ACCC says consumers who enter an unsolicited consumer agreement have 10 business days to change their mind, starting the first business day after they sign or receive the agreement document (ACCC). That cooling-off period extends to 3 months if the salesperson phones or visits outside the allowed hours, doesn't give their name or the name and address of the business they represent, or doesn't say why they're phoning or visiting (ACCC).

For an installer, a long cooling-off window is a serious business risk. You may have ordered panels, inverters and batteries, scheduled a crew and arranged grid connection paperwork, and the customer can still walk away. Practical safeguards:

• Know which of your sales could be unsolicited, and treat them accordingly.
• Don't start installation or take steps that assume the deal is final while a cooling-off period may apply. Get advice on exactly what's allowed.
• Script every call and door knock so the salesperson's name, business name and address, and the reason for contact come up early.
• Keep calling and visiting within permitted hours, and check the current rules with the ACMA or ACCC.
• Keep records of how each lead came in and what was said, so you can show a sale was solicited if that's ever questioned.

Respect "no" straight away

Not every homeowner who filled in a form will still want to talk, and some will be frustrated by the number of calls they're getting. Consumer Affairs Victoria says telemarketers must hang up immediately at the consumer's request and not call back for at least 30 days (Consumer Affairs Victoria).

Even where your call is a response to an enquiry, treat a clear "no thanks" or "stop calling" as final for that enquiry. Mark it in your CRM so nobody else in the team, and no automated system, rings again. Being the installer who listens is a reputation worth having in a local market.

Questions to ask your lead providers

Before you buy or accept shared leads, ask:

• How many installers receive each lead?
• What exactly does the homeowner see and agree to on the form?
• Does the form name the product (solar, battery, both) the person is enquiring about?
• How quickly are leads delivered, and in what format?
• How old can a lead be before it's sent to you?
• Can you get evidence of the enquiry, such as a timestamp and form wording, if a sale is ever disputed?

If the answers are vague, treat those leads with caution.

Building a follow-up process that holds up

A strong solar lead follow-up process is fast, consistent and tied to what the customer asked for. Call quickly, introduce yourself properly, keep the conversation on their enquiry, book the site assessment and confirm it in writing. Keep outbound prospecting separate from enquiry follow-up, and handle it as potentially unsolicited, with the cooling-off rules in mind.

Speed is often the hardest part for a busy installer, with teams on roofs and enquiries arriving at night. That's the gap we built Dialessa for. It's an AI voice agent that calls new enquiries within a minute, inside your calling hours, asks your qualifying questions and books the appointment into your calendar, so quote requests are handled while they're still fresh. Whatever tools you use, the same rules apply: be clear about who you are, stay on the customer's enquiry, and when you're unsure about a lead source, check with the ACMA or a lawyer.