"You need to call them"

There I was, minding my own business when…

A ‘direct message’ on flake book popped up from some Lead Dufus I didn’t know.

Lead Dufus “Hey ! Hope you are doing well ! Are you interested in getting fresh solar leads?”

I ignored it for a while- like three weeks…

And then I got bored, so figured I’d ask about it.

Me- “tell me more”

Lead Dufus- “Sir we fetch leads through Google maps”

“If you have any further questions ask me I will explain”

Me- “I am not sure that means, are you manually scrolling through google maps to identify roof tops or something?”

Lead Dufus- “Sir we target those homeowners who have not solar on their roofs”

Me- “ok, so you find a home with no solar, then what do you do?”

Lead Dufus- “And then collect their data, name and also contact number and email and address”

“And sent to you”

“You need to call them and convince them for solar”

I suspected this next question would kill the ‘conversation’…

Me- “so simple data, not leads who have expressed interest?”

And I wasn’t disappointed. There was no (and still is no) response. The little icon that shows they read the entry even shows they stopped looking (little grey circle with a check mark to show the message was delivered but not read).

A quick visit to the profile reveals it is a person from Pakistan supposedly that sells ‘skip tracing’ services at $5 per 100 leads and discounts for bulk purchases.

I admire the hustle.

I abhor the lack of integrity.

What does all this mean? Well, if there are good solar companies who need help with their marketing and they fall for these kinds of ‘services’- we might be ok when our phone rings…

But just as likely (more likely, I suspect) the ‘call centers’ are fed very similar leads and when our phones ring, we get contacted by an outfit that merely wants to monetize our being on the phone.

NOT that we’ve raised our hands asking about solar power systems for our home. Just that we’ve merely answered the phone…

It’s the world we live in. And it is also why I rarely answer my phone- they can leave a voice mail.

If you are looking into getting solar for your home, avoid all of these dubious actors and grab a copy of my upcoming book Tucson Solar Insider Desk Guide for Buying Solar- click here.

Be Good!

Curtis