A qualified lead has a useful next step
For a solar installer, a qualified enquiry is someone whose location, property access, energy need and buying process fit a service you can actually provide. It is enough information to choose the next step—not a guarantee that the roof is suitable or the customer will buy.
A phone number and a ticked “interested in solar” box are contact details. Sending every contact straight to a site visit can consume survey capacity before anyone checks whether the installer serves the area or whether the person can authorize the work. Start with those decisions, then ask for technical information as it becomes necessary.
Use the checklist below as a conversation map. Ask the questions that change the route, explain why you need the answer and record unknowns. A customer who has not found an electricity bill is different from one who is outside your service area.
Ask these six questions first
Keep the first exchange short enough for someone to answer on their phone. You can gather more detail after you know there is a plausible fit.
- Location: “Which town or area is the property in?” Compare it with the actual service area and travel policy.
- Goal: “Are you trying to reduce grid costs, cover outages, power an off-grid property or expand an existing system?” Route the answer to the appropriate offer.
- Authority: “Do you own the property, or who would approve installation?” Record the approval path rather than automatically rejecting tenants.
- Energy information: “Do you have a recent bill, or a list of the equipment you want powered?” Offer a secure way to share it when needed.
- Buying path: “Are you exploring options, comparing quotes or ready to arrange an assessment?” Ask about a workable budget or financing route without promising approval.
- Next step: “Who should join the conversation, and when would an assessment be useful?” Confirm the contact channel and their preference for follow-up.
Separate the sales screen from the technical assessment
Your first screen should decide whether to book a conversation, request missing information, offer an educational answer or close the enquiry. A designer or surveyor still needs to establish system suitability, site conditions and the assumptions behind a proposal.
For example, a homeowner asks for backup during outages but does not know their load. The useful next action is a guided equipment list or an assessment call. An assistant should not infer battery capacity from an incomplete WhatsApp message and present it as a quote.
| What you know | Route | What must happen next |
|---|---|---|
| Inside service area; relevant need; approval path clear | Assessment conversation | Confirm attendees and information required |
| Relevant need; important details missing | Information request | Assign an owner and a follow-up date |
| Commercial site or multiple decision makers | Commercial sales route | Identify facilities, finance and technical contacts |
| Outside scope or service area | Close or refer | Explain the limitation; stop the sales sequence |
Adapt the questions to Kenya and the US
For a Kenyan enquiry, ask about the actual power problem and the loads that matter: lighting, refrigeration, pumps or business operations, for example. Make the survey location, travel coverage and secure bill-sharing process explicit. If the customer prefers WhatsApp, use it to coordinate the next step, while keeping the project record in one place.
For a US enquiry, record the utility and whether the customer is exploring a purchase, financing or another arrangement the installer actually supports. Roof and property-access questions belong in the assessment. Incentive and financing eligibility must be checked against current applicable rules rather than inferred from a lead form.
These are workflow adaptations, not national conversion benchmarks. Aurora’s 2026 US survey highlights price, return-on-investment understanding and trust as buyer concerns. That supports asking what is unresolved; it does not establish the same percentages for Kenya or prove this checklist raises sales.
Test the checklist on a real enquiry
Illustrative example: someone in your service area wants backup for a shop, can arrange access, and has a recent bill. They also need the landlord to approve work. Mark the opportunity as “approval path pending” and book a conversation that includes the relevant decision maker. Do not call it installation-ready.
Give the salesperson a short summary: the stated goal, confirmed facts, missing information, approval contact and next action. If the first call repeats every question, the handoff has not worked. If the survey discovers a material mismatch, update the screen so future enquiries are routed better.
Measure fit without hiding rejection
Review one completed enquiry cohort at a time. Count valid enquiries, suitable enquiries, assessment calls held, surveys completed, proposals and completed installations. Preserve the reasons people were routed out; a stricter checklist can make the reported qualification rate look better while reducing useful opportunities.
Track survey time spent on unsuitable projects and the share of held calls that reach an appropriate next step. Compare these with the previous process using the same definitions. Keep pending proposals separate from lost ones, especially when commercial projects take longer.
Copy the worksheet below and use it on your next few enquiries before automating the rules. If you need help connecting the conversation, sales owner and booking record, the Rainlight pipeline overview shows the process to review.