--- title: "Appointment Setting for a Commercial Solar Installer: Alectric Renewables Case Study" description: "An Ontario commercial solar installer used roof-level email personalization to book 150 appointments in 13 months and expand into the US." url: "https://belkins.io/case-studies/150-meetings-and-14-deals-for-a-solar-energy-company" --- ![Alectric Renewables Ltd.](https://belkins.directus.app/assets/0df40885-ad3b-4354-8bd0-b591539bf631?fit=inside) # Lead generation for a solar energy company Personalized email outreach took an Ontario commercial solar installer into the US market - 150 Booked appointments - 14 Deals in pipeline Category Appointment setting Industry Renewable Energy Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada Company size 11-50 employees ## About Alectric Renewables Alectric Renewables installs solar panels for commercial clients in Ontario. It offers turnkey projects, from system design to installation, built around cost and energy efficiency. ## Impact of our partnership: 150 appointments and a new market in the US Over 13 months, Alectric Renewables booked 150 appointments with company leaders in Ontario and the US. Four of those conversations became closed deals, and 10 more were in negotiation when this case was published. - **150 appointments** in 13 months - **4 closed deals** and **10 deals** at various negotiation stages - **10,000 leads** generated, with a **55% open rate** and a **10% reply rate** - **An appointment with one of Canada’s largest grocery retailers**, a company the client had named as a dream account - **A new market:** a forwarded email showed that the client’s offer was competitive in the US, and the campaign expanded there These results depended on two things the client brought to the campaign: roof-suitability calculations its own team ran for each prospect, and an offer that proved price-competitive in many US markets. A company that can’t estimate a prospect’s savings before the first message would need a different opening. ## Challenges: Growing in a competitive commercial market Alectric Renewables wanted to expand its presence in Ontario’s commercial sector, where competition among solar installers was intense. To grow, it needed a reliable channel that could reach company leadership quickly and surface new business opportunities as the company scaled. ### Partnership objectives The client’s goal was to build a dependable outbound channel to commercial building owners in Ontario and find new opportunities beyond its existing reach. ## Strategy and implementation The campaign ran on cold email. It started with a standard Belkins campaign for Ontario manufacturers, then moved to building-level personalization once early feedback showed what prospects needed to see. ### Targeting buildings, not just companies The team targeted companies operating large commercial buildings, such as warehouses with one or two floors, since those roofs suit solar installation. Outreach went to VPs, Presidents, CEOs, and Managing Directors, so savings conversations started at the level where capital decisions are made. The first campaign focused on Ontario manufacturers classified as Class B electricity consumers. These companies typically run large factories and warehouses, which makes them strong candidates for solar savings. ### Rebuilding the campaign around each prospect’s roof Feedback from the first campaign showed that the standard approach got only moderate results. Belkins and the client’s team reworked it together. Using the lead database, the client measured each prospect’s roof on Google Maps and assessed whether it was suitable for solar panels. That allowed the campaign to: - Prioritize the prospects whose buildings fit best - Show each prospect their potential energy output and savings - Reference the prospect’s own business address in the email This personalized campaign became the core of the outreach for the rest of the engagement. ### Expanding into the US Ontario was the original target market. Then an Ontario prospect forwarded one of the emails to its parent corporation in the US, which showed strong interest. Looking into it, the client found its offer was competitive in many US markets, and the campaign expanded across the border. ## Challenges Belkins encountered The campaign had a slow start. The initial research methods didn’t produce enough qualified leads. The fix came from combining Belkins’ research with the client’s industry knowledge: once the client’s team began assessing roofs, the research shifted from finding companies in the right sector to finding buildings that could actually host a solar installation. > “You are doing amazing. Keep up the great work.” > — Alan Morrissey, CEO, Alectric Renewables ## Lessons learned - **Qualify by the asset, not just the company profile.** For commercial solar, the roof decides whether a deal is possible. Checking roof size before outreach removed prospects who could never buy. - **Lead with the prospect’s own numbers.** Emails that showed a specific building’s potential output and savings did better than the general manufacturing campaign. - **Treat a forwarded email as a market signal.** One forward to a US parent company opened a second market. - **Fit.** This approach works when the offer can be quantified from data available before first contact, such as roof size, location, or energy class, and the client’s team can produce those estimates. Without that input, the campaign falls back to the standard approach that underperformed at the start. - Reading duration 10 min - Published 25 Apr 2024 Want 100+ qualified appointments yearly? Let's map your winning lead generation strategy. Contact us to unlock your growth potential Want to get 100 to 300 opportunities yearly and 10x your ROI? Book a call with Belkins experts to pick the right strategy and tactics that brings your sales to the next level. [clutch /](https://clutch.co/profile/belkins#reviews) 4.9 score 230 reviews [g2 /](https://www.g2.com/products/belkins/reviews) 4.8 score 93 reviews Discover more case studies [Browse all](https://belkins.io/case-studies) [How we analysed over 800K emails and helped boosting internet marketing business](https://belkins.io/case-studies/lead-generation-for-seo-ppc-agency) 84% email open rate 99% email deliverability rate 11-50 employees Marketing & Creative Agencies [39 booked meetings despite a COVID-19 breakdown: an all-in-one platform for music producers keeps appointment setting going](https://belkins.io/case-studies/lead-generation-for-audio-collaboration-platform) 39 appointments booked in 4 months 110% avg. KPI rate achieved 1-10 employees SaaS [Case studies](https://belkins.io/case-studies)