Customer Interviews No. 1

1) Find an opportunity. 

I chose solar power as my opportunity as it was listed as a growth sector in an earlier chapter.

2) Figure out who might have the unmet need.

I went to several houses that looked like they could be equipped with solar panels and spoke to the residents about what they knew about solar.

3) Come up with a list of questions.

I chose to ask questions relating to how much they are currently paying for electricity to see how much these similar houses were paying.  I also asked what they knew about solar and if they ever considered it as an option.

4) Go talk to customers!

This gentleman didn't want his face to appear on camera. (as did many of the people that declined to be interviewed for that reason.)

5) Tell us what you learned about the opportunity. 

We can gather from the sample that there is a market for residential solar panels.  The company that capitalizes on this market will have to ensure that the concerns listed by the residents are addressed before finalizing production.  It seemed many of the people I spoke with were positive about the future prospects of solar power but thought they could not afford it at this time.  Due to Florida not allowing special financing of solar panels, it makes sense that consumers wouldn't know much about the product.

6) Tell us what you learned about interviewing customers.

I learned that many people are willing to do an interview unless they are being recorded on video.  I also learned that marketing will be important for the future of solar sales as many people are not familiar with the product.  A successful company in this field will offer some type of warranty for the roof for the duration of the life of the panels.