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How we
support utilities

99% of survey respondents would recommend
Selling Energy to their peers.

Selling Energy was founded in 2010 with the specific goal of helping utilities and program implementers get more customers to say “Yes!” to energy solutions.

We wanted to help shift the market from simply “promoting” energy solutions to actually “selling” them. We teach utility staffs, implementers, trade allies, and utility customers’ own internal champions how to reframe the whole energy conversation so they can attract and retain executive attention and get more proposals approved.

We have been fortunate to work with more than 300 utilities across North America, transforming more than 21,000 energy professionals into sales professionals in the process. Given this wealth of experience, we know what it takes to make a utility sales training program truly successful. Moreover, we take a soup-to-nuts approach, from design to deployment to success reporting and every step in-between. We make the path between “allocating a sales training budget” and “seeing more energy projects approved” more time-efficient, cost-effective, and predictable.

Why work with Selling Energy

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Makes training easy for you: We have the team, tools, and resources to provide you with a time-efficient, cost-effective, genuinely turn-key sales training deployment.
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Reduce employee turnover: Teaching all of your “accidental salespeople” how to become more successful in their roles not only reduces employee turnover, but also helps you achieve your program goals.
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Improve customer satisfaction:
Contractors can be the sandpaper or lubricant between the utility and its customers. Selling Energy’s professional sales training gives contractors the attitudes, habits, and know-how to sell the right energy solutions to your customers rather than defaulting to lowest-first-cost, fastest-payback options.

Boost contractor participation: Giving trade allies our award-winning sales training demonstrates your commitment to their success. Many utilities have used our training and ongoing coaching as carrots to attract and retain enrollment in Trade Ally programs. Offering this training to internal champions (e.g., energy managers) who work for your larger customers demonstrates a similar shared commitment to getting more projects approved.
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Achieve your program goals: Leverage a more well-trained sales force to achieve higher energy savings goals across your territory. Build a path to recurring savings by teaching trade allies (and internal champions) to make the business case for energy efficiency with or without rebates. Achieving more robust savings goals can also boost shareholder incentives that are tied to program performance.

 

"Every seller of energy efficiency needs this type of training!  Very rare to find this caliber of training talent in our industry.  Never lost interest.

Richard Thorne

Supervisor - Conservation Demand Management at Hydro Ottawa Limited

"Mark is so high energy!  It's clear he is incredibly well versed on this topic and enjoys conveying his energy/knowledge to others!  This course was incredible!  I wish I had a week more to spend on the content.  Very valuable course! I have recommended this training to all of our trade allies.

Laura Zorick
Laura Zorick

Account Manager at Snohomish County PUD

"This is an innovative and fresh sales approach that will deliver a differential business advantage. It challenges pre-conceived notions.  Very thought provoking. Awesome.

Joe Bilé

Manager, Business Development at Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited

"Mark is very passionate and knowledgeable about the importance of energy efficiency.  He opened my eyes to alternative approaches to sell EE to my customers and I'm looking forward to implementing the lessons learned right away. It would be helpful not only for those in the energy efficiency field but sales professionals could benefit also.

Nick Redlin
Nick Redlin

Project Manager at Dayton Power & Light

"The training is not only sourced from Mark Jewell's personal and successful work history in sales, it also includes lessons he has acquired from top CEO's and CFO's of major corporations as well.  At its core, the course is a true dive into the psychology of how people think, react, and perceive new ways and new choices, versus doing  what they're doing now.

Chris Burns

Product Management Specialist at Énergie NB Power

"This is changing my whole sales outlook. It changes how to approach a prospective customer. I am more confident and can be a sales professional rather than a product promoter. I have the tools I need.

Chelsea (Fabrizio) Torres

CIS Transformation Project Report Coordinator at Exelon Corporation

"Outstanding trainer and session.  Appreciated how the content was universal and not specific to an end-user selling to management.  Knowledge of all relationship and strategies specific to each are necessary for success in 'selling EE'.

Joe Fernandi

Director of Customer Energy Solutions at Seattle City Light at Seattle City Light

Frequently asked questions about utility sales training

What is trade ally sales training?

Trade ally sales training gives a utility’s contractor network (HVAC, lighting, electrical, weatherization, solar and controls contractors) the skills to sell program-eligible projects: finding the real decision-maker, presenting the rebate as part of a financial case rather than the whole case, handling “three bids” and “no budget” objections, and closing without racing to the bottom on price. Better-trained trade allies mean more completed projects and more verified savings for the program.

How does Selling Energy help utilities hit energy efficiency, demand response and electrification program goals?

We turn program staff, implementers and trade allies into effective sellers of program measures. Since 2010, more than 300 North American utilities have used Selling Energy to raise participation, improve customer satisfaction, increase trade ally retention and reduce staff turnover. Ninety-nine percent of surveyed participants say they would recommend the training to their peers.

How is training delivered to a dispersed trade ally network?

Primarily on demand through Selling in 6™, so contractors in rural and non-metro territories get the same six-minute lessons as metro contractors, on any device, with weekly viewing reports so program managers can see who is engaged. We also run live and recorded webinar series (Focus on Energy, Efficiency Works, Energize CT and ComEd programs, among others) and in-person workshops. Selling Energy handles design, deployment and success reporting.

Do you train customer service and program staff, or only salespeople?

Both. Customer service representatives, energy advisors, key account managers and program managers learn to recognize opportunities on routine calls, explain incentives and electrification options in plain language, make the financial case, and hand warm leads to trade allies. Marketing teams learn segment-specific positioning so campaigns speak the customer’s language.

Which utilities have used Selling Energy?

Clients include Exelon, Seattle City Light, Toronto Hydro, Hydro Ottawa, Snohomish County PUD, Dayton Power & Light, NB Power and hundreds of other investor-owned, municipal and cooperative utilities and program implementers across the United States and Canada.

How do we start a utility-sponsored training program?

Book a free strategy session with Mark Jewell. We will scope the audience (staff, trade allies or both), the measures you need to move (efficiency, demand response, electrification), the delivery format and the reporting you need, then send a one-page proposal you can circulate internally.

Book a free, one-on-one Strategy Session with Mark Jewell.

Learn what Selling Energy has been delivering for similar clients. Explore how we can support the success of your team and help you achieve your program goals. Your Strategy Session will be time well-spent, regardless of whether you ultimately take advantage of our sales training offerings.

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