In the early days of Aurinkotekniikka, we in the industry were racing for market share. Everyone was fine-tuning their sales concepts and delivery processes. Efficiency had to be pushed to the maximum to make the business profitable, even at low volumes (which was definitely the case in Finland in 2018).

However, many forgot one important part of the equation. What do customers want? They are not necessarily interested in the internal processes of companies, and they certainly do not care about average closing rates of salespeople.

I had long noticed that in customer meetings, we were always answering the same basic questions. Not just in sales situations, but also on social media (like, what is the payback time of a solar power system). I decided to focus on providing clear, consistent answers to these common questions, no matter which of our representatives the customer was talking to.

I wrote down all the most common questions and created clear, straightforward answers. I hired a video crew to come to our office, and we started filming a video series called "Solar Panel School." Remember, this was long before consultants started talking about personal branding or building your professional brand.

What was the result? Twenty-four short videos covering the basics of solar energy. We added the videos to our sales materials, shared YouTube links via WhatsApp to customers, posted them on social media, and used them to train new employees.

Earlier this year, I met a guy who has become a big player in the Finnish solar market. He told me that his first contact with the industry came through these videos. His first employer also trained their staff using my videos.

Not only did this help us provide better customer service and standardize our communication, but it also gave me massive personal visibility and helped build my own brand. I can't even imagine how much these videos have brought to Aurinkotekniikka over the years. Millions of euros and a huge boost in credibility. One thing is certain, that single day of filming has paid for itself many times over.