Have you ever been in a situation where a prospect doesn’t want to approve an energy efficiency project because they think it’s too small? Maybe the prospect says they want to wait until they do a major retrofit of the whole building before making any changes? This is a common objection, and it’s one that you should be prepared to dispel at a moment’s notice.
In my experience, it’s best to reframe the situation by talking about tenant turnover. Think about this: The average lease is anywhere from three to seven years depending on the market and the country, and this means that the building is going to completely change occupancy in “x” number of years.
You could say something like, “If you never focus on energy efficiency in the context of any of the smaller retrofits when you have a change of tenants, when are you going to do it? You’ll never throw all the tenants out of the building so you can perform the work. Doesn’t it make more sense to focus on energy-efficient retrofits when each tenant rolls over so that by the time five or so years go by, you’ll have a totally renovated and energy-efficient building?”
Ideally, you will also come to the meeting prepared with some financials that show the cost of delay. If you can make a case like the one above and back it up with compelling financials, your prospect would be foolish to say “No!”
