Notes for owners · Industry playbooks
What a factory finance head asks before rooftop solar
A rooftop solar order is held up by the finance head, not the promoter. The questions that come at the proposal stage, and how an EPC company can answer them in the buyer's own bill terms.
The GullySales team · Updated 6 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
On this page
- Why does the finance head, not the promoter, hold up the order?
- What does he ask, and what should the proposal already say?
- What does a proposal in the buyer's bill terms look like?
- What do the survey and site visit have to leave behind?
- How do you follow up a proposal that has gone quiet?
- What is the visit that closes the sale?
- What should you do next?
A factory finance head asks six things before a rooftop solar order is signed: how the saving is worked out, who owns the plant, what happens if the roof is leased or the building changes hands, what the tax and depreciation treatment is, who is responsible for approvals with the electricity distribution company, and whom they call after commissioning. An EPC company that answers these in writing, in the buyer's own bill terms, finishes the proposal stage before its competitors have finished their cover letters.
Why does the finance head, not the promoter, hold up the order?
The promoter wants the bill to fall. He said so at the first meeting and he is not the one who will sign the cheque or explain the entry to the auditor.
The finance head reads the proposal for what could go wrong later. Is the saving a figure he can reconcile with the monthly bill? Is the equipment named, or just "Tier 1"? If something fails in year four, whose problem is it? An EPC proposal that speaks mostly to the promoter's wish for a lower bill leaves these unanswered, and the file goes quiet at the exact point where it was meant to close.
What does he ask, and what should the proposal already say?
Most questions repeat from one factory to the next. Answer them on the page.
| The finance head asks | Put this in the proposal |
|---|---|
| How is the saving worked out? | Units expected, the tariff you assumed from the buyer's own bill, the unit cost you compared, and what you left out |
| Buy the system or pay per unit? | Both routes side by side, with who owns the plant, who maintains it and what happens when the agreement ends |
| What is the treatment for tax and depreciation? | A line saying this is for his CA to confirm, with the cost split he will need |
| Which equipment, and what warranty? | Make and model of panels and inverters, and the warranty terms as the maker states them |
| Who handles approvals? | The steps with the electricity distribution company, the inspector and the net metering file, and who on your side does each |
| What after commissioning? | Who is called for a fault, what the maintenance offer covers and what it excludes |
Tax, depreciation and subsidy or incentive rules differ by state and change, so write "your CA will confirm the current treatment" and give the figures he needs to ask the question. Do not state a rule as settled.
What does a proposal in the buyer's bill terms look like?
It starts from his bill, not from your brochure.
For example, a cold storage owner near Hosur has a monthly bill with a day-time demand that runs through the working hours and a rooftop that faces open sky. The proposal says: here is your contracted demand, here is the consumption in the hours the sun is up, here is the share of it the plant can cover on the roof you showed us, here is the rupee saving at the tariff on your last bill. It also says what was not counted: shade from the neighbouring warehouse, the cost of cleaning, and a later change in tariff.
A finance head can check every line against papers he already has. That is why it works.
What do the survey and site visit have to leave behind?
A roof survey that ends with a handshake wastes the best moment in the sale. Leave a written note the same week with what was measured, what was found and what is still open: roof condition and load, shade, the cable route to the panel, the point of connection. Ask the plant head to confirm the production constraints, such as shutdown days and work that cannot be disturbed.
This note is also what the finance head sees first, so it should read as a record, not as a pitch. If the roof is not suitable, say so. A buyer who is told the truth about one roof believes the saving on the next.
How do you follow up a proposal that has gone quiet?
Do not send "any update?". Find out which question is stuck and send the answer.
Usually the file has stopped because one reader is waiting for something: the finance head for the ownership terms, the landlord for a letter, the lender for a document. Call the person who sent the enquiry and ask who is reading it and what they said. Then send the missing page, not the whole proposal again. Write the answer in the tracker so that the next call picks up from there. How you chase a quotation is covered in how to follow up on a quotation.
What is the visit that closes the sale?
The reference visit. A buyer who has stood on a running roof and talked to the plant head who lives with it, and who has seen the generation display, believes more than any document can make him. Ask existing customers whether you may bring a prospect, choose the plants that are easy to reach, and tell the host beforehand what the visitor will ask.
If your best plants are in places nobody can visit, photograph the roof, the meter and the monthly bill with the owner's permission and use them in a written case study instead.
What should you do next?
Take your last proposal that went quiet and read it as a finance head would, with the six questions above beside it. Whatever it fails to answer is a page to write. The commercial solar EPC industry page and its sales process page show how the enquiry, survey and proposal fit together, and you can book an audit to have yours reviewed.