Given the abundance of commercially available energy-saving technologies, talented technologists to apply them, and even generous rebates to help finance them, why in the world aren't more efficiency projects approved?

Based on 20 years of experience influencing efficiency decision making in more than three billion square feet of properties, this author concludes that many more projects would be approved if energy professionals were actually trained to sell rather than simply promote efficiency.

Energy-efficiency products, services, and programs all require effective selling. Professional sales skills make you more successful at advancing any energy-efficiency initiative, regardless of your role in the process. Moreover, you need to think of yourself as a sales professional even if your job title does not include the word sales.

This book contains more than 80 short essays, each of which examines a unique aspect of efficiency-focused professional selling. Many originally appeared on Jewell Insights, the Efficiency Sales Professional Institute's daily email and smartphone blog that offers drip-irrigation reinforcement of concepts borrowed from the award-winning, weeklong Efficiency Sales Professional Certificate Boot Camp.

As of this writing, more than 1,000 energy professionals have benefited from this training. Hundreds of testimonials confirm the link between efficiency-focused professional selling and increased sales success: higher closing ratios, shorter sales cycles, deeper retrofits, and more.