Have you ever wondered how certain businesses can promote themselves as ‘green’? When you think about the practices they use every day in the way they sell, you begin to wonder what ‘green’ really means to them.
Businesses in the UK have to abide by certain environmental laws. Abiding by these does not necessarily make a business green. These rules are the bare minimum that the government requires; in order to be truly green, businesses must take further steps.
It is actually quite laughable that some salespeople who claim to be green drive hundreds of miles a week tracking down new customers. Yet they continue to brag that they have earned environmental accreditation.
Environmentally friendly?
The problem is that many salespeople feel the need to meet their potential buyers face to face or they won’t be taken seriously. For many years this has been one of the main ways people sell so is that though just habit?. Whatever it is, I truly believe that in today’s social media world, face to face contact is not nearly as important as it once. I’m sure a potential client would much prefer to work electronically? Perhaps if you’re a buyer you could leave an answer in the comment section at the bottom of the page!
We all have many great tools at our disposal that are a lot better for the environment than driving a car for hundreds of miles. Why are more people not embracing Skype or video conferencing to conduct their meetings? This to me is more environmentally friendly and is the way face to face encounters should be done in today’s business world.
Making the change
Let your potential or existing clients know that you are truly concerned with the environment by telling them why you are making these new changes.
Make a statement such as:
We know you are as concerned with the environment as we are. We believe we must all work together to preserve our planet for coming generations. Therefore, we will be reducing the number of face to face meetings we provide. We are always available through telephone, email and Skype. Thank you for working with us in our environmental goals.
A simple statement will alert your customers to the changes, and if their green too then they’ll be impressed by your environmental commitment. For those who are avid environmentalists, it may actually increase your sales, because these people always want to work with someone who truly cares about the environment.
It is ludicrous for us to promote ourselves as green but not follow certain green guidelines, such as reducing the amount of petrol we use. You could even pass on the saving from the fuel making your even more competitive!?
Make some small changes in the way you do business for the good of the environment. You will not see your sales decrease, and in fact, may see them increase. Let everyone know what you are doing and encourage them to jump on-board.
Let’s work together to save our planet! Please leave a comment and share this article with your friends and followers by using the social buttons!
