Although many of you may be wondering why I am discussing marketing issues in my blog postings related to sales. Really these issues are interrelated and need to be addressed together. Without the correct marketing, the sales will not happen and vice versa, so it’s important to understand these elements when trying to achieve positive effects of green marketing to reach green and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers.
In my last two blog postings, we discussed four of the more important aspects to achieving positive effects of green marketing and sales.
We’ll be covering the final aspects of this process in this thread:
• Partnerships/Alliances – To the green consumer, your company and brand are inseparable. This means that if your brand is aligned with non-eco-friendly businesses, it direct relates to your company’s alliances as well. This is why it’s so critical to consider partnerships/alliances as part of your process to achieve positive effects of green marketing and know how to sell to these consumers. Your partnerships/alliances should support your company’s values. Do you remember that not too long ago, Wal-Mart became a more green company and forced its vendors to do the same in order to continue doing business with them? It’s because they knew if they didn’t, they could potentially be greenwashed from consumers who believe they were not practicing what they preached. It’s what is important to achieve positive effects of green marketing.
• Sales staff – Are your sales people trained to understand the green and LOHAS consumer? If not, make sure to get them trained in order to achieve positive effects of green marketing. As I mentioned in previous blog postings, you can lose this consumer at any step in your marketing and sales process including at the time of your sale or even after the sale. This is the reason we include sales training as a part of our turnkey process for many companies. It’s one of the critical elements to fully achieve positive effects of green marketing on all levels.
Here are some other questions you need to ask yourself about your sales people in order to achieve positive effects of green marketing.
Do they know the best way to speak to these consumers to achieve positive effects of green marketing?
Can they speak their language?
Can they easily identify them a mile away?
Do your sales people support your eco-marketing initiatives or do they not believe in them? Someone who doesn’t believe in what your company offers will not be able to deliver the right message to these consumers.
Is your staff practicing health-conscious, environmentally friendly behaviors internally to achieve positive effects of green marketing?
What about the thank you gifts and client gifts? Does your staff understand the importance of carrying through eco-friendly practices even in this process?
Do you have magazines that support’s these consumers’ lifestyles in your lobby or office?
These are just some of the many ways to achieve positive effects of green marketing and know how to sell to these consumers. I could write a book on this subject as well.
As a matter-of-fact, I have an entire chapter on this subject in my Consumer Trends & Profits Course.
Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
