Holy smokes, what’s a simple sales rep to do? Everyone knows we aren’t rocket scientists, how can we prove that our product and company is being honest about its environmental impact?

The truth is, we can’t prove anything unless the company invests in a tracking program that will monitor and aggregate all of the above information into a useable report which could be audited just like taxes. The reports are what we sales types will want in our files–when our clients ask the tough eco-questions, we’ll be ready with tangible evidence.

That’s no small task, but fortunately by the time the mandates hit the streets in 2011, there will be plenty of ways to get to the bottom line.  The Los Angeles Community College District comprising of  nine campuses, is using Conserviscorp.com to track the “Prove It” areas as well as water and other resources. The Conservis product is sustainable standard agnostic, as standards change, it can be updated to meet the new requirements and audit issues.

Yes, this will cost companies money up front, but it will also save tons of money on the backend as energy wasters are identified and fixed–they’ll be spending far less on operational costs. It also will help to put truth back into your green advertising. The marketing department will love having facts to back up their messaging.

What did I miss in this series that you would like to see addressed? Please send me your thoughts at Mary@ECOlutionarySelling.com

Do people really care about human rights, will they actually want to know before they buy a product if families in another country were impacted? The sad truth is, not enough would care, but the few do could cause big problems for your brand and stop a sale in it’s tracks.

No one wants to be guilty by association and now that companies are expected to know what their supply chain is doing, there is no place to hide and no excuse.

A human rights statement is the first step. It needs to be easy to locate on the corporate website so that the sales teams can point to it quickly. It also needs to be good for it’s word or the competition’s sales force will use it against you.

RainTech states the following:

We think that a successful company has a responsibility to increase stakeholder value, not just shareholder value. That means that we look out for our community, employees, purchasers, sellers, vendors, and the world in which we live. By using locally produced materials we lessen our footprint on the earth and contribute to our local economy. We also support numerous charitable organizations including Save the Rain and Charity Water, who work diligently to enable underserved communities to harness the power of the rain, thereby making a difference in their corner of the world.

At the end of the eco-day, co-creating a sustainable world means being kind to the planet and each other first and always before commission checks.

Pop quiz – you’re sitting in front of your client and they ask, “What’s your environmental policy”? Can you:

A) Quote them the mission statement?

B) Point them to the website that has it and more published?

C) Be so well versed that you’re able to talk about in terms of manufacturing, installation and use of the product, what happens at the end of the product’s life and what your company’s social profile?

The sales force at Forbo Flooring can do all of the above, their Marmoleum flooring is the poster product for sustainable floors. I’ve been tracking “Marmoleum” on Google alerts for about a year to see what people are willing to write about it. Almost every one is praising the product and they often mention a sustainable attribute along with the color they selected. That’s great sales at work, AFTER the sale.

Go here to download Forbo’s Sustain brochure. (top left corner) Then use it as a base to develop  your own environmental policy statement and brochure.