What does “sustainability” mean in sales?
At the beginning, it is important to clarify the difference between ecological sustainability with regard to finite resources and sustainability with regard to customer relationships and processes within sales.
environmental sustainability means that no more can be consumed than can grow or regenerate. Customers are increasingly demanding this view of sustainability, so that in many cases ecologically sustainable production and its resource savings have already been integrated into the key goals of companies.
Sustainable customer relationships are characterized above all by their long-term nature. On this basis, cooperation can be continuously intensified so that customers and sales can work together ideally.
In order to build sustainable customer relationships, it helps, on the one hand, to use the various Contact options to structure and make various channels available to customers. It also offers a Holistic sales and support process so that customers are provided with comprehensive care. The mutual exchange of experiences and the sharing of respective expertise also ensures that both sides benefit from each other and can enrich each other in the long term.
What does a sustainability transformation mean for sales and marketing?
If the focus and objectives of a company shift towards (ecological) sustainability, other aspects are brought to the fore. The danger may lie in developing contrary to customers' ideas and needs. There are fewer concrete questions or perceived ones Customer needs taken into account but rather the optimization of processes towards sustainable action.
The trick is to get customers excited about the sustainable goals and the changes that come with them and to awaken their understanding of them. Become there sales and marketing for the customer intermediaries and competent interlocutors as well as consultants with regard to sustainable solutions.
Sales and marketing have the opportunity, for example, to offer or encourage a repair instead of requiring a new purchase or to rely on longer use of the product, and if necessary to take back old products and put them into a Recycling process to invest.
Fundamentally, the focus of a sustainability transformation should not be on individual sustainable solutions or transactions, but rather on broad mass and convince customers of purchasing decision criteria and habits of product use in the spirit of sustainability.
3 tips for more sustainability in sales
1. Reduce field visits to the essentials.
In the spirit of sustainability transformation, these are also changing Channels of communication between customer and salesperson. However, daily personal contact does not have to be ensured through many local trips, but can easily take place from your own office using digital options. There is a good coordination between the External sales and the Inside sales of sales is necessary in order to coordinate the necessary processes according to needs.
Especially due to the increasing, international sales there is increasing pollution of the environment. Instead of air travel, sales can, for example, hold digital appointments where it makes sense. Short appointments or agreements do not have to take place in person. On the other hand, rarer and more intensive appointments with international customers are usually a good alternative to seek personal contact again and exchange ideas face to face.
2. Use less paper at trade fairs.
The information transfer Information about a company itself or the products it offers no longer has to take place via brochures or brochures. In many cases these were hardly noticed by the customers themselves and were no longer used or thrown away.
A company’s idea of reducing paper in marketing and sales can also be used as an argument for sustainable thinking in sales be used. In this way, a positive image of the company in terms of sustainability is passed on and the customer's understanding and reflection are awakened.
3. Rely on product visualizations and digital options.
A sustainability transformation and associated savings in some areas do not have to be accompanied by a reduced customer experience. Digital possibilities can create new enthusiasm for your own products.
Straight Products that need explanation, which are more common in the B2B sector, can be achieved through virtual showrooms using AR or VR or in the future in Metaverse be demonstrated. This means that the products can be brought to the customer virtually instead of physically.
And what does the sustainability transformation look like in your company?
