By Steve Ashkin, The Ashkin Group

Allow me to begin by paraphrasing an old adage “if one has no specific destination in mind then any road will get you there.”

In last month’s issue of DestinationGreen, I talked about the need to set clear goals and objectives through a process called “resume-ing” and I hope you’ve taken the time to do this self-assessment and then layout your plans and goals for 2008. If you haven’t done this yet or want to reread the article, simply click here.

Hopefully when you began planning for 2008, you’ve set some very specific sales and income goals. Perhaps your plan is to increase your annual sales compared to 2007 by $50,000, $100,000, $200,000 or more; and as part of your strategy you’ve also considered what portion of this would come from selling Green Cleaning programs. My hope of course is that Green Cleaning represents a significant portion of your growth.

And as I have been thinking about the best “green selling tip” that I could give you to start 2008 it is this. Please buy yourself a copy of Green Selling Tips.

Over the past years we have published dozens of “tips” to help sales people just like you sell more Green Cleaning products and services. And to those of you who have been a part of our loyal readers from the beginning --- I sincerely appreciate your work and together we really have made an important impact on our industry.

But the challenge is that many of the “tips” I want to share with you today to start your 2008 are “tips” we’ve covered in back issues. For you to be successful and meet that $50,000, $100,000, $200,000 or more increase in sales you’ll need to

• refine your bundle of Green Cleaning products
• develop your prospecting list sorted by industry segment
• develop a specific value proposition for each segment including schools, healthcare, and commercial buildings
• learn about LEED
• setup the sales calls
• improve your opening
• develop pilot programs
• overcome common objectives
• become an expert
• and more.

Thus I frankly can’t think of a single better “tip” to start 2008 then to tell you to buy a copy of our book Green Selling Tips because these issues are all covered in the book, and it is a lot easier than sorting through the past 3 plus years of archives.

And you may be thinking that this is just Steve’s way of selling a lot of books and making a lot of money. I do have to say that I would like to sell a lot of books and make a lot of money. After all, money is an important resource and is necessary to accomplish lots of important things --- both personal and professional. And I know that the book is an excellent value and will help you achieve your goals.

Thus, if you have been a subscriber to DestinationGreen for 2 years or less, please buy yourself a copy of Green Selling Tips. And if you have been a subscriber right from the very beginning, please buy a copy of this book because it will be a terrific refresher to help continue to grow your sales of Green Cleaning products and services.

Remember, customers are going to buy Green Cleaning products and services from someone --- and I’d prefer it is from you!

Good selling,

Steve

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About the Author:

A 25+ year veteran of the cleaning industry, Stephen Ashkin is the author of Green Cleaning for Dummies and a tireless advocate for environmentally preferable cleaning products. Often referred to as the “father of green cleaning,” Ashkin has played a pivotal role in setting industry standards, promoting environmentally preferable products, and advocating for socially responsible practices.

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