By Steve Ashkin, The Ashkin Group

There is no denying that the economy is suffering. And because of the uncertainty, many organizations that are currently doing well are becoming more conservative to insure that they are prepared for any contingency. However even in these times there are factors that can help you not only survive, but grow and succeed.

The first factor is that the Green Building Movement is accelerating. At last week’s GreenBuild Conference this was very clear when speaking with both exhibitors and attendees. Interestingly, the discussion often led to the belief that especially in the near future the focus would shift from new construction to existing buildings. While architects may not be excited about this shift in emphasis, but for those of us in the cleaning and maintenance industries this is good news --- because it is a shift which is anticipated to come with financial resources. And while overall spending may decline, I am anticipating that resources for some operations and maintenance activities will actually increase.

The second issue is tied to those “green” companies who must continue to express their commitment to “green” and sustainability --- who now must find ways to continue to “walk the talk” or be seen as a simple “opportunist” who is green or talks about sustainability only when it is easy, convenient or as a marketing proposition. And herein lays the opportunity for sales success.

You can help your customers and prospects by discussing with them the Green Building issue and the challenging economic times. Help them appreciate that there are many opportunities, all of which need to be prioritized. And their prioritization can be based on environmental protection and social equity, or sorted and prioritized based on cost. Furthermore, cost can be looked at from a couple of perspectives.

When finances/budgets are good, steady or consistent; it is easy to think about payback periods. Many projects that cost tens or even hundreds of thousands or more dollars could be justified when credit was available allowing projects to pay for themselves through savings over a few short years.

Now you can tell your customer that in these economic times (impacted by both financial uncertainty and tight credit), that this is the time to consider focusing or placing at the top of the priority list those “green” opportunities that either require little, if any extra capital (its already in the budget) or can immediately reduce costs.

While photovoltaic arrays and wind turbines are exciting technologies --- today they are still expensive to buy and install, and have payback periods often greater than 5 or 10 years. Replacing a chiller or boiler with new energy efficient models can cost hundreds of thousands or more dollars with even longer paybacks periods. Repairing a leaking roof is an important maintenance activity, but perhaps this is not the time to install a “green” or vegetative roof which can cost tens of thousands of dollars (especially when they include the structural support materials to keep the roof from collapsing under the added weight). Replacing windows and improving the insulation of the building envelop can reduce energy consumption and improve daylighting and occupant comfort, but the costs can be astronomical. And even those new energy efficient and faster computers that the IT folks have promised would increase productivity by another 10 or 20 percent can be delayed (besides our fingers can only type so fast…).

Please know from an environmental perspective, these opportunities are all very, very important. But from the perspective of a building owner or facility manager who has to demonstrate to his/her stakeholders (i.e. owners, tenants, occupants, neighbors, community, etc.) their ongoing commitment to “green” and sustainability, perhaps it simply is not the right time for these more expensive options --- perhaps in 6 months or next year. Rather this is the time where they can implement Green Cleaning and proudly promote it to their stakeholders.

And for those who might argue that this is “greenwash” because it is these other issues that are affecting the planet, climate change, global warning, ecosystem degradation, etc. --- be prepared to remind them that the cleaning industry uses 8 billion pounds of chemicals to clean and maintain commercial and institutional buildings each year (in just the U.S.), most of which is made from valuable, but nonrenewable natural resources. Yes, Green Cleaning can affect these broader environmental issues.

And don’t stop there. Tell them about the 4.5 billion pounds of janitorial paper products used in those same buildings which if it was all made from virgin tree fiber would require the cutting of approximately 30 million trees (what did they say about climate changes…). And then there’s the 1 billion pounds of equipment, tools and supplies (i.e. vacuum cleaners and mop buckets) that are disposed each year which are enough to fill approximately 40,000 garbage trucks clogging our landfills. Again, these issues and opportunities all affect our environment.

And remind them that sustainability isn’t just about the environment but also includes economic and social impacts in order to make the point that there are 4.2 million janitors who use these products every single day, 6% of which are injured on the job from things like chemical exposures and from lifting, moving, pushing and pulling heavy or poorly designed equipment and other items/materials. And while 6% may sound like a small number, it nonetheless represents some 250,000 people. And I’m not sure how that new chiller, green roof, or faster computer can top this!

Frankly, I think it is a great time to implement Green Cleaning to protect these people AND to make our buildings healthier for the occupants in them AND to reduce our impacts on the environment.

So now is the time for you to sell Green Cleaning. But unless you help you customers and prospects understand and prioritize this opportunity --- you may miss the opportunity to make an important difference AND to increase your sales even during this time of economic difficulty.

Good selling and remember, building owners and facility managers are going to buy Green Cleaning products and services from someone. And we’d prefer that it’s from you!

Again, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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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