By Stephen Ashkin

As a sales person you know that we have to be prepared in order to take advantage of opportunities. Often times, making the initial sale is the easiest part of the relationship. But if our preparation isn’t thorough, it is easy to let the big fish either get away, or end up with a sale which is significantly less than we could have otherwise achieved.

Historically the selling process resulted in replacing a competitor’s product with one that was either slightly better performing or slightly lower in price. But either way, it is a single product. Because Green Cleaning is new, facility managers are looking for help implementing a complete program. Thus, the Green opportunity allows you the opportunity to sell an entire Green bundle –cleaners, floor care products, paper, trashcan lines, mats, vacuums, etc., etc., etc.

Think about it. What happens to your sales and commissions when you sell a single product versus selling an entire bundle? Furthermore, when you implement the entire bundle and build a solid Green program, you also become a more valued asset to your customer, improving the strength of your relationship and reducing the potential for a competitor to take away your business by selling just a single product, even at a lower price.

To build a complete Green bundle, the following represents the requirements of programs such as LEED-EB , Green Guide for Healthcare, and the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS):
• A line of Green Seal “Certified” chemicals for your all-purpose, glass, washroom cleaners and carpet extraction.
• Floor finishes should be metal-free are durable to minimize stripping.
• Handsoaps for public restrooms use high quality soap without added antimicrobial agents (i.e. Triclosan or PCMX). Waterless hand sanitizers can be added, but only where water is not available. (Note: antimicrobial products should be used where required by regulation such as in healthcare or food preparation)
• For other cleaners such as furniture and metal polish, use no- or low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) products.

At this point we have only addressed chemicals. But a Green Cleaning program is much more than just chemicals. Thus, your Green bundle should also include:
• Paper products containing a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content and bleached without chlorine or chlorine compounds.
• Paper dispensers for hand towels should be handsfree (no cranks or levers) and hold large rolls. Toilet tissue dispensers should hold large rolls and/or multiple rolls to minimize waste.
• Trashcan liners should contain at least 10% recycled content, properly sized, and be the appropriate strength so one bag works without tearing.
• Vacuums should be “certified” by the Carpet & Rug Institute, capture 96% of particles at 0.3 microns, and be ergonomically designed to reduce back injuries.
• Floor Machines should include active-vacuum attachments to capture the fine dust that is created when dry buffing and burnishing.
• Entryway mats should be at least 10 feet long, preferably contain recycled content and be PVC-free. (Note: PVC [vinyl] is a highly controversial in the Green community)

And get creative in your Green bundle by adding items that conserve energy, water, resources, prevent pollution, etc., such as recycling bins, automatic flush valves, integrated pest management products, micro-fiber dusting cloths and flat mops, etc., etc., etc.

OK you say, this works great if I work for a distributor who carries all these products, but what can I do when my company only makes a portion of the bundle? Become the resource that can help your distributor pull together their complete Green bundle and help their sales people sell that bundle and implement Green Cleaning programs in end user accounts. And if you help build that complete Green bundle, your products will always be included.

Finally, keep in mind that the real goal of a Green Cleaning program is to create a healthy and productive indoor environment, while minimizing impacts on product users, building occupants and the environment. Thus in order to do this, your Green Cleaning bundle has to include product training, procedures, workloading, stewardship, communications, policies, etc., because only when we put all these things together do we accomplish our real goal.

So good luck selling Green. We can’t change the industry until buildings start using Green Cleaning products. And as long as they have to buy them from someone, we hope they’ll buy them from you!