Selling And Promoting Green Cleaning Supplies

How do you sell green cleaning products? Do you promote them or are they just available in case customers ask for them?

We consult with our customers to make sure we recommend the best products for them. We also make recommendations on products like dilution control vs. ready-to-use products and products that are highly concentrated with smaller packaging that is made from recycled material.  — Jennifer Rosenberg, president, Acorn Distributors, Indianapolis

We focus on working with our clients to develop sustainable processes that include the use of products and equipment. We generally ask if they have initiatives. If not we promote the benefits of using a program. — Belinda Jefferson, president, Hercules and Hercules Inc., Detroit

We promote sustainable products as the lead items in our line, especially in education. It’s part of the value equation that we present to the customer so they know they have an effective program with multiple benefits. — Bridget Shuel-Walker, CEO, HP Products, Indianapolis

We promote green products in many categories and focus on situations and customer verticals where we feel it would be beneficial. As part of our green program, we offer facility audits to determine the most appropriate choice of products and equipment. — Linda Silverman, president, Maintex, City of Industry, California

If the product or program is a good one for our customer, we proactively promote the item and/or program to our customers. Brady has a strong stance of providing our customers with the most sustainable products or programs available, meaning our product selection committee — made up of operations, sales, marketing, sourcing and purchasing — meets regularly to review products/programs. If we find a product or program that we feel is better for our customers than our current stocking offering, we cannibalize the sales of those items into what we would view as a more progressive program or group of items. This evaluation includes the complete life cycle of a product, from production and transportation to packaging of the item. — Ryan Banks, vice president of sales and marketing, Brady Industries, Las Vegas