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How to Teach Your Clients The Longterm Value of Sustainability to Overcome Sticker Shock and Close Your Next Deal



Frustrated Sustainable Entrepreneur on her laptop in a garden
Frustrated Sustainable Entrepreneur

Why Clients Resist Sustainable Options

Many clients see sustainability as an extra expense. As a sustainable business owner, you know that eco-friendly options provide long-term value, but often carry a hefty upfront cost. How can you convince your clients of this? In this post, we’ll explore strategies to help you teach your clients the longterm value of sustainability, positioning your services as not just ethical but financially wise.


1. Focus on Long-Term Cost Savings

Sustainable event solutions often lead to significant cost savings over time, thanks to factors like energy efficiency, material durability, and reduced waste management costs. However, these benefits may not be immediately apparent to clients who focus primarily on upfront expenses.


• Use tangible examples from the your industry/event industry: Highlight energy-efficient lighting and sound systems, reusable decor, eco-friendly venues, and waste management practices (such as composting or recycling stations) that cut costs over time.


• Present relevant case studies: Share data from sustainable events where businesses saw reduced operational costs and higher profit margins by implementing eco-friendly options like LED lighting, biodegradable tableware, or digital invitations. Include charts and real metrics along with the resource links for them so anyone interested in using metrics from your event or service to show their own sustainable growth it is available.


Teaching Clients About Sustainable Market Profit Growth:


When selling sustainable event options to clients, it’s crucial to demonstrate how these choices will positively impact their profits. Emphasize that the market for sustainability in events is rapidly growing.


How to Sell the Idea:


Help clients accept these metrics by providing reputable market research and case studies that show the business growth of companies who have embraced sustainability in event planning. Use data from similar industries and events to back up your claims. Provide cost comparisons and projected savings based on the size and scope of their specific event, highlighting how even a modest upfront investment can yield substantial savings over time.


2. Emphasize the Positive Impact on Brand Image

Clients often overlook how sustainability can enhance their own brand image and marketability. Position sustainable choices as a strategic way for them to appeal to a growing base of eco-conscious consumers.


How to Sell the Idea: Discuss how consumer preferences are shifting towards companies that demonstrate environmental responsibility.- Show how sustainability practices can become a key marketing point for their business, helping them attract clients who value eco-friendliness. Consumers are increasingly prioritizing companies that take sustainability seriously. Events remain, in my humble opinion, the best way to reach clients and offer a new idea or experience. Show your client how incorporating Sustainable Events and Products, along with your support to educate their event guests, you're giving your business a competitive edge. Aligning with sustainability will help your clients attract eco-conscious clients and improve your brand’s reputation.


3. Present Sustainability as Risk Management

Position sustainability as a way for clients to mitigate risks, especially in industries where regulations on environmental practices are tightening. Sustainable choices can help them avoid penalties or bad publicity in the future.


How to Sell the Idea: Talk about how regulations are evolving in events (or your specific industry) in your client's specific area and why proactive sustainability practices can save clients from future compliance issues. Show how environmental risk mitigation can protect them from bad PR, legal consequences, or operational disruptions. ***Use a case from your client's area of expertise whenever possible*** With environmental regulations becoming stricter, businesses that invest in sustainability now will be ahead of the curve. Not only will you avoid future compliance headaches, but you'll also protect your brand from the negative fallout that comes with environmental missteps.


4. Provide Tangible Examples and Comparisons Whenever Possible

Most clients need tangible examples or side-by-side comparisons to understand the benefits of sustainability. Provide real-world examples of sustainable practices leading to success.


How to Sell the Idea: Include case studies or client testimonials where sustainable choices had measurable benefits.- Offer cost comparisons that show the price difference between traditional and sustainable options, then explain the long-term savings.





The Real Value of Sustainability

Sustainability isn’t just about protecting our resources and health; it’s about positioning your business for long-term success and profit. Let's be real, if we don't have profitable business we cannot operate, and we must prioritize this as a pillar of our own sustainability in business. So too must your clients.


By helping your clients see the financial, reputational, and risk management benefits, you can shift the conversation from upfront cost to lasting value; and pinpoint the client's current position along the sustainable trail. Remember every small choice your client agrees to implement toward becoming more sustainable as a result of your efforts needs to be counted as a big win on your chart.


I hope this post offers you some guidance when working those tricky sustainable planning deals with your not so green minded clients. Please drop a comment or shoot an email using the contact us link on the website if you have questions, thoughts, or if you try some of these tips the next time you sit with a client. If you find this helpful, please share with anyone you think could benefit, and subscribe to the blog so you don't miss anything!



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