70% of Homeowners Want It; But Only 7% Buy it. Why?

When people consider green initiatives, it seems the conversation is heavy on the "green" and very light on intiative. At the recent Home Electronic Source (HES) show in Dallas, TX, Steve Castle shared some eye-opening statistics on home energy solutions.


According to Castle, 60% of consumers want "green" purchases, 72% say they want energy-efficient homes, and 70% are concerned about energy costs (and that number still seems low to me).


Yet, as few as 7% of homeowners actually invest in energy-efficient systems. Why?

It seems that nearly everyone wants to do something to help the environment, but changing talk into action is a real challenge. For an audience of electronics retailers and custom installers, the ability to sell sustainability is at the forefront of a shrinking market, as this industry continues to look for new ways to innovate for customers. Most understand the concept of "rethink, reuse, recycle", but how do we go from concept to action, balancing green solutions with top line revenue and bottom-line results?

From my vantage point, it seems that consumers and media alike focus on the "what" - what makes a home green - in countless communication outlets. What's missing is the "why" - Why do consumers need to buy in? And, I might add: the "how": How do you sell smart energy management to consumers? Stories like this one don't make it any easier:



With electric companies shooting themselves in the smart meter everyday, there is a real and troubling negative-perception issue at work in the market. The ROI is still a little too soft (more on that later) and typically the up-front costs are higher for more efficient solutions. The good news is, where there is desire, there is opportunity, and consumer awareness and initiative is growing every day. How can sales people be more effective at reaching this market?

Steven Castle is one of the drivers in the green initiative. He is Senior Editor of Electronic House Magazine and an expert on green initiatives. Click here to check out his blog, Green Tech Advocates or you can find it in my blog list over there on the right of your screen). So, over 2/3 of US homeowners are interested in an energy-efficient home. Why do only 7% actually do something about it?

First of all, there's a bit of a branding issue, even beyond the recent smart meter situation. According to Castle, "Green" has transformed in meaning, into another word for "compromising", "intrusive",and perhaps even "prissy". Green is uncomfortably cuddly for mainstream America, because of its connotations. No one wants to become slave to lifestyle choices that are perceived as limiting and restrictive - even if those choices are the right thing to do. Castle wisely advocates for the "energy efficiency" moniker, as a better reflection of what consumers want.

To my mind, there seems to be a deep disconnect in the sales channel, a problem of perception and initiative that Castle and others are trying to fight. Have you experienced it, when discussing "green" products?

It's Green and You Can't Stop It

Everyone understands that we must be sensitive to sustainability. But at what cost? Selling things today based on future events which may or may not come to pass can be a difficult sale (universal healthcare, anyone?) When similar solutions are presented at different price points, the key to closing the sale is proving the value proposition. Without a clearly identified need, there will be little or no action towards energy efficiency, and you will be left with that 7 per cent solution, Dr. Watson. How is 7% "sustainable", I wonder? Castle says we must make energy efficiency visible and easy, and he's doing his part. I believe in sustainability, and I support energy efficient solutions. However, without some clear strategic selling strategies around green initiatives, [positive] climate change in this market will still be elusive.

You’ve Made Contact…Now What?

So many of my friends are holding a stack of business cards but still feeling empty-handed. Sound familiar? Here are some ideas on what to do with a networking contact to get the results you need. Specifically, I'd like to share some strategies I've used to create emails that get answers. Networking to the next level requires some clear strategy – especially in this economy.

“Time to Talk?”

That’s the subject of your next email, the one you’ve been wanting to send to your newest VIP contact. “Time to Talk?” is open-ended and non-threatening. It could mean, “Do you have time to talk?” Or, “Is there a time when we could talk?” or even, “Look, it’s time to talk!” The response to that question is, under any interpretation:

"Talk about what?"

Question and response. Hmmm.... you just started a dialogue. The objective of your email is to generate interest, and ultimately, a response. I assume you have something you would like to know about? If you are seeking a new opportunity, you need to approach this message with a clear idea in mind. The objective is to secure a conversation to discuss your idea, and that's why you need a "time to talk".

“I know a little bit, about a lot of things, but I don’t know enough about you.”

An initial networking contact is a quest for information. So many folks misinterpret Steven Covey, and begin with the end in mind…instead of seeking first to understand, than to be understood. If your opener is, “So, do you want to buy some of my stuff? Are you the decision-maker? [or even worse] Do you have a job? Do you know someone who has a job?” Yikes, Gunga Din. It’s probably not “time to talk”. My magic will not work for you.

Ask a question before its time, and you will get the wrong answer. It takes time to earn the right to advance, and a time to talk is step 1. Have you proven that this company is a good customer, or somewhere that you want to work? Do you know that your contact is the sole decision maker? Even if your answer is “yes”, you still need to confirm that theory. And you need to know that there is interest in you discussing your personal value proposition before you share it. Come to your contact with a demonstrated knowledge of their business or situation, and ask them to confirm/deny or elaborate on a specific idea or theory.

Confirm/Deny/Elaborate

After a brief one sentence introduction about where you met or how you were referred, you want to identify why you are writing. As you define your purpose (seeking information about a particular topic) ask you contact to confirm/deny/or elaborate on your theme – it must be a specific concept that could help his/her business, or a specific question about the processes within the company. (email me if you want some specific ideas) Your topic should demonstrate a specific knowledge of the company, but require clarification from your contact. After all, you have to have something of value for your contact to confirm/deny/elaborate on. Clear details on a specific question will create trust, and establish you as someone who does their homework. Suggest a time to talk, and offer a specific time when you will follow-up. Stick to your plan and follow up when you say you will - if they haven't contacted you first.

Demonstrate a knowledge of your subject and request confirmation in a brief (less than 20 minute!) conversation. Stay on topic, gather the information you need, and take that next step.

How and Why God Created Texas

On the day that God created Texas, he looked at what he had done, and said, "Oh no. That's really too hot and too flat. I've got to go back and fix it". But, the next day he was just too tired. So, he decided to make people who like it that way.




Evidently, there are a lot of people who do like it that way, and a lot of them live in the DFW area. According to the Dallas Business Journal, http://bit.ly/9cH1r5, the Dallas Fort area was the fastest-growing metro area in the US, with 6.45 million residents. That places the DFW metroplex as the fourth-largest metro, just ahead of Philadelphia.

Fixing Alec Baldwin

While “Always be closing” makes for some interesting drama, it’s a recipe for disaster in this economy. Real sales strategies don’t come from Hollywood –so, how about a plan that you can actually use?

Every sales person, every Alec Baldwin fan, maybe everybody who can read and write, knows the slogan, “Always be closing”. That was the message from his character, Blake, in the classic movie, "Glengarry Glen Ross". As much as I enjoy Alec Baldwin as a performer, "Always be Closing" is a recipe for disaster in the current economy. I'm seeing a lot of individuals "go for the close" (and fail) when what they really need to know is: how to go for the sale.

Here’s a little secret that is the one common characteristic of every successful sales engagement, and every successful sales person. The one most important characteristic of sales success isn’t the killer close, or mental toughness, or a strong forceful personality, or...or whatever.

The best salesperson is ALWAYS the one who is in front of a customer who wants to buy what they are selling. Think about it. Finding a customer that’s buying is the secret ingredient. It’s not some slick closing strategy or verbal kung-fu that forces a sale. If you have the talents of a monkey, and a customer that wants to buy what you've got, you are going to close a deal... and be able to pick up objects with your feet. Impressive! Qualifying an opportunity has never been more important. And, opportunities are scarce! So, how do you do when it comes to qualifying opportunities?

Based on my experience, the number one thing you can do to help grow your business -especially if your business is the "business of YOU": learn how to “always be QUALIFYING”, and the transaction will take care of itself.

Are You Qualified to Drink This?

Questions are a great way to approach an opportunity, because of what is implied behind the curiosity. (And I'm not talking about questions like, "If I can drop the price by 2%, will you buy TODAY?!?") The questions I'm talking about are the kinds that yield results - a series of "yes" answers that helps you to clearly define the customers needs. Your concern, your caring, your experience, your product knowledge all are conveyed ...indirectly. It’s a style shift, and it can be subtle, but the results are huge. The message behind the message is that you are genuinely concerned about the customer's concerns - and, quite frankly, the mutual fit for your agendas. You go from “telling and selling” to helping your customer to solve a problem. As you help to identify their needs, you tailor your services and solutions for what they want, not just what you can do. The best person to articulate customer needs is always the customer. If there’s no need, there’s no sale.

Of course, there are many more aspects of qualification. What’s the budget? How did you hear about me/my company/my gorilla-like reflexes, etc.? Have you ever seen/used/owned equipment like this before? What is the salary for this position? Etc. etc. All important questions, and all must be asked as part of the needs identification and implementation phase.

You still have to ask for the business. But closing is just the final step in the qualifying process. First, make sure that you’ve got a qualified customer that’s come forward with some real clear needs, and you are almost home. With all due respect to Alec Baldwin, remember to “always be qualifying”… unless, of course, all you want to end up with is a set of steak knives.

Brainstorming for Results

Have you ever had a really good guided tour of the weeds, often called a "brainstorming session"? As the ideas churn forward, each one less practical than the last, participants are rewarded and encouraged to dream large and often improbable solutions to real-world problems. How can these sessions be managed into an effective process, one that allows for the necessary freedom of thought but also the guidance that delivers real and tangible results?

Separating real accomplishment from group therapy requires a facilitator who is willing to set up clear communication on what is expected. (I will assume that "Six Thinking Hats" and other resources are already in play for the group leader). Often what is missing is a clear objective for the session, and necessary details about the business challenge at hand.

In a brainstorming session, CONTEXT trumps CONTENT. In other words, participants need to know a clear objective and framework for what is about to be discussed. We CAN think of lots of things, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we should. The best ideas will be the ones that fit the context most appropriately. It is a delicate balance to create an environment of trust and openness within a framework of objectives and results. However, that is part of the clear communication that is required before anyone goes deep into the potential abyss of "brainstorming".

Setting the ground rules is key for an effective session, and all participants (operative word: "ALL") need to understand that they will be expected to offer ideas. Effective brainstorming takes courage, and that requires en_couragement from the facilitator. Oftentimes, the starting point is a version of "there are no bad ideas"...(ooh, I've had a few. There was the football bat, and the unicorn feeder...still convinced that all ideas are good ideas?) The key thing to remember is: Don't get married to your ideas, but put them out there just the same. A good facilitator creates that environment and gets everyone to play in the sandbox.

If every idea is good, then none of them are. That's why Edward de Bono's book is so effective, because it breaks brainstorming into steps and facilitates cream rising to the top. For me, the first step is a clear and established context for ideas - only then can those ideas be shaped into results.

Judgements and comparisons must come after the brainstorming session, to separate the wheat from the chaff. The stack ranking of ideas and collation of valuable material must be handled with respect - but handled nonetheless. Brainstorming takes courage, a true willingness to bring your best ideas, and an ego-less attachment to the outcomes.

Separate Yourself from the Pack

From a recent posting on linkedin: How do you separate yourself from the pack, without being dismissed as a kook or a caricature? Everyone wants to differentiate themselves, and express their own uniqueness. Being true to yourself is the foundation of integrity, and it takes courage to express unique viewpoints within any career path. No matter who you are, being authentic should be everyone's goal...but what can ensure that "authentic individualism" is taken seriously, and not dismissed as "crazy talk"? The line between "prophet" and "village idiot" can be a thin one...I know because I've crossed it a few times!

What separates an individual from the pack begins with personal integrity, and ends with relevance. If ever there was a time in history for new and innovative ways of doing things, that time is now. The economic paradigms have shifted, and we need rugged individuals to step forward with ideas about the future. People who are stuck in yesterday's news may never be able to see the benefits of visionary individualism, and separate themselves from the herd. To these folks, I say: "Good luck". If people like this label you a "kook"...so what? I recommend that you pick your own critics, and comments from the unqualified masses don't really count. Listen to the comments that serve you most, and make sure that your ideas take root in meaningful solutions - for yourself, for your company, for whatever.

Bottom line: The gap betwen kook and visionary is bridged by relevance. Make your ideas matter to the people you care about, and you can never be a caricature. For the unique creative souls that have something valuable to share, relevance is what separates an outcast ...from an iconoclast.

Only the Best

The search is over, I have found the world's finest website:

Click here and visit the ultimate

Examine its many attributes, and post your favorite in the comments. Mine: The Music.

To Begin, An Explanation...

Recently I re-connected with my old partner-in-crime from AT&T. Back in the day, we patrolled the mean streets of Indiana, from Richmond to Terre Haute, looking for opportunities to offer up what we called “Strong Chili”.

Strong Chili, as my friend reminded me this week, was our catch phrase for any sort of powerful conversation, memorable event, or cut-to-the-chase sort of remark. The recipe for the rather strange metaphor was: If you were cooking an idea, you should offer “Strong Chili” – something memorable, and perhaps a little spicy. We believed the sweet illusion that we were the master chefs in the kitchen of our own destiny (hmm…what is “hyperbole”?). Marching through Indiana, we were not making foie gras or lobster bisque – but we did create some metaphorical Strong Chili on more than one occasion.

We tried to create memorable events in our work with customers, with our peers, and with each other – that was what we called “Strong Chili”. After all, would you be interested in weak chili? Perhaps a steaming bowl of …lame chili? Would you choose a piping hot cup, or a bowl, of Jackson County Fair ninth-place chili? No, of course not. Even if you don’t really like chili, if you are on the fence, please confirm or deny your opinion only after you have had some Strong Chili.

The greatest service we can do for one another is to be clear in our communication, in our intentions, and in our willingness to serve. This blog is my attempt to reflect upon these ideas, in the area of personal leadership, effective communications and personal branding. In other words, what I think of as “Strong Chili”.