You’ve Got It, Now Flaunt It: Effectively Communicate Your Green Certifications & Ecolabels
Congratulations! You’ve earned a certification! You’ve worked hard for this; you should be proud.
Before I go fluffing up your feathers… let me just scooch in here and ask… how are you communicating your green certifications and achievements to your target audience, your stakeholders, the end user, and your employees?
Here’s the thing, getting certified is awesome! It showcases your commitment to excellence and sustainability while also highlighting your investment in your team, vendors, and the entire supply chain. That’s big stuff.
Kindel Media/Pexels
And if you’re not talking about it, shouting it from the rooftops, in the right way, you’re not getting the full benefits of your hard work. In fact, if you’re not communicating your certifications correctly and carefully, it could actually backfire and undermine your credibility.
But don’t freak out! Juno Solutions Group can create a roadmap that starts with your sustainability strategy and ends with communication to your sales team. We’re here to guide you with some of the very same tips we use when creating a unique communication plan for you.
The Importance of Certification Communication
Effectively communicating your green certifications and ecolabels both internally and externally isn’t just important; it’s vital for your team and visibility.
External Communication for visibility
Spread the word: If you don’t talk about them, specifiers won’t know about them. You’ve felt it happening over the years. Green certifications, ecolabels, and mandatory certifications are increasing in popularity and requirements. This is not something people are rolling their eyes at and just doing. Specifiers are actively seeking vendors who align with their values and missions as well as those of their clients.
By communicating your certifications, you’re establishing trust with your users while increasing your chances of getting noticed for that next project.
Maximize availability: If your certification information isn't readily available or accessible, customers are likely to assume you simply don’t have it. This can of course lead to missed opportunities and lost business before they even get to your sales team.
Interior designers are often working under tight deadlines — at all hours. They need to access your certification documents quickly on demand. If they’re on a deadline and can’t find it, they may move on to the next vendor who does.
Designers and potential clients are looking for this info. They want it. If your information is difficult to locate, your sales team can’t speak to it, or worse, they discover that it wasn’t mentioned when it could have been, they may lose trust in your brand entirely and move on to competitors.
Avoid frustration & mistrust: It may seem small, but in the age of technology and access this kind of frustration can damage your brand’s reputation over time.
Internal Communication for your team
Consistent unified messaging: What’s written in your internal literature needs to match your external literature needs to match what’s on your website, socials, and what’s being said at conferences. You don’t want your sales team going all in on sustainable features and ecolabels only for there to be no documentation to back up their claims that’s easily accessible.
Training & alignment: Your entire team needs to be on the same page. From customer service, inbound sales, external sales, trade show reps, and the marketing team, everyone should understand and be able to leverage your certifications effectively.
Enhanced brand credibility: Consistent and clear communication about your certifications strengthens your brand’s reputation over time and builds trust. It shows that you are up to date with all requirements, that you’re ahead of the curve with new certifications — voluntary and required — and it shows that you are transparent, reliable, and committed to maintaining high standards. An ideal vendor.
So whether it’s making sure potential clients can easily find your certification details, posting it on socials, or training your sales team — effectively communicating your green certifications can help you reap all the benefits.
Tailoring Your Message to Different Audiences
Perhaps you’ve read all the leadership books about effective communication. You might remember that effective communication requires more than broadcasting. The same goes for your shiny new certifications. The message needs to be tailored to meet the specific needs, goals, and expectations of each stakeholder.
Let’s think about it like this:
1. Internal team
Focus: Align with company values.
Needs: Every internal team member needs buy-in from every department to understand how they play an active role in the earning and maintenance of the most important sustainable certifications.
Goals: Identify how every team member’s role in the organization aligns with the sustainable certification and how they meet overall objectives.
Approach: Ensure everyone is on the same page and can effectively advocate for the company’s achievements.
2. Sales Team
Focus: Practical benefits and selling points
Needs: Your sales teams need to know how to leverage certifications as key selling points in their pitches & be able to answer questions from the clients about the certifications or how they fit into larger goals.
Goals: Train your sales team with the knowledge and tools to be able to confidently discuss certifications.
Approach: Provide the team with targeted training and materials that help them integrate certification information into their sales strategies seamlessly.
3. Specifier/end user
Focus: Value and relevance
Needs: Specifiers want to know how your certifications can benefit them on their most sustainable projects.
Goals: Communicate how your certifications meet their needs and align with their values or project requirements.
Approach: Present certification information in a clear, accessible, and correct manner.
4. Investors
Focus: Business impact and ROI
Needs: Understanding how certifications contribute to the company’s financial performance and long-term strategy.
Goals: Highlight the strategic benefits of certifications, such as long-term client acquisition, market differentiation, cost savings, or compliance with industry standards.
Approach: Tailor reports and presentations to demonstrate the value of certifications, tying them to profitability and growth.
Creating a sustainability roadmap covers everything from planning to maintenance including how to best communicate with all stakeholders about your new certifications.
If you find yourself with a sustainable certification but without clear directions, we can help you leverage it by creating an effective communication plan for this and future certifications.
Get loud
Bragging about your certifications isn’t just for your sales and customer service team. It should also be making an appearance in your digital marketing and content strategies. If you don’t have one, this could be a great place to start. Just as you tailor your message to different stakeholders, it’s best to use different methods across different channels.
On your website: Use it to prominently feature your certifications in a way that is accessible and easy to find. Your website is your primary platform to provide details that enhance your credibility and trust. It also provides an avenue for new business to find you.
Social media: Use it to share and engage with your followers. Post beyond getting certified. Educate about certifications, celebrate milestones, invite them into your plans as you build a community around your brand. And provide yet another way for new business to find you.
Email marketing: Use it to directly communicate with people who want to hear from you. Keep your audience current with your latest certifications and updates. This helps to reinforce your commitment to quality and sustainability while staying top of mind.
Content — blog posts: Use it to share in-depth insights and stories about your certification process. Build authority and provide valuable info to your audience by detailing the environmental impact of each certification and more.
Printed materials: What gets printed on sampling and media will stand alone and live in the library far longer than the sales call.
Advertising: Use it to thoughtfully incorporate your certifications throughout the different channels you advertise with to reach a broader audience and emphasize your credentials.
Essentially whatever marketing channel you use is an opportunity to communicate your green certifications and your commitment to quality and sustainability. Keep the recipient of your messaging front of mind in communication efforts.
Sales team training for green certifications: A case study
Our services include sales team training for green certifications as a stand alone service. In a recent example, we were able to enhance a sales team’s effectiveness in leveraging existing certifications as a sales tool.
Let’s take a look at what we were able to do:
The Challenge:
The sales team struggles: The client’s sales team was overwhelmed by the requests coming from the field. Each firm had unique requests and questions with varying situations making it difficult for the team to keep up.
Fear of misrepresentation: Concerned about providing incorrect information and misrepresenting the company or certifications, the team often relied on vague answers, had to do a lot of research and follow ups, or straight up avoided discussing the certifications.
Lost opportunities: This lack of confidence led to missed sales opportunities and frustrated clients, who were left without clear, accurate information about the company’s certifications.
Our Approach:
Approachable content: We simplified the information down to a need-to-know basis and clarified the certification tailored to the requests. The team always has access to all info but ultimately this made it more accessible and easier for the sales team to understand and communicate.
Training and materials: We developed comprehensive training materials and resources to equip the sales team with the knowledge and confidence needed to have more informed conversations.
Building confidence: Through targeted training sessions and practical support, we helped the sales team become more confident in discussing certifications, even with the most challenging specifiers.
The Outcome:
Enhanced communication: The sales team gained the ability to engage more effectively with clients, providing accurate and confident responses.
Improved sales opportunities: With better training and resources, the team is better positioned to capitalize on sales opportunities and address client needs more effectively.
Management has received positive feedback from the team while noticing increased confidence on sales calls. Equipping your sales team with the right tools and knowledge turns green certifications into a powerful sales asset.
JSG not only helps you get and stay certified but we help you and your team understand what the certifications mean, how to talk about them with stakeholders, and how to use them to elevate your brand. Get in touch with us for an analysis of your portfolio!
