The big buzz word is “Green.” Frankly, I’ve been in the business of saving the planet and I didn’t even know I was doing it. Way back in the 1970s, when the first oil shock wave hit, my company knew we better get into the energy-saving business or someone else was going to lock us out of our own customers’ basements. And we weren’t going to allow that.

We learned about energy-saving heating systems, water-saving devices, electrical controls and more. When the price was spiking, it was a “no-brainer” to sell this stuff. But once the price backed down and we got adjusted to it, we fell back to our old habits and you can see where that’s gotten us.

What you need to understand is that people in general are saying they’d like to be “Green,” but if you scratch below the surface just a little they vote with their pocketbook.

To really own the “Green Business” and do the world and your company a big favor, you need to:

1. Be green at your own business. If you talk green but aren’t that’s called “Green washing” and you’ll be exposed for the hypocrite you are.

2. Sell Green for the money it saves and not just because it helps the planet.

3. Create packages of energy items you can sell that do reduce waste and saves people money.

4. Invest in the energy audit technology and the training. It’s a small price in the long-run to be capable of doing the energy audits, and also to be the one to provide the solutions.

5. Become passionate about how going green is the right thing to do and be just as passionate about how going green saves the customer money.

Then, get great at marketing your success stories and begin to move from a commodity service business to a niche service business and reap the rich rewards in ever possible way.

PM Columnist Hosts
Online Growth Seminar

Business consultant Al Levi, who writes a monthly column for Plumbing & Mechanical and blogs for other BNP Media trade magazines, will present an online business seminar, “Growing Big In A Recession,” June 1, at 12 noon CST. The June date will be the first part of six total seminars with the others taking place every two weeks. Each online seminar is expected to last one hour.

Levi already held his first Grow Big seminar series last January and has since added features to enhance to the experience. Participants will receive forms, procedures, a “Grow Big Optimizer” CD and have the opportunity to e-mail Levi for further support up to 60 days after the series is over.

For more information and to register, log on to www.GrowBigInARecession.com. The website also includes several video testimonies from contractors who took part in the first seminar series and got their phone ringing again and their companies growing again.

Anyone interested in taking part will need to register by May 25. Levi provides geographically exclusivity to participants within a 30-mile radius of their businesses. There is a charge for the seminar, but there is also a money-back guarantee.