Volume 3

February 2008

(PDF 1.8 MB)

Volume 2

October 2007

(PDF 1.1 MB)

Volume 1

(PDF 2.3 MB)

Right for the Environment and Your Bottom Line

Dear Contractors,

According to a recent survey by the American Association of Retired Persons, there are 40 million "green boomers" in the U.S. These boomers are more likely to purchase environmentally-friendly products and use services from companies that are socially responsible. Boomers also make up the most affluent segment of the U.S. population and have the most discretionary income – $24,000 a year per household – according to The Conference Board.

Certainly, this audience offers a lucrative opportunity for green-minded landscape contractors. Because your business is, in essence, taking care of nature, you are in a unique position to capitalize on this opportunity, but I caution you to tread carefully before jumping on the green marketing bandwagon. It's important to be able to genuinely support your "green" claims to avoid negative backlash from a skeptical marketplace. There are watchdog organizations that are monitoring marketing efforts for so-called "greenwashing." It's not enough to merely make vague statements of being "environmentally friendly" or "green," you should demonstrate your claims with specific products and practices. You can find more suggestions for making "green" claims in advertising and marketing at www.bbb.org.

At STIHL, we believe that socially responsible environmental stewardship is not only the right thing to do, but can also be profitable and rewarding, as you'll see in the Bland Landscaping profile in this issue of Contractor Success Guide. I encourage you to take an objective assessment of how you can make your business practices more environmentally responsible and ultimately benefit your bottom line by doing so.

Wishing you continued success,

John Keeler

National Training Manager
STIHL Inc.