Time for a Green Event

(This article appeared in the October '08 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

Fall is here. And for do-it-yourselfers, their attention has turned to pre-holiday home projects, like painting a room or making the house a little more energy efficient. For green builders, this is the season of two of the most important green building industry events, West Coast Green, in San Jose, California and Greenbuild, in Boston. West Coast Green happened in late September, (see what you might have missed here: www.westcoastgreen.com,) and has firmly established itself as a leading showcase for building innovation and education for pros and homeowners. Of course, the US Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo, coming up in mid November, (visit their website, here: www.greenbuildexpo.org) is the big green building event. So, with home projects and green building topics top-of-mind for many of your customers, it might be time to host a green event at your store.

Hosting a little green event in your store can bring in some of your best customers, as well as new customers. It can also bring other less tangible benefits including creating positive word of mouth, strengthened relationships with community leaders, and staff enthusiasm. The best part is that it doesn’t have to cost very much, especially if you elicit support from your suppliers and local organizations. Let me share some examples of what some of the best green retailers are doing on the West Coast.

Creating a workshop around a cool product or new building technique can bring in motivated customers. American Clay (www.americanclay.com), a natural plaster product from New Mexico is being stocked by a growing number of green retailers throughout the country. It’s a beautiful alternative to paint, but it takes a little extra know-how to apply it correctly, so the manufacturer and their dealers host workshops in the store. These little events cost virtually nothing to produce and have proven to be a boon for the retailers. Customers pay for the workshop, buy the product, and come back with their friends. A more traditional home improvement dealer in Northern California, Central Valley Building Supply, added the line last year and has hosted several American Clay workshops, finding that sales of other products get a boost, too.

Having a sexy, niche product can be an effective draw, but that’s not the only way to attract motivated customers. Virgil’s Hardware Home Center in Southern California recently hosted an event promoting water conservation. With support from the local water authority and their suppliers, they set up product demos and distributed rebate information, connecting customers to the right products for their project and the right rebate information for their community. Given that rebate information can be confusing to some people, it provided a real community service, saved their customers money and boosted sales.

There are other simple themes one can create an event around – one retailer I know offered 15% off for all women on a Women’s Day promotion and set up tables with information from local non-profit organizations promoting awareness of common household chemicals. The main point is to create an event that will be compelling in some way. But that’s not enough – you need to get the word out to your customers and influential members of your community. Have your cashiers hand out small flyers with every purchase for a couple of weeks in advance – print double-sided on recycled paper, of course. But most importantly, make a few personal phone calls to local green building advocates and community leaders and let them know what you’re doing. It boosts your reputation and will boost your business. Oh yes, and remember to have fun.