The Art of Selling Environment, Health and Safety
Kelvin Roth
June 1, 2012
We know that EHS programs don't succeed without senior management support. The consequences of not having this support - insufficient budgets, lack of assistance from other functional areas, conflicting priorities and unnecessary obstacles - can be devastating. But to gain this support, you must know how to sell your program.
I'm not talking about the ability to make cold calls or engage in business development activities, of course - I'm talking about selling a project, idea or program.
Marketing means engaging the company in a targeted fashion. What has sold your program or idea to senior management will often not be the same set of benefits that convince your facility managers or operators. Your strategy needs to address all impacted "customers."
Because selling and marketing are such critical components, it is important that you take the time during your program design process to plan how you will sell and market it. Put together an internal marketing plan that addresses the implementation strategy and the tactics you will use to promote that strategy. A good marketing plan is like a game plan: It serves as a guide for the actions you need to take, but also provides some flexibility to shift tactics to address any issues that may arise.
Here are a few tips for selling and marketing your EHS program that you should consider when developing your internal marketing plan. (And don't be afraid to borrow ideas from your marketing people!)
- Understand your company: You need to know your company's goals and how it makes money. Simply knowing its EHS issues is insufficient; you need to understand your company's position in the market.
- Lead with your strength: Define the biggest or broadest benefit of your program and lead with that. Keep the message simple and consistent.
- Develop the program "brand": All successful programs have a common language, look and feel, regardless of where they are implemented in the company. Develop talking points that provide a quick and easy summary of the program to keep everyone focused on the key goals.
- Identify your best customers: If you can identify and engage those who will gain the most from the new program, they can help you sell it. Listen to the "voice of the customer" (or voice of the employee) and use their words to engage them and get them excited about the new program.
- Know your competition: There will be other programs that will compete for time and money. You need to have a plan to address these challenges and convince detractors that they can also gain from your program.
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About the Author
Kelvin Roth
CF Industries Inc.
Kelvin Roth is the Vice President, Environmental, Health, Safety and Quality, at CF Industries. He is an EHS professional with more than 25 years of experience in building global, results-driven EHS programs and dynamic EHS teams. He is also a past president of the NAEM Board of Directors. Follow him on Twitter at @Oenodog.