In today's environmentally aware marketplace, consumers are well-informed not only of the need to "go green," but the methods by which businesses can get there. By introducing greener practices into your business operations, you are not only doing your part for the planet; you may be reaching a greater potential customer base while you're at it. When you're up against a competitor and your end user is deciding which company to choose, your environmental reputation may just be the nudge you need in the right direction. Implement the following tips into the day-to-day running of your business. Then, let your customers and potential customers know what you have done, and what you are striving to do. Make a "green" platform a key part of your messaging, and update your audience each time you've found a new way to improve your practices. The following seven tips will help you get started.

1. Reduce paper: There are plenty of ways to reduce paper use at the office. Start by going online with everything possible. In this day and age, we no longer need to send paper memos or printed discussion notes around the workplace. Almost everybody nowadays has a laptop, iPad or device they can use to access the information they need. When printing on paper for internal use, be sure to print on both sides of the paper to cut your paper needs in half. Save single-side printed materials that are no longer in use, and use the flip side for personal or in-office printing. Print your business cards on recycled paper. Use fax-to-email rather than printed faxes. Use recycled paper whenever possible, and always recycle all your paper waste.   
2. Go local: If you are sourcing products or materials for your business, or even if you are just bringing in food or beverages for staff or customers, do your best to source local suppliers who are as physically close to you as possible. Why have sandwiches delivered for your staff meeting from a store that is a 20-minute drive from your business when you could find something that is less than five minutes away? Even small changes like this can help reduce your company's carbon footprint. Then, consider all the distance (and all the emissions) involved in the flights, trucks, trains, cars and boats that are required to bring your business materials to your location. Could you find something even a little closer?   
3. Reduce packaging: Packaging is one of the banes of the environmentalist's existence. Over-packaged consumer goods fill the shelves of our stores and often our workplaces, too. Start by buying in bulk whenever possible, and by looking for companies that have made efforts to reduce their packaging and/or use recycled content. If you produce your own packaged products, consider more environmental options that use less materials, more recycled content, and fewer plastics or non-biodegradable materials.   
4. Bikes are us: If you have employees, provide incentives for them to bike or walk to work rather than driving or taking transit. Set the example by biking in yourself. Provide a safe location for bike storage and a shower facility if possible. Allow bikers to leave early on Friday afternoons, for example, or give them special perks at work. If you are in an urban centre and the option is available to you, employ bike couriers to deliver messages and materials rather than a car or truck service.   
5. Reduce, reuse, recycle... your furniture! Office furniture is relatively easy to come by second-hand and in good condition. Whether you need a new boardroom table, some shelving, or some specific equipment, consider using a resource like craigslist.com or freecycle.com to see what's out there. You will not only save money; you'll also help save the planet! The same goes for furniture you are no longer using: post it on one of these websites to see if anybody else can use it, rather than just throwing it away. You'd be surprised how many people want your old stuff!   
6. Power down: Ensure all computers are shut down each night - especially desktop computers, but laptops should be powered down or in "sleep" mode too. Picture slideshows may be cute, but they simply waste energy when nobody's there to see them! Turn off all lights, turn heat low, and reduce energy waste wherever possible. Use compact fluorescent lighting to reduce energy consumption and install high-efficiency utilities wherever possible.   
7. Ask your community for help: There is a great deal of knowledge out there about eco-friendly products and services, from greener carpeting to cleaning products; packaging to composting. You may find that your customer base wants to be engaged in the clean-up of your company. They may respect your desire to change and welcome the opportunity to become involved. And you just may gain that customer for life.

Technological gadgetry is no longer confined to the realm of geeks. In fact, the latest stylized device is up there with any diva pop singer or fancy car, which is to say that technology has become indiscriminately cool, regardless of age, sex or income. Our personal lives are now ruled by constant communication in the form of email, text message, video and instant chat. We are constantly in touch, constantly available, continually reaching out for more contact, information or discussion.

Certainly the workplace has advanced technologically as well, and has benefited equally (or perhaps more so) from the incredible achievements of the information age in which we are living. Advancements in technology in the workplace have increased efficiency, improved communication, allowed for global staffing and an increasingly mobile workforce, plus a multitude of other truly remarkable benefits. But where do we draw the line between personal and professional technology - and at what point might it be beneficial to allow the two to intersect?

It is fair to assume that employers might be wary of potentially time-wasting personal devices entering the workplace. No business owner wishes to invite thousands of hours worth of Facebook, Angry Birds or text messaging between friends into their office. However, there may be a flip side to this coin. The Accenture Institute for High Performance carried out a study on the "Consumerization of Enterprise IT," surveying over 4,000 employees in 16 countries around the world, plus more than 300 business and IT executives. The results, published in December 2011, reveal some interesting surprises...

• One in four employees use personal consumer devices and applications for work-related activities on a regular basis.   
• Nearly half of those surveyed claimed that their personal technology devices were more useful to them than those provided by their IT departments.   
• Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed said that they would be prepared to pay for their own devices and applications to use at work.   
• Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed download non-corporate applications from the Internet that help them to work better.   
• Thirty percent said they routinely check corporate email on a personal device before going to bed at night.   
• Fourteen percent said they regularly access corporate apps and databases from their consumer devices.   
• Forty-three percent of employees said they are comfortable making their own technology decisions in the workplace.   
• Eighty-eight percent of management and IT executives say that consumer technology for employee use can improve job satisfaction. 

Other findings from the Accenture study seem to indicate that early adoption of workplace technologies may help companies secure a competitive advantage in the global marketplace, as the massive industries of India and China move ahead of the rest with widespread implementation of consumer technologies in the workplace. Accenture suggests that companies use a well-planned approach to adopting new technologies that includes a broadening of allowable devices and choices, while simultaneously updating policies to accommodate these changes.  

 

Companies can no longer simply disallow the use of personal devices in the workplace, nor can they ignore the issue any longer. A balanced, realistic and beneficial solution, tailored to each specific organization, is required in today's technology-inundated world.

What's the easiest way to increase your customer base without changing any one element of your business? Simple: make it easier for the customer to purchase. And no, that doesn't mean discounting your services or giving away your product for free.

The concept of financed purchasing is familiar to consumers through car loans, large furniture purchases, even mortgages. It's an easy equation to understand: though David may not be able to afford his desired purchase today, he may easily be able to afford a payment schedule that will allow him to pay for his purchase incrementally, while enjoying the benefits of it right away. If he can do so without racking up his credit card, with a trusted institution, with a payment plan he feels good about, his concerns about the purchase (or in sales terminology, his "objections to buying") will be greatly diminished.

By offering financing to your consumers, you are offering peace of mind. The benefits of financing from the consumer's point of view are many:

• Instant gratification: Bob can have the product or service he so badly desires today, without having to save his money for months ahead of time.   
• No credit card limitation: Sheila doesn't have to worry that she might max out her credit card with the purchase, or that she won't have room on her card for groceries and other necessities later in the month.   
• Lower interest rates: Peter can rest assured that the rates he will pay through his financing arrangement will be lower than most credit card interest rates.   
• Comfortable payment schedules: Anne can work with her financing provider to come up with a payment schedule that fits her lifestyle and is comfortable for her financially.   
• On-the-spot approval: With Crelogix financing tools, consumers can receive loan approval within minutes. The process is quick and painless, and allows you to capitalize on the "buying mood" when that mood is hot. Once a potential customer walks away to "think about it" or to consider payment options, that customer is often gone forever.  

Make it easy for your potential customers to become loyal, lifelong consumers by giving them the tools they need to make it happen. To find out more about seamless integration of Crelogix in-house financing solutions into your business, go to www.crelogix.com.