Going From Red to Green

Going From Red to Green
Let's face it. Everyone in the building industry is waiting for the customer to stop waiting and make the decision to go for it and buy a new home. However, it has been ingrained in us since grade school when mom made us wear the Christmas sweater to class and everyone had a laugh. No one wants to be the butt of riducule. So rather than homeowners stepping out and taking advantage of deals that will likely never recur in their lifetime, they are waiting for a better one, scared of the ridicule they would endure if the value of their new home dropped shortly after closing. Can you blame them? So what can a purchasing manager do to help in this situation. Go from red to green!While most builders are drowning in red ink, you can have a positive impact on the one facet of business most in need, driving qualified traffic to the sales floor. Face it, you've done your job so far. You've asked the vendors for price concessions. You've maybe simplified product lines as a trade off to reduce base prices. You may have even reduced your vedor count to try and cope. But there is one thing you may not have tried, go green. While we have been busy making deals and starting homes the US Green Building Council has been working tirelessly to make green building a reality. The commercial sector has already seen this wave coming. In the last 12 months alone, consumer sentiment about buying products whose brand supports a cause they believe in has increased over 8% to 72.4%. That's a huge section of the market to consider. With gas hovering around $3/gallon it's no wonder. So by establishing green initiatives within your processes and product lines you give your marketing people the ammunition they are looking desperately for, a way to separate your company from the pack. While the rest of the builders sit back and wait for legislation to dictate better practices, you can take this opportunity to turn your product line into one ready for the future. And after all isn't that about all that separates your homes from the used ones.