Move your Business Beyond Compliance & discover New Markets

Many organisations spend a large amount of time and effort in establishing,developing and maintaining extremely close ties with their clients. With the advent of sustainability and the fact that its adoption is being accelerated, due to the likes of Wal-Mart and others investing in SA, organisations need to reassess their positions with their clients and customers.

Obviously it is vital to stay close to your market, but service and good relationship will give way to something bigger. Green Credentials. You see, it is really about re-inventing your position and moving into strategic supplier partnerships, as opposed to being just close. In this new age of Sustainability, the door will open more readily for your organisation with a redefined progressive approach. Align yourself with your clients systems, metrics, IT & Carbon monitoring solutions and understand their way of thinking.

Amalgamated Appliance Holdings CEO, Alan Coward, points out that “Walmart’s entry to the market — has shaken up SA’s supply chain” and has forced both suppliers& competitors alike to assess their offering & position in the marketplace, in order to remain competitive.

ACSA (Airports Company of South Africa) recently concluded an international deal with Brazil to manage their airport/s. Should ACSA have had demonstrable Green Credentials, their bid would have been far more easy to obtain. If the successes of other sustainable companies around the globe are anything to go by, ACSA’s proposed operating margin would have been protected or even improved by their ability to demonstrate their Green achievements.

Both South Africa and Brazil, rank extremely highly amongst countries posing as high risk of corruption. Any organisation demonstrating its commitment to the “Triple-Bottom-Line”and one that subscribes to ethical trading practices such as the likes of FairTrade, is really positioning themselves strategically, to become the obvious choice in tenders, even should their pricing not be in line.

So while you may still enjoy the unreliable position of “preferred Supplier”status with several or many of your clients, use your time wisely and rethink how to reposition yourself as the obvious choice for a strategic partnership, based on sustainability.