Green and Renewable Energy Sales

In this market, many of us are looking for the next great and growing industry that will launch our careers and help pull this country out of this recession.  We all have our own ideas of what the industry will be and if you are currently out of work or looking for a new position, chances are you have the desire to reinvent yourself to excel in the hottest industry.  Most likely, you have thought about targeting Green/Renewable Energy as that next step in your career.  Solar power, wind power, hydro-power, bio-diesel, e-waste, and the list goes on – these types of organizations combined make up an industry that is growing exponentially.  In this day and age, these things are no longer a 'nice to have', but are quickly becoming a 'must have.'  Targeting these types of organizations is a smart move, however, there is a down side- your smart idea is also the idea of everyone else….

I speak to sales people every day and I will be honest when I say that 90% of them are targeting these types of organizations. That makes it an extremely competitive market.  But the good news is that there are very few people out there with direct experience in the space.  Therefore, there is the opportunity to come to the table on an even playing field.

One way to gain a competitive edge is in the way that you position your background.  Do your research and find out what kinds of target markets the company is going after – do you have experience in successfully penetrating a similar market?  Who is in your network? – Are they companies that a green company would be interested in partnering with?   Maybe the products or services you sold in the past have a similar sales cycle or sales model as the green products /services.  Even better, maybe what you have sold is a similar technology – like printable electronics or flat panel displays.  This type of experience is typically a good fit for solar opportunities.

If you want to be considered a player in the green space, dig deeper and look at green/renewable energy companies that offer peripherals.  For example, inverters that sell into solar or software/hardware that is geared towards wind power.

My point is that if you are trying to get into this exciting and growing industry – do not think you are alone.  It is very competitive and you have to be creative.  If you are looking for ideas on how you can better position yourself, don't hesitate to get in touch.