Finance Monthly September 2019 Edition

16 www.finance-monthly.com FINANCE & BUSINESS - SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY HOW A SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY CAN DISTINGUISH YOUR BUSINESS FROM THE COMPETITION In the sea of companies that exist in every sector today, being noticed is a difficult task. When searching through companies’ websites you see much of the same: a vast ocean featuring the same terminology, the same people and the same qualifications. Every company you sail past has glowing testimonials and is boasting the latest award no one’s ever heard of. Companies need to do more to stand out from the crowd, especially those in the financial services industry, where competition to attract new business is particularly tough. Here Jason Skidmore, Chief Commercial Officer at 3 Step IT, delves into the growing trend of companies’ focus on their sustainability credentials in an attempt to sway potential customers. Sustainability is not as difficult or costly to achieve as some may believe. Unlike client hospitality, it is not expensive to save energy or spend less on travel by leveraging remote meetings. In fact, it could save your company money. Making sure that lights are not left on overnight is not a difficult policy to implement, and may resonate with your clients more than you realise. Sustainability is not only important to your clients, but it also contributes to the satisfaction of your employees. A growing number of employees look for sustainable practices in their place of work, and ensuring you’ve implemented these is a great way to boost employee retention and engagement. This, in turn, boosts the reputation of your company. As well as being a popular trend to follow, sustainability is also becoming entrenched in law. From 2016, UK companies with more than 500 employees must report on their sustainability by law. Not only does this affect companies themselves, but it also applies to their suppliers - if they are not sustainable, then neither is the buyer. This does not only apply to the UK. Similar, or often stricter, Reece Mennie CEO of Hunter Jones www.hjinvest.com Jason Skidmore, Chief Commercial Officer of 3 Step IT www.3stepit.com