WORKSHOP
When Green Isn’t Enough: Selling Sustainability in a Mature Market
Hosted by Taryn Holowka, Co-Founder, Bold Branch Collective
Course Overview
Sustainability used to be a differentiator. Today, it's the baseline. In this practical workshop, Taryn Holowka—co-founder of Bold Branch Collective and former USGBC marketing leader—shows you how to turn the proof you already have into messaging that moves buyers to act.
You'll learn how to translate sustainability performance into the outcomes decision-makers actually care about: health, risk reduction, operational efficiency, and long-term value. No rebrand. No new certifications. Just a repeatable system for making your products and services easier to specify, justify, and choose.
Course title: When Green Isn’t Enough: Selling Sustainability in a Mature Market
Instructor: Taryn Holowka, Co-Founder, Bold Branch Collective
Course length: 43 minutes
What You'll Learn
Learn a repeatable framework for translating sustainability performance into messaging that moves buyers to act. By the end of this workshop, you'll have a core outcome message you can use immediately, a simple system for aligning your team around it, and a clear approach to making certifications support sales — not just sit on your website.
Workshop Modules
-
Lesson: Why Strong Products Still Lose
The market has matured. Certifications are now expected, not differentiating. This lesson explains why sustainability proof alone no longer drives adoption — and what does.
-
Lesson: Who Actually Makes the Decision
Buying decisions are rarely made by one person. This lesson maps the key decision-makers — procurement, facilities, sustainability leads, architects, and end users — and what each one needs to hear
-
Lesson: Features Describe. Outcomes Persuade.
The most important skill in sustainable marketing. This lesson introduces the value ladder — a simple framework for translating product attributes into the business outcomes buyers are actually evaluated on.
-
Lesson: Certifications Are Evidence, Not Headlines
LEED, WELL, Green Seal, ENERGY STAR — standards validate your claims. This lesson shows you how to position certifications as proof that supports your outcome message, not as the message itself.
-
Lesson: How Trust Becomes a Marketing Outcome
Trust is built when buyers can repeat your message internally without embarrassment. This lesson covers the three principles — outcome-first language, specificity, and strategic use of third-party validation — that make your message credible and repeatable.
-
Lesson: Consistency Across Every Touchpoint
Outcome-based messaging only works when it's consistent. This lesson covers where your message must appear — website, spec sheets, RFPs, sales decks, partner training, and LinkedIn — and why inconsistency erodes trust.
-
Lesson: Building a Repeatable Messaging System
The final missing piece. This lesson gives you three concrete actions: create shared internal language, build a feature-to-outcome messaging table, and adapt your core message for each audience. Walk away with a system your whole team can use.
When Green Isn’t Enough: Selling Sustainability in a Mature Market
A practical workshop for sustainability-driven manufacturers, consultants, and service providers who want to turn their technical proof into messaging that moves buyers to act.
Get Started
One-time purchase. Lifetime access.