Selling, as we have learned in class, often has a negative connotation. There are however many people and organizations that sell in a way that supports a community or cause. Here a few of my favorite positive sellers.
Toms
Toms has done a great job of marketing a product for impact. They started the one for one business model. The one for one model has giving them an effective market advantage in terms of selling while still pursuing a good cause. For every pair of shoes that Toms sells, they give a pair to a person in need. This becomes a motivator for buyers to buy, thus improving sales.
Panera Bread
Most likely we have had a bread bowl or two at the famous Panera. This company has done phenomenally well in the restaurant industry. They are also an extremely generous and charitable company, doing more than their part to end hunger. After they close every day, almost all the extra food is taken to local homeless shelters or given away to those in need. This is an effective model because they are able to create a community of satisfied customers that know they are supporting a good company, but they actually sacrifice very little in the terms of cost. All the food that they donate, would otherwise be thrown away.
These are only two examples of companies that are using sales techniques to improve communities.
BoweryJE22
I think that this is an awesome concept of sales. People are way more motivated to purchase items if they know they are doing good for others with their purchases. I also didn’t know about Panera Bread supporting charity.
It is always encouraging to hear about businesses that are concerned with more than just their own economic growth. Personally, I am not the greatest advocate for Panera Bread but learning about their efforts to alleviate hunger definitely improves my opinion of the franchise.
Selling with a social purpose in mind is not just great for PR, but also gives meaning to business. For this reason, is the greatest form of selling one can accomplish. These are great examples of how big businesses are incorporating a social aspect into their sales models.
I love Panera Bread, and I’ve never heard of their efforts to feed the homeless with their leftover food. That’s so cool!
I’m glad you highlighted Panera in this post. It’s a great reminder to feel less guilty about getting cinnamon rolls there! I have heard of both of these efforts through these companies but I haven’t heard anything as detailed until now. Thanks for the info!
This is a great highlight of a couple companies that are trying to make a difference in the world while also selling. I know that I have attended several churches who have benefitted from Panera’s leftover bread and baked goods and it was always much appreciated. When homeless people would be served a nice meal at the church, they were able to enjoy nice bread to go along with it and while it didn’t cost Panera a cent, it probably made a big difference for those homeless people. Thanks for sharing!