Learn how Francis McKeefry turns carbon action in every invoice into client conversation starter

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Challenge

Solution

Results

When you're a small consulting business competing with larger firms, finding ways to differentiate yourself and add value to client relationships is vital. Many consultants struggle to find meaningful topics that showcase their values while opening doors for deeper conversations.

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Carbon accounting creates conversation opportunities

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Francis McKeefry found that taking action on his business's carbon footprint opened up valuable dialogue with clients. As a small business, he wanted to "walk the talk" on important issues while creating natural conversation starters. Francis explains:

‍"As a small consulting business, CarbonInvoice made our carbon accounting (and responsibility to do something about the footprint) a breeze. Most importantly, it created an awesome opportunity for us to 'walk the talk' without too much hassle, and have some really important conversations about climate change and carbon footprints with our clients, the detailing on the invoice is a great touch."

Rather than complex carbon measurement processes, Francis chose CarbonInvoice's simple approach that automatically measures his carbon footprint and funds native tree planting to offset emissions.

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Turning invoices into conversation starters

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The invoice integration became an unexpected business tool. Having carbon and tree funding details appear on every client invoice naturally sparked conversations that positioned Francis as a progressive consultant who practises what he preaches.

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The simple addition to his invoicing process demonstrated his business' environmental commitment to every client without requiring separate marketing efforts or awkward conversations about sustainability.

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Creating authentic differentiation

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Francis discovered that taking genuine climate action gave him credible talking points with environmentally conscious clients. Rather than just discussing it as a concept, he could point to particular actions his business was taking. This allowed him to demonstrate leadership the simplest was possible, while still focusing on his day-to-day tasks.

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Francis has found this to be a practical way to align his business values with client conversations, creating opportunities to discuss important issues while building stronger professional relationships in a more organix way.

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