Green (as in the environment) can mean some extra green (as in your software sales commissions) if you can position your software as being environmentally friendly. Last month we explained how Microsoft is leading the way, but there are ways that other, smaller firms can use the green message to grow their market.

The research firm IDC recently released a survey of registrants on a "Green IT" forum. While that’s a self-selected poll sample, the results are still interesting because they measure how IT buyers who care about the environment are thinking about their technology purchases. Significant findings include that:

• Eighty-five percent of respondents claimed that IT would play a medium to large role in their organization’s effort to reduce its environmental impact. Your action item: Be sure that there’s some kind of green message in your sales material, even if it’s only bragging about your own firm’s track record.
• Slightly over two-thirds of respondents rated energy efficiency as "top of mind" when thinking about green IT. Your action item: To make your software seem green, create a graphic for your sales presentation showing how it uses computer power efficiently.
• Slightly over half of respondents said their organization’s approach to green was directly tied to the cost savings it could provide. Your action item: When you present the ROI for investing in your software, be sure to include a green savings line, even if it’s only a fraction of other cost-savings messages.
• An astounding 78 percent of respondents say their organizations currently have no budgets in place for green IT and/or corporate sustainability initiatives. This is bad news for companies hawking solutions whose sole reason for existence is that they’re green. But it’s great news if you’re looking to put a green spin on a regular software purchase to help the process along.
• Raw computing performance is no longer top priority as IT executives struggle to find more efficient computer solutions. In difficult economic times, businesses are faced with rising energy costs and are forced to squeeze the greatest amount of computer power out of valuable data center real estate in the most efficient manner possible.
• Sixty-three percent of respondents say that they are currently implementing an IT hardware recycling program. Such companies have a lot of concerns about odd issues like how to make sure that whatever is on their hard drives doesn’t get hacked when they "retire" their hardware assets. Your action item: If you’re selling "Software as a Service," point out that they won’t end up with more hardware to hassle over in the future.

"As green initiatives become more ingrained in the fabric of enterprise IT environments, the necessity and value placed on green technology continues to expand," according to IDC vice president Vernon Turner. "It’s becoming more and more critical for technology users and providers to understand the links between environmental sustainability and profitability, and to leverage that information when developing overall business strategies. To that end, the business case for Green IT has never been more important," he says.

In other words, making your software seem more green may be the best way to get a green light on a big software sale.