A Social Venture Network Series book

Transforming Purpose into Profit through
Creative Sales and Distribution Strategies

• Presents practical, detailed advice for developing innovative sales and
distribution strategies
• Features examples from companies such as Tom’s of Maine, Seventh Generation, Honest Tea, and many others

Sales and distribution are the lifeblood of any business—socially responsible businesses are no different. To make a difference in the world you have to make your product or service available and persuade the public to buy it. But how can you compete with businesses for which the bottom line is the only measure of success? The answer: get creative!
In this practical and inspiring guide, Nadine A. Thompson and Angela E. Soper draw on real-world examples to show how a values-driven business can establish a foundation from which innovative sales and distribution strategies naturally flow. They lay out concrete steps for communicating a powerful, motivating vision for your business and for designing sales and distribution strategies that fit the needs, interests, and habits of your target customer. They show how to turn your stakeholders into enthusiastic partners by ensuring that all your relationships—
with your salespeople as well as other employees, your customers, and your suppliers—are beneficial and fulfilling on more than just an economic level. And they stress the importance of continually educating these partners about the unique benefits that your product or service provides and of establishing strategic alliances that can expand your business’s reach.

“Bravo! Values Sell is a delightful book: meticulously researched, with a breezy, readable style, lots of practical advice, great examples of entrepreneurs and of how the pursuit of their vision and the pursuit of their values go hand in hand.
I think this is a great primer for startups that want to be socially responsible and successful at the same time.”
—Brent Bowers, small business editor, New York Times

“Values Sell: Transforming Purpose into Profit charts a course through today’s commercial wilderness for nascent socially responsible businesses that seek success without compromising their principles. Whether your company is a seedling or already in bloom, this book is the sustainable nutrient that will make it grow.”
—Jeffrey Hollander, President and CEO, Seventh Generation

“Embracing values and creativity can be the difference between strong sales and stagnant growth. Both employees and customers today are concerned about the greater good and about the planet more than ever before. Thompson and Soper offer practical yet innovative advice coupled with real business examples that can help any business operator be more profitable.”
—Gerry Laybourne, Chairman and CEO, Oxygen

Nadine A. Thompson, cofounder and former President/CEO of Warm Spirit, a health and beauty product company. In 2006 Warm Spirit won the Emerging Company of the Year award from Black Enterprise magazine.

Angela E. Soper is a freelance writer, media consultant, and documentary
filmmaker. She has written for The Washington Post, People magazine, and Pax Television. Her videos for Nu Skin Enterprises won numerous industrial film awards.

Social Venture Network is a community of business owners, investors, and nonprofit leaders who are advancing the movement for social responsibility in business.

Publication date: April 2007
$12.00, paperback original
192 pages, 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”
ISBN 978-1-57675-421-4
(or 1-57675-421-9)
Item #94214-750