Problem
We have a great B2B sales team. We've made a couple of forays into social media, and we like what we see! But what tactics are really working out there to draw prospects in—and not turn them off? What are some cool ways to match social with selling?
Expert: Kipp Bodnar
Kipp is Inbound Marketing Manager at HubSpot and the publisher of SocialMediaB2B.com, a multi-author blog for B2B companies planning to incorporate social media into their marketing strategies. He also blogs on technology and social media at his personal blog, DigitalCapitalism.com.
Solution
The key to monetizing B2B social media is to find ways to use the Web to solve problems for prospects, Kipp explains. "Problem-solving has always been a major aspect of what we do for our customers," he notes. "Now, B2B companies can use social media to better identify customer needs—and, by addressing them, improve engagement."
Here are a few key steps to take to blend social with selling.
1. Observe
"The first step in this process is to see what others are doing," Kipp advises. "Look to online resources that are B2B sales-focused." Perform keyword searches to find blogs, sites, and communities that match your industry or focus.You may find that industries tend to behave differently online, he notes. For instance, computer professionals such as software vendors "may spend more time on Twitter and message boards, while consultants and others in service-based industries may prefer sites like LinkedIn."
Regardless of the industry, you'll find one common thread in social-media conversations, he observes: "Every B2B customer thinks their niche is a difficult one." And that's a key point of entry, he notes: "You can find an empathy point with any prospect based on the business challenges they face."
2. Isolate
As you listen to the conversations taking place at the sites you choose to monitor, you'll begin to isolate the key questions people are asking. "Hang out in groups dedicated to your target audience," he suggests.
"Start to provide some feedback to the ongoing chats. As people heed your advice, you'll go up the list of folks they may consider calling on for help."
3. Study
How do you learn to solve problems online like a pro? Kipp suggests you check out some trade-organization websites. "You can trust that trade associations have spent time researching what's on their members' minds, what the major challenges are in their industry. Study the topics at their sites, and become familiar with the issues of the day. And observe how they're serving their members' needs." As you become better acquainted with the challenges your prospects face, you'll also naturally begin to isolate ways that your company can help, he notes.
4. Own it
The final step is to create an online presence—to "own some type of Web property"—where you can provide unique solutions that draw visitors in. "Build a hub, a home base, where you address the questions of the day," he advises. For instance, you can "start a blog that's dedicated to answering the questions of the community."
5. Market it
Finally, apply inbound-marketing tactics to your Web entity. "Ask visitors to sign in and provide their email addresses; optimize content so that you'll be picked up by search engines," he suggests. You can then begin to turn the resulting prospects into clients.
"The process behind blending B2B social media with selling is to learn the challenges facing your prospects, create valuable information to address those challenges, share it with folks who think it is valuable, build professional connections, and then begin to monetize your relationships," Kipp concludes.
Problem solved!
Don't miss Kipp Bodnar's session, Driving and Measuring B2B Conversations, Leads and Sales with Social Media Marketing, at the B2B Forum in Boston, May 3-5. Bring your company profile—and your B2B social media questions!
Kevin L. Brown
www.stardustspillproducts.com
STARPOWER Super Cleaner Degreaser
STARDUST Super Absorbent
Thursday, April 1, 2010
5 Tricks for the Busy CEO Who Wants to be Active on Social Media
Mar 31, 2010 -
Social media is a great tool for connecting with your customers and getting some free PR, but it takes a ton of time to implement an effective campaign. How can you do all that if you're busy actually running your company?
Plenty of well-known CEOs really are the bloggers behind their blogs and the tweeters behind their Twitter updates. Think: Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson, Marriott CEO Bill Marriott, and former Sun Microsystem’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz.
So how do they do it?
“My schedule is unpredictable at the moment,” says Barry Sutton, CEO of Hellbound Wine & Spirits whose company is in the process of launching a new wine brand. “I take every opportunity when I have any downtime to talk with users on our Twitter page. During this downtime I am swimming in a sea of information: business, viniculture, design, politics, entertainment, so I take the opportunity to post up information that is of interest to me [and] hopefully is also of interest to our customers and fans.”
Here are a few tips on how to manage your time running a successful small business and maintaining an active social media presence for your business. Remember: you want to be efficient, productive, and not waste your time.
1. Allocate designated time to social media. Budget in blocks of time for visiting your various social media sites. For some people it can be a three times a day: fifteen minutes in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. For people who require more time on their social networks for keeping up with customers, business advisors, and various industry innovators, fifteen minutes for every hour or two can be a good on topic break. Keep a timer and stay focused! It’s easy to get distracted by funny unrelated viral YouTube videos and Twitpics. Think of your social media time as little warm ups and sprints throughout the day that ultimately help you keep your business’ productivity up.
2. Figure out what you want to do on these sites. Make lists of which sites you want to focus on and why. While you are monitoring your social media sites for PR, customer service and marketing opportunities, you’re also extending your customer service and client relations.
3. Don’t make that allocated social media time all about you and your company. Spend some of time promoting the content and posts of other people to create dialogue and extend a conversation – just try to do it within your designated time slot!
4. Use social media with an end result in mind. Why are you updating your network? What do you have to share about your business? What do you want from sharing this information about your business? Tweet with new business and career opportunities in mind. Social media sites are destinations to showcase your expertise.
5. Hire a social media expert to ghost tweet and ghost Facebook for your company. “I outsource my social media needs to save time,” says Ted Pratt who operates financial ad network TakeAReport.com. “It saves me time and I benefit from experts from across a breadth of platforms. That way my reach is phenomenal and I don’t end up wasting time playing around.”
Kevin L. Brown
STARDUST Spill Products
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner/Degreaser
Social media is a great tool for connecting with your customers and getting some free PR, but it takes a ton of time to implement an effective campaign. How can you do all that if you're busy actually running your company?
Plenty of well-known CEOs really are the bloggers behind their blogs and the tweeters behind their Twitter updates. Think: Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson, Marriott CEO Bill Marriott, and former Sun Microsystem’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz.
So how do they do it?
“My schedule is unpredictable at the moment,” says Barry Sutton, CEO of Hellbound Wine & Spirits whose company is in the process of launching a new wine brand. “I take every opportunity when I have any downtime to talk with users on our Twitter page. During this downtime I am swimming in a sea of information: business, viniculture, design, politics, entertainment, so I take the opportunity to post up information that is of interest to me [and] hopefully is also of interest to our customers and fans.”
Here are a few tips on how to manage your time running a successful small business and maintaining an active social media presence for your business. Remember: you want to be efficient, productive, and not waste your time.
1. Allocate designated time to social media. Budget in blocks of time for visiting your various social media sites. For some people it can be a three times a day: fifteen minutes in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. For people who require more time on their social networks for keeping up with customers, business advisors, and various industry innovators, fifteen minutes for every hour or two can be a good on topic break. Keep a timer and stay focused! It’s easy to get distracted by funny unrelated viral YouTube videos and Twitpics. Think of your social media time as little warm ups and sprints throughout the day that ultimately help you keep your business’ productivity up.
2. Figure out what you want to do on these sites. Make lists of which sites you want to focus on and why. While you are monitoring your social media sites for PR, customer service and marketing opportunities, you’re also extending your customer service and client relations.
3. Don’t make that allocated social media time all about you and your company. Spend some of time promoting the content and posts of other people to create dialogue and extend a conversation – just try to do it within your designated time slot!
4. Use social media with an end result in mind. Why are you updating your network? What do you have to share about your business? What do you want from sharing this information about your business? Tweet with new business and career opportunities in mind. Social media sites are destinations to showcase your expertise.
5. Hire a social media expert to ghost tweet and ghost Facebook for your company. “I outsource my social media needs to save time,” says Ted Pratt who operates financial ad network TakeAReport.com. “It saves me time and I benefit from experts from across a breadth of platforms. That way my reach is phenomenal and I don’t end up wasting time playing around.”
Kevin L. Brown
STARDUST Spill Products
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner/Degreaser
Suppliers Must Reposition Value Proposition
The days of sourcing everything in your own backyard are over as 82% of respondents to a Grant Thornton survey indicated that some portion of their supply chain is purchased internationally, up from 77% last year.
By James Ricci, Grant Thornton
March 29, 2010
More News »Outsourcing, off shoring, near shoring, what does it all mean? Is U.S. manufacturing being summarily dismantled and only to be rebuilt in China or India? The answers to these questions are complex and don't lend themselves to readymade sound bites. A recent survey conducted by Grant Thornton suggests that while China tries to meet demand for its own burgeoning market, it will continue to dominate as an origin for exports of manufactured goods. But that is only part of the story as suppliers reposition their value proposition amid evolving manufacturing and sourcing strategies.
For sure, the days of sourcing everything in your own backyard are over as 82% of respondents to a Grant Thornton survey indicated that some portion of their supply chain is purchased internationally, up from 77% last year. China remains the front-runner choice, with 28% sourcing from that country, up from 22% last year. What was the most interesting is only half of the firms surveyed (49%) have found international sourcing to produce a positive ROI.
This begs the question, why did the other half not find international sourcing to be profitable? Three possible reasons come to mind.
First, fluctuating fuel (transportation) and raw material prices increase risk of the return on investment. This risk exists even before production starts as these cost factors can change during the product planning and launch phases as well.
Second, quality and delivery can still be an issue. Companies are recognizing that supply chain reliability and agility are of growing importance to their business. Real costs are incurred when the supply chain breaks down or fails to function as intended. Recovery from offshore quality and delivery issues involves deploying resources overseas to fix the problem and can involve expensive air freight costs to refill pipelines.
Third, firms have varied levels of sophistication with regard to their sourcing criteria, approach and cost modeling. A more nuanced approach is being employed with increasing regularity in some industries though. In fact, the general trend toward using Far East manufacturing or other "low cost countries" to source the preponderance of components is being tempered by a need to provide local presence in each market. For example, more than ever before, automakers are designing and manufacturing global products yet sourcing remains "regional" through larger global suppliers.
As industries place greater importance on flexibility and an ability to react to market changes, suppliers and their supply chains will need to become more focused on supporting local operations. Thus, a migration toward globally sourcing into multiple lower cost regions can support a positive ROI while mitigating risk.
As companies begin to design and manufacture global products allowing for this regional approach to sourcing is key. Returning to the automotive example above, each of the major regional markets is structured to leverage the cost arbitrage compared to the home market. Three examples are cited below.
North America -- Mexico continues to dominate what would be considered the "low cost country of choice" for N.A. manufacturing. While Asia Pacific operations have increased their exports substantially over the past 5 years, Grant Thornton's analysis in the automotive space shows that the sheer number of plants and SKUs supplied by Asia Pacific operations is substantially less than Mexico. On average, Mexico operations supply more than three times as many SKUs from 50% more plants.
Europe -- Central/Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic continue to be the locations of choice for Western European manufacturing from both a plant and SKU perspective with supply percentages even greater than Mexico's support of North America.
Asia Pacific -- The Asia Pacific regional low cost sourcing is being dominated by China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. In fact, inland China is being employed as a low cost source for coastal manufacturing sites.
This sourcing approach incorporates other factors into the equation beyond the traditional definition of a total landed cost. In addition to quantifiable costs (component price including labor, overhead as well as international freight, import duties, special packaging, import-export costs, etc.) that companies evaluate when making a product sourcing decision, many companies are also quantifying supply chain risks associated with a particular region and/or country. These risk factors include but are not limited to:
Currency stability
Infrastructure needs
Inventory pipeline needs
Legislative framework and I/P protection
Management and workforce skills & capabilities
Political and/or societal stability
Quality control
Related industry or customer demand to spur and maintain competition
Reverse logistics requirements
When many of these factors are actually quantified in a sourcing decision, the incremental savings from sourcing to a higher risk region or country is often eliminated (especially when the principle benefit is labor arbitrage). For example, sourcing a product in Mexico versus the United States is very attractive as the wage difference between a typical U.S. worker and a Mexican worker is considerable (approx. $13/hr). The savings from the labor variance alone can often overshadow other cost considerations and risk factors. However, the labor rate difference between China and Mexico is not nearly as great (approx. $2/hr). Thus, when determining a non-domestic source for a particular component the other cost and risk factors have a growing importance as a criterion.
So what about those firms that aren't seeing a positive ROI from an international sourcing decision? Will they move product back to the home market or re-source it to a regional low cost country? In most cases the answer is no. Firms that have swung the sourcing pendulum too far in one direction will not move or re-source mass quantities of product back into a particular region -- it is costly and fraught with risk. What is a more likely scenario is they will revisit sourcing decisions on a case-by-case basis when a logical sourcing change can be made such as a new product introduction or for an engineering change.
So while China will continue to be a dominant player for manufactured goods, Mexico and Central/Eastern Europe will remain long-term partners and benefactors for their respective regions. For these reasons, we see this regional sourcing model continuing for the foreseeable future as manufacturers in mature markets leverage local international sources for cost competitiveness and market flexibility. What will be different is that these supplier firms will have a decidedly global footprint that mirrors their customer needs. Other firms will elect to reposition themselves as Tier 2 suppliers rather than scaling up to compete with these global Tier 1 suppliers.
James Ricci is a Director with Grant Thornton's Manufacturing Transaction Services group in Detroit and a Certified Supply Chain Professional. He assists companies with operational performance improvement and regularly consults on distressed and turnaround matters for manufacturing firms. http://www.granthorton.com
Kevin L. Brown
STARDUST SPILL PRODUCTS
STARDUST Super Absorbent
By James Ricci, Grant Thornton
March 29, 2010
More News »Outsourcing, off shoring, near shoring, what does it all mean? Is U.S. manufacturing being summarily dismantled and only to be rebuilt in China or India? The answers to these questions are complex and don't lend themselves to readymade sound bites. A recent survey conducted by Grant Thornton suggests that while China tries to meet demand for its own burgeoning market, it will continue to dominate as an origin for exports of manufactured goods. But that is only part of the story as suppliers reposition their value proposition amid evolving manufacturing and sourcing strategies.
For sure, the days of sourcing everything in your own backyard are over as 82% of respondents to a Grant Thornton survey indicated that some portion of their supply chain is purchased internationally, up from 77% last year. China remains the front-runner choice, with 28% sourcing from that country, up from 22% last year. What was the most interesting is only half of the firms surveyed (49%) have found international sourcing to produce a positive ROI.
This begs the question, why did the other half not find international sourcing to be profitable? Three possible reasons come to mind.
First, fluctuating fuel (transportation) and raw material prices increase risk of the return on investment. This risk exists even before production starts as these cost factors can change during the product planning and launch phases as well.
Second, quality and delivery can still be an issue. Companies are recognizing that supply chain reliability and agility are of growing importance to their business. Real costs are incurred when the supply chain breaks down or fails to function as intended. Recovery from offshore quality and delivery issues involves deploying resources overseas to fix the problem and can involve expensive air freight costs to refill pipelines.
Third, firms have varied levels of sophistication with regard to their sourcing criteria, approach and cost modeling. A more nuanced approach is being employed with increasing regularity in some industries though. In fact, the general trend toward using Far East manufacturing or other "low cost countries" to source the preponderance of components is being tempered by a need to provide local presence in each market. For example, more than ever before, automakers are designing and manufacturing global products yet sourcing remains "regional" through larger global suppliers.
As industries place greater importance on flexibility and an ability to react to market changes, suppliers and their supply chains will need to become more focused on supporting local operations. Thus, a migration toward globally sourcing into multiple lower cost regions can support a positive ROI while mitigating risk.
As companies begin to design and manufacture global products allowing for this regional approach to sourcing is key. Returning to the automotive example above, each of the major regional markets is structured to leverage the cost arbitrage compared to the home market. Three examples are cited below.
North America -- Mexico continues to dominate what would be considered the "low cost country of choice" for N.A. manufacturing. While Asia Pacific operations have increased their exports substantially over the past 5 years, Grant Thornton's analysis in the automotive space shows that the sheer number of plants and SKUs supplied by Asia Pacific operations is substantially less than Mexico. On average, Mexico operations supply more than three times as many SKUs from 50% more plants.
Europe -- Central/Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic continue to be the locations of choice for Western European manufacturing from both a plant and SKU perspective with supply percentages even greater than Mexico's support of North America.
Asia Pacific -- The Asia Pacific regional low cost sourcing is being dominated by China, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. In fact, inland China is being employed as a low cost source for coastal manufacturing sites.
This sourcing approach incorporates other factors into the equation beyond the traditional definition of a total landed cost. In addition to quantifiable costs (component price including labor, overhead as well as international freight, import duties, special packaging, import-export costs, etc.) that companies evaluate when making a product sourcing decision, many companies are also quantifying supply chain risks associated with a particular region and/or country. These risk factors include but are not limited to:
Currency stability
Infrastructure needs
Inventory pipeline needs
Legislative framework and I/P protection
Management and workforce skills & capabilities
Political and/or societal stability
Quality control
Related industry or customer demand to spur and maintain competition
Reverse logistics requirements
When many of these factors are actually quantified in a sourcing decision, the incremental savings from sourcing to a higher risk region or country is often eliminated (especially when the principle benefit is labor arbitrage). For example, sourcing a product in Mexico versus the United States is very attractive as the wage difference between a typical U.S. worker and a Mexican worker is considerable (approx. $13/hr). The savings from the labor variance alone can often overshadow other cost considerations and risk factors. However, the labor rate difference between China and Mexico is not nearly as great (approx. $2/hr). Thus, when determining a non-domestic source for a particular component the other cost and risk factors have a growing importance as a criterion.
So what about those firms that aren't seeing a positive ROI from an international sourcing decision? Will they move product back to the home market or re-source it to a regional low cost country? In most cases the answer is no. Firms that have swung the sourcing pendulum too far in one direction will not move or re-source mass quantities of product back into a particular region -- it is costly and fraught with risk. What is a more likely scenario is they will revisit sourcing decisions on a case-by-case basis when a logical sourcing change can be made such as a new product introduction or for an engineering change.
So while China will continue to be a dominant player for manufactured goods, Mexico and Central/Eastern Europe will remain long-term partners and benefactors for their respective regions. For these reasons, we see this regional sourcing model continuing for the foreseeable future as manufacturers in mature markets leverage local international sources for cost competitiveness and market flexibility. What will be different is that these supplier firms will have a decidedly global footprint that mirrors their customer needs. Other firms will elect to reposition themselves as Tier 2 suppliers rather than scaling up to compete with these global Tier 1 suppliers.
James Ricci is a Director with Grant Thornton's Manufacturing Transaction Services group in Detroit and a Certified Supply Chain Professional. He assists companies with operational performance improvement and regularly consults on distressed and turnaround matters for manufacturing firms. http://www.granthorton.com
Kevin L. Brown
STARDUST SPILL PRODUCTS
STARDUST Super Absorbent
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
More Iphone Best Apps
Two of my most valuable Iphone apps for biz are,
Dragon Dictation and Docs to Go
Docs to Go allows me to keep full file folders of word, excel and pdf docs that sync right from my desktop. I now have pricing, images, credit apps, msds, etc all on my iphone that i can simply email right from my iphone! While a bit pricey as apps go- i would pay far more for this app in the convenience it brings.
Dragon Dictation- speech recognition app that really works! tap the icon, speak your message, hit the keyboard icon in the app if you need to edit then select to either email, mms/text or copy to windows clipboard. I use this for emails and have even dictated a letter while on the road that I edited when back at my desk.
Check them out and see what you think!
kevin l. brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
ecochoice natural sorbent solutions
stardust super absorbent - check them out!
Dragon Dictation and Docs to Go
Docs to Go allows me to keep full file folders of word, excel and pdf docs that sync right from my desktop. I now have pricing, images, credit apps, msds, etc all on my iphone that i can simply email right from my iphone! While a bit pricey as apps go- i would pay far more for this app in the convenience it brings.
Dragon Dictation- speech recognition app that really works! tap the icon, speak your message, hit the keyboard icon in the app if you need to edit then select to either email, mms/text or copy to windows clipboard. I use this for emails and have even dictated a letter while on the road that I edited when back at my desk.
Check them out and see what you think!
kevin l. brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
ecochoice natural sorbent solutions
stardust super absorbent - check them out!
Best Iphone Apps (more best iphone apps)
Best iPhone Business Apps
Mar 16, 2010 -
A funny thing happened with the rise of smartphones, netbooks and ultra-portable PCs: Technical performance quickly took a back seat to widespread software compatibility. While no surprise to industry pundits, who'd long argued that having to support varied hardware configurations and operating systems stifled programmers' ability to innovate, let's be real. The meteoric rise of Apple's iPhone App Store, from which 3 billion programs have now been downloaded, took even the most open-minded critics by surprise.
Credit growing public enthusiasm for "apps"--bite-sized, downloadable software applications capable of extending any supporting device's value by adding countless features that weren't included out of the box. More than 100,000 apps can currently be had for the iPhone alone, the vast majority created by a legion of bedroom coders and small entrepreneurial startups. Having clearly captured the world's imagination, apps can now be found on numerous platforms from Android to Windows 7, handsets like Google's Nexus One or Motorola's Droid, and even devices as diverse as computers, eReaders and HDTVs.
What's more, all it takes is a single glimpse to see why they enjoy such tremendous support from the business community. With a single download, you can turn your cell phone into a portable translator, download photos right to your living room television or manage all your social network updates via a single desktop client. So love them or hate them, there's no getting around it, especially for iPhone owners. Allowing one-touch access to weather and flight updates, inventory management or invoice processing systems, apps are here to stay.
Following are 10 examples of useful apps for working professionals that can help foster communications, grow customer relationships and boost productivity across the board. Consider them strictly a starting point, however. Look closely, and you'll find thousands of equally compelling choices to pick from tailored to a range of businesses and industries, with dozens more being added every day. Now that's what we call forward progress.
QuickOffice Mobile Office Suite--One of the most powerful bundles of productivity tools for the iPhone, owners gain the ability to create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, as well as view PowerPoint and PDF documents. The software suite also allows you to turn your iPhone into a wireless storage drive, accessible via Wi-Fi connection, or connect with cloud computing services like Dropbox, Google Docs and MobileMe for sharing creations.
Mobile Roadie--Dream of having your own iPhone app, but can't afford the time or cost required to build a custom project? Try this nifty subscription-based service, which lets you craft individually branded business apps, then populate them with status updates, photos, videos, web links, notifications about discounts and promotions, and details on upcoming appearances. Fans can comment on posts, upload photos and share their activities with other users via their Facebook and Twitter accounts, helping to grow your audience.
LinkedIn--This app allows you to access the most popular social network for business users. Using LinkedIn, you can check status updates, send messages, issue invitations and pull up contact info. Road warriors will find it a handy way to connect with peers, mentors and potential business partners.
Jott--You never know when inspiration will strike. Thankfully, the next time you've got a brilliant business idea, this handy app--which doubles as a personal stenographer--proves a ready-made way to take dictation. Capable of recording audio clips and converting them to text, Jott makes it simple to transcribe board meetings, send e-mails with a spoken command or dictate Facebook and Twitter updates.
XpenseTracker--The name says it all: From taxis to hotels and meals, this app lets you keep a running log of virtually any business expense. Owners can sort by personalized categories and payment types, plus break down costs in various currencies and track mileage reports. Once recorded, expense reports can quickly be exported into a spreadsheet or plain text document, helping speed up processing and reimbursement.
uCharge--Lets you process credit card payments from your handset or empower a sales force to charge customers from multiple devices while on the go. Just enter customer billing info and credit card details, and you can receive authorization and execute transactions in seconds, with support for major credit cards such as American Express featured.
Tweetie 2--The ultimate Twitter client, it gives power personal communicators the option to juggle multiple accounts, makes it easy to process and organize your tweets, and puts a tremendous range of functionality at one's fingertips. There's even the option to read tweets and perform actions such as responding while offline, which then synchronize once you log back in. From a slick, intuitive interface to features that make finding and communicating with contacts simpler, it's a great way to get the word out about your business.
QuickBooks Online--Balancing the books, issuing invoices and flipping through P&L statements can now be done right from your pocket. Armed with this program, you can check account balances and stay on top of outstanding payments/receipts, as well as keep track of client contact info. Consider it your portable accounting department.
Salesforce Mobile--Anyone who plans on fielding a mobile sales team should make a point of keeping this customer relationship management tool in their arsenal, which lets you stay abreast of quotes, leads and client relationships. While you'll need a salesforce.com login to access the app, it provides a superb way to stay informed on recent account activity, track outstanding RFPs and monitor breaking opportunities.
FlightTrack Pro--For road warriors, the friendly skies can prove a hazardous minefield of delayed flights and missed connections. Happily, this robust domestic and international flight tracker keeps a close eye on your itinerary, delivering updates and notices in the event of late arrivals or cancellations. Weather forecasts, live flight maps and detailed flight info (speed, arrival time, altitude, etc.) are also available.
Mar 16, 2010 -
A funny thing happened with the rise of smartphones, netbooks and ultra-portable PCs: Technical performance quickly took a back seat to widespread software compatibility. While no surprise to industry pundits, who'd long argued that having to support varied hardware configurations and operating systems stifled programmers' ability to innovate, let's be real. The meteoric rise of Apple's iPhone App Store, from which 3 billion programs have now been downloaded, took even the most open-minded critics by surprise.
Credit growing public enthusiasm for "apps"--bite-sized, downloadable software applications capable of extending any supporting device's value by adding countless features that weren't included out of the box. More than 100,000 apps can currently be had for the iPhone alone, the vast majority created by a legion of bedroom coders and small entrepreneurial startups. Having clearly captured the world's imagination, apps can now be found on numerous platforms from Android to Windows 7, handsets like Google's Nexus One or Motorola's Droid, and even devices as diverse as computers, eReaders and HDTVs.
What's more, all it takes is a single glimpse to see why they enjoy such tremendous support from the business community. With a single download, you can turn your cell phone into a portable translator, download photos right to your living room television or manage all your social network updates via a single desktop client. So love them or hate them, there's no getting around it, especially for iPhone owners. Allowing one-touch access to weather and flight updates, inventory management or invoice processing systems, apps are here to stay.
Following are 10 examples of useful apps for working professionals that can help foster communications, grow customer relationships and boost productivity across the board. Consider them strictly a starting point, however. Look closely, and you'll find thousands of equally compelling choices to pick from tailored to a range of businesses and industries, with dozens more being added every day. Now that's what we call forward progress.
QuickOffice Mobile Office Suite--One of the most powerful bundles of productivity tools for the iPhone, owners gain the ability to create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, as well as view PowerPoint and PDF documents. The software suite also allows you to turn your iPhone into a wireless storage drive, accessible via Wi-Fi connection, or connect with cloud computing services like Dropbox, Google Docs and MobileMe for sharing creations.
Mobile Roadie--Dream of having your own iPhone app, but can't afford the time or cost required to build a custom project? Try this nifty subscription-based service, which lets you craft individually branded business apps, then populate them with status updates, photos, videos, web links, notifications about discounts and promotions, and details on upcoming appearances. Fans can comment on posts, upload photos and share their activities with other users via their Facebook and Twitter accounts, helping to grow your audience.
LinkedIn--This app allows you to access the most popular social network for business users. Using LinkedIn, you can check status updates, send messages, issue invitations and pull up contact info. Road warriors will find it a handy way to connect with peers, mentors and potential business partners.
Jott--You never know when inspiration will strike. Thankfully, the next time you've got a brilliant business idea, this handy app--which doubles as a personal stenographer--proves a ready-made way to take dictation. Capable of recording audio clips and converting them to text, Jott makes it simple to transcribe board meetings, send e-mails with a spoken command or dictate Facebook and Twitter updates.
XpenseTracker--The name says it all: From taxis to hotels and meals, this app lets you keep a running log of virtually any business expense. Owners can sort by personalized categories and payment types, plus break down costs in various currencies and track mileage reports. Once recorded, expense reports can quickly be exported into a spreadsheet or plain text document, helping speed up processing and reimbursement.
uCharge--Lets you process credit card payments from your handset or empower a sales force to charge customers from multiple devices while on the go. Just enter customer billing info and credit card details, and you can receive authorization and execute transactions in seconds, with support for major credit cards such as American Express featured.
Tweetie 2--The ultimate Twitter client, it gives power personal communicators the option to juggle multiple accounts, makes it easy to process and organize your tweets, and puts a tremendous range of functionality at one's fingertips. There's even the option to read tweets and perform actions such as responding while offline, which then synchronize once you log back in. From a slick, intuitive interface to features that make finding and communicating with contacts simpler, it's a great way to get the word out about your business.
QuickBooks Online--Balancing the books, issuing invoices and flipping through P&L statements can now be done right from your pocket. Armed with this program, you can check account balances and stay on top of outstanding payments/receipts, as well as keep track of client contact info. Consider it your portable accounting department.
Salesforce Mobile--Anyone who plans on fielding a mobile sales team should make a point of keeping this customer relationship management tool in their arsenal, which lets you stay abreast of quotes, leads and client relationships. While you'll need a salesforce.com login to access the app, it provides a superb way to stay informed on recent account activity, track outstanding RFPs and monitor breaking opportunities.
FlightTrack Pro--For road warriors, the friendly skies can prove a hazardous minefield of delayed flights and missed connections. Happily, this robust domestic and international flight tracker keeps a close eye on your itinerary, delivering updates and notices in the event of late arrivals or cancellations. Weather forecasts, live flight maps and detailed flight info (speed, arrival time, altitude, etc.) are also available.
5 Tips for Nailing the Sales Visit
By Barry Farber
March 18, 2010
One of the best parts of my job is not the speaking or writing, but traveling in the field and selling. Sometimes my own products, and sometimes with sales reps from a variety of industries. When going on sales calls for the first time, there are a few things you can do upfront that can make a big difference later on in the sales cycle. It's not rocket science or some kind of magic sales secret, just plain common courtesy and common sense.
1.Introduce yourself around the office. Common sense says that you should introduce yourself to the receptionist or anyone else you pass on the way to your sales call. But it doesn't always happen. Many salespeople will ask to see the person with whom they have an appointment without giving the person they're talking to the time of day. Yet the receptionist has valuable information about the company and people who work there. Always remember to say, "Thanks Steve, I appreciate your help." It sounds like a little thing, but ends up going a long way. Great salespeople end up knowing a variety of people who work at the client's company because they understand that you never know who's going to be promoted and can assist you in the future.
2. Break the ice. Do you know what gets your prospects excited and passionate about their work and life? Did you notice the family pictures they have around their office or the plaques hanging on the wall? Or maybe it's the signed football sitting in a glass box. Ask them about the things they find important enough to have surrounding them all day. Those objects are there for a reason. Or do you really believe your prospects wake up in the morning and just can't wait to see your presentation?
Let me give you an example. The other day I was sitting in on a follow-up sales call. There were at least 30 pictures hanging on the walls, but one stood out. It was a picture of two people skydiving, taken from the plane.
I turned to the owner of the company and asked, "Who's the skydiver?" At that his eyes widened with excitement and his face lighted up with enthusiasm. "That's me the first and last time I jumped out of a plane!" I asked him what it felt like the moment he was airborne (sometimes these things take a gentle prod). He then went into a big story about his post-jump excitement; his euphoria was palpable. The transition to the sales call was easy, "Well, that's how excited you'll be when we install these six machines," I said jokingly. We all laughed and the meeting continued, but the atmosphere was quite different from when we started.
3.Review your time frame. Even though you might have confirmed the length of your sales meeting before the call, it's always good to do it again. You might not be aware that timing has changed for the customer. The following statement will set you straight: "I know we set aside an hour for today’s meeting. I just want to make sure that still works for you."
Now, some people might be saying, "Why are you asking that again? You already got the time, and the customer might tell you that now he only has 30 minutes." The answer is courtesy. Also, if the customer's had a crazy day, his attention is not going to be focused on you. I've gone on calls with reps who dive right into their presentation, no nod to time, no ice breakers, and I'll watch the customer squirm in his chair and look at his watch as if wondering; "How long is this going to take?" When you value the customer's time, it shows that you also value your own.
4.Ask, "Do you mind if I take some notes?" Before going into your qualifying and fact-finding mission, ask permission to take some notes. First, the customer will be impressed that you want to learn about his goals and needs. Second, it tells him that what he says is important, and you don't want to miss any key points. I sometimes put the word "LISTEN" in big letters at the top of the page to remind me that no one ever listens themselves out of a sale.
5.Say thank you and follow up. After the meeting, face the customer straight on, look him in the eye and say thanks, and mean it. Also, e-mail or mail him a follow-up letter going over the meeting points from your notes and next steps.
Sometimes we forget how important common courtesy is, the basic little things we should do that can make a big difference in the way we sell and the relationships we build.
"Knowledge, ability, experience are of little avail in reaching high success if courtesy is lacking. Courtesy is the one passport that will be accepted without question in every land, in every office, in every home, in every heart in the world. For nothing commends itself so well as kindness; and courtesy is kindness."
-- George D. Powers
March 18, 2010
One of the best parts of my job is not the speaking or writing, but traveling in the field and selling. Sometimes my own products, and sometimes with sales reps from a variety of industries. When going on sales calls for the first time, there are a few things you can do upfront that can make a big difference later on in the sales cycle. It's not rocket science or some kind of magic sales secret, just plain common courtesy and common sense.
1.Introduce yourself around the office. Common sense says that you should introduce yourself to the receptionist or anyone else you pass on the way to your sales call. But it doesn't always happen. Many salespeople will ask to see the person with whom they have an appointment without giving the person they're talking to the time of day. Yet the receptionist has valuable information about the company and people who work there. Always remember to say, "Thanks Steve, I appreciate your help." It sounds like a little thing, but ends up going a long way. Great salespeople end up knowing a variety of people who work at the client's company because they understand that you never know who's going to be promoted and can assist you in the future.
2. Break the ice. Do you know what gets your prospects excited and passionate about their work and life? Did you notice the family pictures they have around their office or the plaques hanging on the wall? Or maybe it's the signed football sitting in a glass box. Ask them about the things they find important enough to have surrounding them all day. Those objects are there for a reason. Or do you really believe your prospects wake up in the morning and just can't wait to see your presentation?
Let me give you an example. The other day I was sitting in on a follow-up sales call. There were at least 30 pictures hanging on the walls, but one stood out. It was a picture of two people skydiving, taken from the plane.
I turned to the owner of the company and asked, "Who's the skydiver?" At that his eyes widened with excitement and his face lighted up with enthusiasm. "That's me the first and last time I jumped out of a plane!" I asked him what it felt like the moment he was airborne (sometimes these things take a gentle prod). He then went into a big story about his post-jump excitement; his euphoria was palpable. The transition to the sales call was easy, "Well, that's how excited you'll be when we install these six machines," I said jokingly. We all laughed and the meeting continued, but the atmosphere was quite different from when we started.
3.Review your time frame. Even though you might have confirmed the length of your sales meeting before the call, it's always good to do it again. You might not be aware that timing has changed for the customer. The following statement will set you straight: "I know we set aside an hour for today’s meeting. I just want to make sure that still works for you."
Now, some people might be saying, "Why are you asking that again? You already got the time, and the customer might tell you that now he only has 30 minutes." The answer is courtesy. Also, if the customer's had a crazy day, his attention is not going to be focused on you. I've gone on calls with reps who dive right into their presentation, no nod to time, no ice breakers, and I'll watch the customer squirm in his chair and look at his watch as if wondering; "How long is this going to take?" When you value the customer's time, it shows that you also value your own.
4.Ask, "Do you mind if I take some notes?" Before going into your qualifying and fact-finding mission, ask permission to take some notes. First, the customer will be impressed that you want to learn about his goals and needs. Second, it tells him that what he says is important, and you don't want to miss any key points. I sometimes put the word "LISTEN" in big letters at the top of the page to remind me that no one ever listens themselves out of a sale.
5.Say thank you and follow up. After the meeting, face the customer straight on, look him in the eye and say thanks, and mean it. Also, e-mail or mail him a follow-up letter going over the meeting points from your notes and next steps.
Sometimes we forget how important common courtesy is, the basic little things we should do that can make a big difference in the way we sell and the relationships we build.
"Knowledge, ability, experience are of little avail in reaching high success if courtesy is lacking. Courtesy is the one passport that will be accepted without question in every land, in every office, in every home, in every heart in the world. For nothing commends itself so well as kindness; and courtesy is kindness."
-- George D. Powers
New stories and info to be added to STARDUST SPILL PRODUCTS BLOG
After working on this blog for awhile now and hitting it on and off with updates to distribution industry news I have decided to add some new components. For years now I have been receiving daily email updates from news sources, industry trade pubs, NAW, google alert and word on the streets or what I hear through the grapevine. I am going to start adding info on sales tools, economic indicators etc that might be of help to you as you manage your sales and distribution career!
Let me know about what you like, dislike, or think I should consider!
All the best!
kevin brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
stardust super absorbent
starpower super cleaner degreaser
ecochoice natural sorbent products
Let me know about what you like, dislike, or think I should consider!
All the best!
kevin brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
stardust super absorbent
starpower super cleaner degreaser
ecochoice natural sorbent products
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Air Products Again Requests Meeting with Airgas
By MDM Staff
March 15, 2010
More about: Airgas, Gases/Welding Equipment, Industrial, Mergers/Acquisitions
Airgas continues to reject calls for meeting regarding Air Products' acquisition proposal.
Airgas 3Q Sales Fall 14%
Letters are going back and forth between Airgas and Air Products regarding Air Products' proposed acquisition of the industrial gases and welding equipment distributor.
In a letter dated March 11, 2010, Air Products President and CEO John McGlade sent a letter to the chairman of the Airgas Board's Governance and Compensation Committee, Lee Thomas. The letter asks Thomas to set a meeting with Air Products to "discuss the merits of our outstanding offer to acquire Airgas' common stock for $60 per share in cash."
Airgas has not yet agreed to a meeting with Air Products. McGlade says that if the companies do not meet, Airgas should "establish a process that will permit shareholders to consider our offer in a manner consistent with their rights and with your and our respective obligations of good corporate governance."
In response to the four-paragraph letter, found here, Thomas wrote: "It is our unanimous conclusion that in light of the gross inadequacy of Air Products' offer, there is no reason for our two companies to meet.
"Further, our Board of Directors is aware of it fiduciary duties. Our Board will make all decisions relating to the annual meeting of stockholders based on these fiduciary duties, and will communicate them to all of our stock holders at the appropriate time." McGlade had requested in his letter that Airgas agree to hold its 2010 shareholder meeting no later than Aug. 18, 2010.
Kevin L. Brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner Degreaser
March 15, 2010
More about: Airgas, Gases/Welding Equipment, Industrial, Mergers/Acquisitions
Airgas continues to reject calls for meeting regarding Air Products' acquisition proposal.
Airgas 3Q Sales Fall 14%
Letters are going back and forth between Airgas and Air Products regarding Air Products' proposed acquisition of the industrial gases and welding equipment distributor.
In a letter dated March 11, 2010, Air Products President and CEO John McGlade sent a letter to the chairman of the Airgas Board's Governance and Compensation Committee, Lee Thomas. The letter asks Thomas to set a meeting with Air Products to "discuss the merits of our outstanding offer to acquire Airgas' common stock for $60 per share in cash."
Airgas has not yet agreed to a meeting with Air Products. McGlade says that if the companies do not meet, Airgas should "establish a process that will permit shareholders to consider our offer in a manner consistent with their rights and with your and our respective obligations of good corporate governance."
In response to the four-paragraph letter, found here, Thomas wrote: "It is our unanimous conclusion that in light of the gross inadequacy of Air Products' offer, there is no reason for our two companies to meet.
"Further, our Board of Directors is aware of it fiduciary duties. Our Board will make all decisions relating to the annual meeting of stockholders based on these fiduciary duties, and will communicate them to all of our stock holders at the appropriate time." McGlade had requested in his letter that Airgas agree to hold its 2010 shareholder meeting no later than Aug. 18, 2010.
Kevin L. Brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner Degreaser
Bunzl Acquires Switzerland's Weita Holding - Update
Bunzl Buys Weita Holding, Units From Christoph Huber - Quick Facts
Bunzl FY09 Pre-tax Profit Rises - Update
(RTTNews) - Distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl plc (BNZL.L: News ) Monday said that it has acquired Switzerland-based consumable products supplier Weita Holding AG and its subsidiaries from Christoph Huber, which expands its presence in Switzerland. The company did not reveal any financial terms of the deal.
Basel-based Weita Holding is a supplier of cleaning and hygiene, foodservice, retail, healthcare and safety consumable products to both end users and redistributors throughout Switzerland. Weita Holding posted revenue of CHF 70.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2009 and the gross assets acquired are estimated to be CHF 47 million.
Michael Roney, Chief Executive of Bunzl, said "This is an important acquisition and an exciting development which extends our operations into the cleaning and safety, foodservice and healthcare sectors in Switzerland and significantly increases the size of our existing retail supplies business there."
Bunzl is aiming at geographic expansion and extension of its product offering and customer base through acquisitions. In January, Bunzl had acquired cleaning and hygiene consumable products supplier Clean Care A/S from a privately owned company, controlled by Jan Knygle and Ole Bæk in order to widen its cleaning and hygiene supplies business in Denmark.
For the full year ended 31 December 2009, Bunzl had posted a pre-tax profit of GBP 216.0 million on revenues of GBP 4.65 billion.
BNZL.L is currently trading at 719.50 pence per share, up 2.00 pence or 0.28% on the London Stock Exchange.
Kevin Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner Degreaser
Bunzl FY09 Pre-tax Profit Rises - Update
(RTTNews) - Distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl plc (BNZL.L: News ) Monday said that it has acquired Switzerland-based consumable products supplier Weita Holding AG and its subsidiaries from Christoph Huber, which expands its presence in Switzerland. The company did not reveal any financial terms of the deal.
Basel-based Weita Holding is a supplier of cleaning and hygiene, foodservice, retail, healthcare and safety consumable products to both end users and redistributors throughout Switzerland. Weita Holding posted revenue of CHF 70.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2009 and the gross assets acquired are estimated to be CHF 47 million.
Michael Roney, Chief Executive of Bunzl, said "This is an important acquisition and an exciting development which extends our operations into the cleaning and safety, foodservice and healthcare sectors in Switzerland and significantly increases the size of our existing retail supplies business there."
Bunzl is aiming at geographic expansion and extension of its product offering and customer base through acquisitions. In January, Bunzl had acquired cleaning and hygiene consumable products supplier Clean Care A/S from a privately owned company, controlled by Jan Knygle and Ole Bæk in order to widen its cleaning and hygiene supplies business in Denmark.
For the full year ended 31 December 2009, Bunzl had posted a pre-tax profit of GBP 216.0 million on revenues of GBP 4.65 billion.
BNZL.L is currently trading at 719.50 pence per share, up 2.00 pence or 0.28% on the London Stock Exchange.
Kevin Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
STARDUST Super Absorbent
STARPOWER Super Cleaner Degreaser
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Air Products Says Court Refused to Disqualify Cravath
By Jef Feeley and Steven Church
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Airgas Inc., target of a hostile $5.1 billion takeover offer from Air Products & Chemicals Inc., lost a bid to prevent law firm Cravath Swaine & Moore from representing its suitor.
The decision came as part of a February lawsuit filed by Air Products, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company contends officials at Radnor, Pennsylvania-based Airgas violated duties to stockholders by refusing to consider the $60 per share offer.
“We are disappointed with today’s ruling,” Airgas Vice President of Communications Jay Worley said today in a statement. “Ultimately, however, the real issue in Air Products’ unsolicited tender offer is value, and this ruling doesn’t change the fact Air Products’ $60 per share offer grossly undervalues Airgas.”
Airgas sued Cravath in state court in Philadelphia, claiming that its former law firm obtained confidential information about Airgas before switching sides to represent Air Products in the takeover. That case was transferred to U.S. District Court, which decided on Feb. 22 to let Delaware Chancery Court Judge William Chandler III rule on the issue.
Combined Company
If merged, the combined company would have about $13 billion in annual sales. Air Products would gain more than 1,100 sites for gases such as medical oxygen, argon for welding and carbon dioxide for beverages. “No basis exists for me to disqualify Cravath, Swaine & Moore from representing Air Products in the litigation pending in this court,” Chandler said in his ruling. “Chancellor Chandler’s ruling speaks for itself. We have no comment beyond it,” Cravath said in an e-mail statement.
The companies issued dueling statements today, less than two hours after Chandler made his ruling during a conference call with attorneys, according to a transcript provided by Air Products.
“From the beginning, this has been a side show to divert attention from the real issue - the continuing effort by Airgas to block its shareholders from receiving a 38% all-cash premium and immediate liquidity for their shares,” Air Products spokesman David Reno said in a statement today.
The Pennsylvania case is Airgas Inc. v. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 10-612, U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). The Delaware case is Air Products & Chemicals Inc. v. Airgas Inc., CA5249, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).
--With assistance from Sophia Pearson and Phil Milford in Wilmington, Delaware and Jack Kaskey and Zachary Mider in New York. Editors: Steve Farr, Mary Romano.To contact the reporters on this story: Jef Feeley in Wilmington at jfeeley@bloomberg.net; Steven Church in Wilmington, Delaware, at schurch3@bloomberg.net.
Kevin Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Airgas Inc., target of a hostile $5.1 billion takeover offer from Air Products & Chemicals Inc., lost a bid to prevent law firm Cravath Swaine & Moore from representing its suitor.
The decision came as part of a February lawsuit filed by Air Products, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company contends officials at Radnor, Pennsylvania-based Airgas violated duties to stockholders by refusing to consider the $60 per share offer.
“We are disappointed with today’s ruling,” Airgas Vice President of Communications Jay Worley said today in a statement. “Ultimately, however, the real issue in Air Products’ unsolicited tender offer is value, and this ruling doesn’t change the fact Air Products’ $60 per share offer grossly undervalues Airgas.”
Airgas sued Cravath in state court in Philadelphia, claiming that its former law firm obtained confidential information about Airgas before switching sides to represent Air Products in the takeover. That case was transferred to U.S. District Court, which decided on Feb. 22 to let Delaware Chancery Court Judge William Chandler III rule on the issue.
Combined Company
If merged, the combined company would have about $13 billion in annual sales. Air Products would gain more than 1,100 sites for gases such as medical oxygen, argon for welding and carbon dioxide for beverages. “No basis exists for me to disqualify Cravath, Swaine & Moore from representing Air Products in the litigation pending in this court,” Chandler said in his ruling. “Chancellor Chandler’s ruling speaks for itself. We have no comment beyond it,” Cravath said in an e-mail statement.
The companies issued dueling statements today, less than two hours after Chandler made his ruling during a conference call with attorneys, according to a transcript provided by Air Products.
“From the beginning, this has been a side show to divert attention from the real issue - the continuing effort by Airgas to block its shareholders from receiving a 38% all-cash premium and immediate liquidity for their shares,” Air Products spokesman David Reno said in a statement today.
The Pennsylvania case is Airgas Inc. v. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 10-612, U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). The Delaware case is Air Products & Chemicals Inc. v. Airgas Inc., CA5249, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).
--With assistance from Sophia Pearson and Phil Milford in Wilmington, Delaware and Jack Kaskey and Zachary Mider in New York. Editors: Steve Farr, Mary Romano.To contact the reporters on this story: Jef Feeley in Wilmington at jfeeley@bloomberg.net; Steven Church in Wilmington, Delaware, at schurch3@bloomberg.net.
Kevin Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Airgas inks 5-year deal to supply nuke plants
http://www.philly.com/ / Philadelphphia Inquirer
Airgas Inc. has signed a five-year agreement to provide industrial and other gases to a nonprofit cooperative of utility companies that operate nuclear power plants, including several in the Philadelphia areaRadnor-based Airgas said the agreement with Utilities Service Alliance of Overland Park, Kan., is for industrial gases, specialty gases, liquid dewars, safety products and welding hard goods. The company estimates annual sales of $6 million.
USA is made up of 15 electric utilities that run 17 nuclear power stations across the country. The list includes Allentown-based PPL Corp., whose two Susquehanna units are in Luzerne County, and Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., which operates the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in Salem County.
Airgas said the arrangement began about three years ago, with safety products and welding hard goods being provided to five of the cooperative's nuclear power plants. - Roslyn Rudolph
Kevin L. Brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
Airgas Inc. has signed a five-year agreement to provide industrial and other gases to a nonprofit cooperative of utility companies that operate nuclear power plants, including several in the Philadelphia areaRadnor-based Airgas said the agreement with Utilities Service Alliance of Overland Park, Kan., is for industrial gases, specialty gases, liquid dewars, safety products and welding hard goods. The company estimates annual sales of $6 million.
USA is made up of 15 electric utilities that run 17 nuclear power stations across the country. The list includes Allentown-based PPL Corp., whose two Susquehanna units are in Luzerne County, and Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., which operates the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in Salem County.
Airgas said the arrangement began about three years ago, with safety products and welding hard goods being provided to five of the cooperative's nuclear power plants. - Roslyn Rudolph
Kevin L. Brown http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
Grainger launches online green product catalog
The industrial distributor hosts green educational events
By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 4/17/2009 9:25:00 AM
Grainger plans to host ”green” educational events in 25 cities across the country focused on helping MRO buyers garner the knowledge and tools needed to maintain and operate more sustainable and energy-efficient facilities. MRO stands for maintenance, repair and operations.
In addition, the industrial distributor is launching an online green product catalog with more than 3,300 environmentally responsible products. “Businesses are looking to navigate the many definitions of ‘green’ to ultimately find ways to maintain and operate their facilities more efficiently and cost-effectively, without taxing our environmental resources,” says Deb Oler, vice president, Grainger Industrial Supply in Lake Forest, Ill.“We designed our ‘green’ catalog and the free educational events to provide businesses with a roadmap toward a more sustainable future,” she says.
The online catalog includes items certified by Green Seal, EcoLogo, NEMA Premium and ENERGY STAR as well as products that can be used to earn credits toward LEED certification.
The educational events will feature representatives from Grainger’s supplier base who will provide green product information and offer needs assessments and audits in areas such as energy, water, green cleaning and waste reduction.
In October 2008, Grainger opened its first two LEED-certified branches in New Iberia and Gonzales, La. Since then, it says it has committed to building new facilities to the LEED standard. LEED facilities not only reduce the energy and water use within the facilities, they also provide a healthier environment for employees and customers.
Kevin L. Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 4/17/2009 9:25:00 AM
Grainger plans to host ”green” educational events in 25 cities across the country focused on helping MRO buyers garner the knowledge and tools needed to maintain and operate more sustainable and energy-efficient facilities. MRO stands for maintenance, repair and operations.
In addition, the industrial distributor is launching an online green product catalog with more than 3,300 environmentally responsible products. “Businesses are looking to navigate the many definitions of ‘green’ to ultimately find ways to maintain and operate their facilities more efficiently and cost-effectively, without taxing our environmental resources,” says Deb Oler, vice president, Grainger Industrial Supply in Lake Forest, Ill.“We designed our ‘green’ catalog and the free educational events to provide businesses with a roadmap toward a more sustainable future,” she says.
The online catalog includes items certified by Green Seal, EcoLogo, NEMA Premium and ENERGY STAR as well as products that can be used to earn credits toward LEED certification.
The educational events will feature representatives from Grainger’s supplier base who will provide green product information and offer needs assessments and audits in areas such as energy, water, green cleaning and waste reduction.
In October 2008, Grainger opened its first two LEED-certified branches in New Iberia and Gonzales, La. Since then, it says it has committed to building new facilities to the LEED standard. LEED facilities not only reduce the energy and water use within the facilities, they also provide a healthier environment for employees and customers.
Kevin L. Brown - http://www.stardustspillproducts.com/
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