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How to Prevent the Risk of Occupational Lung Disease (Silicosis) in Blasting

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | How to Prevent the Risk of Occupational Lung Disease (Silicosis) in BlastingCurrently, lung diseases have an increasing frequency and remain a problem of public health worldwide. The causes of lung diseases in the 21st century are directly related to the industrialization level of a country and, moreover, to the level of pollution, respectively the outdoor and indoor air pollution. Exposure to air pollutants has a substantial negative effect on human health.

In developed countries, the major components of polluted air are: nitrogen dioxide (due to combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas), ozone that can be found in the urban smog (due to the exposure of nitrogen dioxide and hydrocarbons to the solar radiation in the atmosphere), and suspended particles (solid or liquid, small-sized particles, due to industrial activity, traffic). Further, burning of biomass fuels (such as wood, vegetal and animal waste) and passive smoking are the main factors of indoor air pollution in the developing countries. Lung infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are among the most common lung diseases that are caused by prolonged exposure to pollution.

It was noticed that the lung diseases occur more frequently when workers carry activities in higher risk sectors, such as: industry, mining, metal extraction, especially when labour protection laws are not followed and the workers are not properly equipped with protective equipment. Silicosis is an extremely dangerous occupational disease that occurs more often on blasting workers that operates with toxic blasting agents, such as yellow sand (silica sand). Silicosis is caused by the inhalation of very fine particles of free silica crystals (in microns, µ) which are embedded in the lung alveolar cells. As these particles are installing, they cannot be removed from the body by any type of treatment. Further, as a defensive mechanism against foreign bodies into the organism, these particles are covered by tissue, leading to the formation of multiple nodules into the lungs, that cause short breathing, other types of complications, cancer and death. To prevent the risk of silicosis, companies must be aware of the risk they take in case of non-compliance with the provisions regarding the use of non-toxic blasting agents and proper protective equipment for their workers.

The use of yellow sand (silica sand) as a blasting agent was forbidden in multiple European countries and is not recommended by professional bodies that act in the blasting field: NACE, FROSIO and SSPC, as it contains up to 90% free silica particles in the breathing air, which carries an extremely high risk for silicosis. A non-toxic blasting material contains less than 0,1% free silica in the breathing air, during blasting operations. Among non-toxic and ecological materials that are recommended for blasting operations, there are: (1) different types of slag for open space blasting (copper slag), (2) stainless steel grit and stainless steel cut wire shots, with multiple operating cycles, for blasting and shot peening the surfaces where no ferrous contamination is allowed (Aluminium, Copper, Titan surfaces), (3) angular steel grit and steel shots for fast and aggressive blasting operations in blasting cabinets, for extremely tough surfaces (granite, steel), (4) different types of corundum (white fused aluminium oxide, brown fused aluminium oxide) and red garnet for blasting where no ferrous contamination is allowed on the base surface, for open space blasting, (5) glass beads for cleaning fine instruments, in pharmaceutics and aeronautics industry.

While using non-toxic and ecological blasting agents, the lung diseases risks are decreasing further when using blasting protection equipment that is compliant with the provisions in the field. Choosing a certified blasting helmet is of major importance for the operators’ health. A blasting helmet that is in accordance with the provisions of OSHA (US) and / or ANSI offer a great protection on impact, noise and against dust during blasting operations. Further, a compliant blasting helmet provides an equal distribution of its weight on the operators’ shoulders to reduce pressure on the neck, allows a free movement of the head during operations, provides a good visibility through the observation window, and allows warming or cooling the breathing air.

Blasting equipment may endanger operators’ health if recommended maintenance is not carried out regularly. Repairs must be carried out by authorized and qualified personnel, in accordance with machine wiring diagrams, without making any kinds of changes to the functionality of the devices. Consumables, such as nozzles, blasting hose, air hose must be periodically inspected and replaced when worn.

GritSablare is national leader in providing a wide range of ecologic and non-toxic blasting materials, that contain less than 0,1% free silica sand in the breathing air: copper slag, stainless steel grit, stainless steel cut wire shots, angular steel grit, steel shots, white fused aluminium oxide, brown fused aluminium oxide, red garnet, glass beads.

How to Open a Food Truck in 5 Steps

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Open a food truck|How to Open a Food Truck in 6 StepsHave you ever dreamed of serving up street food right out of your very own food truck?

If you’ve been following trends in the food industry, you probably already know that the initial outlay of opening a food truck is much, much lower than opening a restaurant.

And there’s even more good news: people love the concept. In fact, the food truck trend is sweeping across the globe… and it’s not going away any time soon.

If you’re giving this business model some serious consideration, there are six steps you’ll need to follow to make your dream a success.

Step 1: Conduct Market Research

Before you do anything, you’ll need to conduct some market research. If there is a demand for food trucks in your area, you’ll need to do some research by looking at your competitors, what they are offering, and see how you can differentiate yourself with your concept.

Look into how you can incorporate your theme and concept into your packaging, too – you’ll need to customize it with your logo. To save on costs, you should buy disposable containers and cups wholesale.

You’ll also need to determine what demographic you’ll be serving, where you’ll be able to park to sell your food, and when the busiest times for business will be.

Step 2: Decide on a Concept

To be successful in the food industry, you’ll need to find the perfect balance between cooking within a concept you are passionate about and catering to the tastes of your demographic.

Once you’ve come up with a concept for your food truck, choose a name and logo for your company – and make sure they are unique, memorable, and reflect your brand accurately.

An exciting concept paired with an attention-grabbing logo and name can make all the difference when it comes to attracting customers, so give these a lot of thought.

Step 3: Create a Business Plan

When you have decided on a concept, you’ll need to create a business plan. Writing a business plan is an essential step and will help you plan and iron out any wrinkles in your business model.

In your business plan, you should go into as much detail as you can because it is also an important document for attracting investors.

If you’re not sure how to write a business plan, there are many online resources and templates available to help you out.

Step 4: Get Licenses and Permits

Before you go ahead and launch your business, you’ll need to check your state laws to find out what permits and licenses you’ll need to operate. These laws vary from state to state, so be sure to check with your local jurisdiction.

You’ll also need to check zoning and parking permits for your food truck, and don’t forget to register your truck with your local DMV.

Step 5: Purchase a Food Truck

Now that you’ve dealt with most of the logistics, it’s time for the most exciting part: buying or renting your food truck.
Your food truck is where most of your startup capital will go, and you have two options – you can purchase a new or used truck, or you can lease one. Just be sure to choose a reputable truck dealer.

Most food trucks will come fully equipped, but you’ll still need to purchase supplies and containers so that you can serve your customers.

You’ll also need to customize your food truck with your branding and buy insurance to protect yourself from liability, damages, or loss.

Herbalife Independent Distributors Can Consider Operating Through an Herbalife Nutrition Club

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Herbalife Nutrition Club|Herbalife Independent Distributors Can Consider Operating Through an Herbalife Nutrition ClubIndependent distributors of Herbalife Nutrition have several ways they can get their products into the hands of customers. One of those ways is through the Herbalife Nutrition Club. Understanding why that’s a valuable option is important, but it’s easier with a better understanding of the business, as well. Selling directly with Herbalife provides many advantages, and distributors have the flexibility to build their business any way they want, at any time they want.

Some independent distributors operate their business part-time and sell mostly to family and friends, while others choose to own and operate nutrition clubs. That can foster a sense of community, provide more options for sales, and make it easier for everyone in the Herbalife family to work together to provide quality products to people who want to purchase them. With options and opportunities for business, it’s not surprising that Herbalife Nutrition remains popular.

What Independent Distributors Do

Independent distributors of Herbalife Nutrition are focused on helping customers reach wellness, fitness, and weight loss goals. They’re coaches, and to help customers with their plans and goals, they also sell high-quality nutritional supplements. Those nutritional options are designed to add value and benefit to the lives of customers who want to get in shape, be more fit, and find ways to live healthier lives. Through sales to individuals and clubs or communities, distributors have some great ways to help.

Using nutrition clubs is one of the most highly visible ways that Herbalife distributors do business, but that’s not the only way. They sell both through clubs and individuals and market their products to plenty of people who want to be healthier. Since these products are only available through distributors, customers can’t get them at stores or through other online options. That makes the nutrition clubs good opportunities for the distributions and the customers to connect and get what they need.

Use, Wear, Talk

The philosophy of “Use, Wear, Talk” is a part of everything that Herbalife Nutrition distributors do, whether they’re involved with a club or just selling to others in their community or family and friend group. That philosophy is a shortened version of “Use the products, Wear the button, and Talk about your transformation.” The goal is to show that Herbalife’s products work and that the independent distributors who offer those products use them and understand their value.

The idea for doing that started early on in the creation of Herbalife and has been a part of the company ever since. It’s an idea that has evolved over decades but is still very relevant today. It’s also still a part of the core principles and tenets of distribution through the Herbalife Nutrition Club and other selling options.

The Value of Nutrition Clubs

In a Herbalife Nutrition Club, members and customers are invited to come in. It’s a place where they can share their testimonials and stories, and they can also keep track of their measurements and weight loss and fitness goals. It’s a place for everyone to come together and get the support and guidance they need to continue their health journeys. Because living a healthy lifestyle is such an important shared goal, members often develop a strong sense of community with one another.

There are teas, aloes, and shakes offered through the Nutrition Clubs, and there are also some fitness camps in some of them. That allows interested customers to have a workout and a shake, with a convenient stop where they can get all that they need in one place. While that’s a bigger investment for the independent distributor, it can go a long way toward adding extra value for customers. That helps to keep customers coming back.

How to convert prospects as quickly as possible?

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Convert Prospects Quickly|How to convert prospects as quickly as possible?To succeed in your marketing strategy, it is not enough to generate leads. It is just as important to convert them into customers. This conversion is the main concern of marketing teams. After all, customers are the very reason for the existence of companies. It is a well-known fact that time is money. Converting prospects into customers as quickly as possible is therefore necessary. So how can you save precious time in your approach?

Study your targets and their buying patterns

Any marketing strategy includes the notions of buyer persona and buying journey. You must therefore define your ideal customers in order to ensure the success of your marketing and sales actions.

Indeed, you need to have a broad vision of the objectives, problems and habits of your personas. Thanks to this, you can personalise your pitch according to the type of prospect you meet. You can then give them more value and adapt to their preferences. You will have all the chances on your side to transform them into customers more easily.

Set up a lead scoring system

Leads are one of the reasons for the existence of companies. Every company has prospects, although not always in sufficient quantity. Not all prospects are necessarily the same. Some are only occasionally interested in your company, while others are directly looking to buy.

Lead scoring is used to directly assign a value to your prospects. Here, the CRM in combination with a marketing automation platform plays an important role in your strategy. You can score your prospects according to various criteria. In this case, you can rate them based on the business data they have submitted to you. You can also consider how they have engaged with your brand or company on the web. In particular, this helps sales teams to focus on potential customers and respond to them in a suitable manner. This is done with the aim of increasing the speed at which leads are converted into customers.

Lead scoring has become very popular in recent times. However, this strategy can become quite complex if you skip steps. To avoid this, start by adopting a simple and effective system. You can set up the different phases of your lead life cycle. This is already a first step in your lead scoring process.

Don’t keep your prospects waiting

According to research by Inside Sales, a prospect contacted within five minutes is nine times more likely to convert. In addition, an analysis by HubSpot shows that 2/3 of buyers expect a response within ten minutes of a request. The longer you delay, the lower the prospect’s interest level. Moreover, if you don’t act quickly, your prospect may go to your competitors. To turn your prospects into customers quickly, don’t wait and be reactive. Also show your availability and your ability to listen.

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Create successful emails

The majority of your leads come from your automated emails. You must therefore ensure that you write relevant and effective emails. Therefore, write emails with impeccable spelling that are easy to read and understand. To learn more you can read this article: A successful Cold Emailing campaign to beat the competition. Also, use alternative reading visuals and images. Keep in mind that your emails should be simple and professional. Nevertheless, they should provide additional information to hold the prospect’s attention.

Use a good lead generation tool

Kaspr is a lead generation tool. It offers the possibility to get the contact details of your prospects from their LinkedIn profiles. This tool takes care of finding the contact details of your prospects in real time via the Internet. The main advantage of this tool is that it works in a matter of seconds.

After registering on Kaspr, you only need to download the Google Chrome extension. With this extension, you can integrate the Kaspr widget into your LinkedIn pages. It will then be possible to display the contact details of the contacts directly from their profiles.

The final process to be adopted is therefore to :

  • identify your target prospects;
  • send LinkedIn invitations;
  • if the prospect accepts, send a welcome message;
  • If the prospect does not respond, retrieve the contact information with Kaspr to send an email or call him.

This entirely French tool has been proving itself for several months. Kaspr has a reactive team at your disposal to meet your requirements. So don’t hesitate to come to them if you want to ask for a demo or if you have any questions about the platform.

Conclusion

To save time in your lead-to-customer strategy, you must first ensure that you build a solid database. Then, don’t hesitate to follow up as soon as possible to avoid losing your prospect. Finally, use the right tools to ensure success.

8 Tips on Becoming a Successful Real Estate Agent

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Becoming a Real Estate Agent|8 Tips on Becoming a Successful Real Estate AgentBecoming a real estate agent can sound very appealing when you think about the flexible hours, large commissions, and the satisfaction of helping people sell a house. But beyond the trappings, there is some serious work that goes on. Real estate professionals will tell you that every sale is the product of a lot of hard work and dedication.

Below we share a few tips for becoming a successful real estate agent:

1. Build a solid client base

It is important to have a dedicated client base that you can tap for leads and sales. A well-developed network is vital to your success as a real estate agent. Afterall, you need people interested in the services you have to offer. More than being vast, you also need to build strong connections. Start by tapping the network you already have through family, friends, past colleagues, school and alumni networks, or clubs and organizations you may be part of.
Once you have established your network, it is important to maintain the relationship with your clients. You do not need to be in touch constantly but be sure to check in from time to time. You want to be the top-of-mind person for your network when they think about real estate.

2. Know how to screen your inquiries

The most skilled real estate agents can quickly assess if the inquiring client is serious or just casually looking. You can find out a person’s level of interest by requesting feedback from them regarding the property and use their answers as a way to measure their engagement. Learn to develop this skill so you can prioritize leads with a higher chance of return. This will save you a lot of time and energy.

3. Project a professional image

It pays to be personable, professional and good at communicating with people. Focus on developing soft skills like empathy and being sensitive to the needs and motivations of different clients. With some clients, you may need to be chatty and bold while with others, you may need to sit down and listen to them to make a sale. After all, every client is different. The best sales agents and can pick up on the verbal and non-verbal cues of a client and adjust their sales pitch accordingly.

4. Develop a business plan and build your skill set

It is easy to get caught in nailing your first client or sale, but do not forget to look past the short-term rewards. Play the long game by building a solid business plan for your career. Take time to develop skills you lack. You can do this by studying and knowing your market and customers. There are real estate agents who work with buyers, and there are those who work with sellers. It is helpful if you build your skills and are able to do both. Invest in yourself and keep updated on the latest trends and changes in the market.

5. Create and stick to your budget

Whether you are just starting out or have many successful sales and a stack of commissions coming through to your bank account it is important to stick to a budget. Track all your expenses alongside your funds. Know how much you spend each month on necessities and discretionary expenses. Plan for a successful future by setting a monthly budget and sticking to it. Your income should be enough to cover your daily expenses and business costs by making allowances for any emergencies. You should also have funds set aside to enable plans for growth.

6. Build your branding online

You need to be where you clients are and where they are searching for properties. A good place to start is on the worldwide web. Thus, it is imperative that you have an online presence. Create an account on the preferred social media apps of your target market. Make sure to also be consistent in the communications you have across platforms. Next, update your profile consistently with your available listings and your predictions for the real estate market. Finally, create a content plan that will help you build credibility as an agent who knows what they are talking about.

7. Use Tools and Technology

Make use of commercial products built for real estate agents to keep yourself organized. Specialized software programs can help you generate leads by organizing and managing your client database. You can also use programs to schedule your showings and receive feedback or get leads sent straight to your phone from your sign riders. Check out websites like Pro Agent Solutions that can help you to get started with a variety of software and tools for real estate agents.

8. Know the law

To get your real estate license, you will have to log in some hours completing real estate courses and pass your state licensure exam. You also need to take refresher courses and continue your education to keep your license valid. Make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of local and national real estate legislature. You want to be a resource person your clients will go to for advice and consultation on matters concerning real estate in your area.

To recap, be prepared to work hard, develop strong relationships, know your market, build your skills, and make use of smart technology. By following these tips, you can set yourself on the path to success as a real estate agent.