With a lot of players entering the international logistics market, shipping to countries that are located thousands of miles away from you, has become a hassle-free task today. Gone are the days, when you had to wait for relatives or strangers from a particular country to pass on things to your near and dear ones staying there. With international logistics becoming highly cost-effective as well, you can use them for your business and personal purposes quite easily. One of the hot shipping destinations is China. It is one of those economies that has been growing at an exponential rate. Hundreds of thousands of items worth millions of dollars get shipped to China on a daily basis. Here are some of the important processes that are involved while sending goods/shipment to this country.

1. Customs clearance/paperwork

When you want to send anything to China, you should be aware of the custom laws and regulations prevailing in that country. Items, whose values are quite low (approximately lesser than 500Yuan)are free from customs duty. If you are sending items that are worth more than this value, you need to pay the required customs fee and submit all relevant paperwork, so that your shipment doesn’t get rejected. Chinese laws are quite strict when it comes to documentation. You should have a checklist of the requirements and plan accordingly, so that you don’t miss out on anything.

2. Method of packing

Whenever you ship anything to China or any other country, you need to take extra care while packing your products. Fragile items should be covered in cardboard boxes that are well corrugated so that they are well-protected against abrasions and friction. All the items should be sealed to avoid leakages, breakages, spillage and other related mishaps. Your shipments involve a lot of investment; therefore, it is only natural that you take enough care in ensuring that they reach their destination safely and perfectly.

3. Banned items

This is one of the most important points that you need to keep in mind when you are shipping anything to China. Every country has different laws related to the list of prohibited items. You should be fully aware of the rules that stop you from taking certain items into Chinese territory, so that your package is not confiscated at the time of security checks. Prohibited items mostly related to food, electronics and other materials like wood, cane, bamboo etc. Under each category, you should know the list of items that are allowed or disallowed, permitted weight and other aspects, in order to get your shipments cleared without any hassles.

4. Service provider

This is the first step that you need to follow when you decide to send your shipment to China. Choose a service provider who is highly reputed in the world of international logistics and who has enough experience in this field. When you choose the right company, you will be given professional guidance about the items that can and cannot be shipped to a particular destination, saving you lot of time and embarrassment.

Controlling a car is always an exciting thing, but then again, it is not always too easy to get to that point. There are so many road rules to remember and it can at first seem impossible to remember everything and actually do things right. But the success of your driving lessons and getting the most out of them depends on how prepared you are when you join the lessons and how brave you are to finally hit the road when the lessons are finally over. A couple of things can help you get the most from your driving lessons and actually keep them exciting.

Time your lessons right. A good driving school will of course have different learning schedules and yours should be to select lessons that fall at a time when you are sure to be more receptive and fresh so you can take it all in. Whereas most people feel fresh and attentive in the morning, some will feel the same in the evening. Choose driving lesson schedule that works for you as an individual.

Choose the best class setting. The teacher student ratio varies from one driving school to another. If you are feeling too confused and lost taking your lessons from a crowded class, then it should be time to think about a less crowded setting. You can choose private lessons or choose driving classes that do not attract large numbers of learners so you can concentrate more. You should also feel more comfortable with the school setting so you are able to concentrate on the learning.

Invest in helpful learning aids. They can be most helpful during theory classes and right before you hit the road for practical driving. Driving materials will not only get you familiar with road signs and rules, but can also get you driving feel by allowing you to watch the tutorials and drive 3D cars so you feel ready enough when the time comes.

Map out test center are. This is can be a very helpful thing to do, especially if you are not very good with directions. When you pin up a map of the area where driving tests take place depending on your driving school, you will easily get accustomed to the routes giving you an easier time maneuvering. Study the map carefully so you are aware of your current positions and where you are headed when you finally hit the road. However, also be ready for any changes the instructor might make maybe because of traffic issues.

Get an instructor, you are most comfortable with. Generally, instructors always seem harsh in the beginning and it is all for your sake. Driving on real roads with other experienced motorists is no joke and your instructor will be inclined on safety and making sure your mind remains alert. However, if you do not manage to get comfortable with the instructor after a few driving lessons, then you can consider changing them if that is possible.

As a business owner, you know that your time is limited. So, you need to make sure that you employ it the best way you can.

If there is one thing that most business owners tend to do that take them too much time is traveling? Even though you might need to do is frequently, the truth is that when you use a regular airline, the most unexpected things can happen, leading you to even more time waste. So, one of the best things you can do is to hire a corporate travel company. Here’s why:

#1: Save Time:

As we already mentioned above, this is one of the main reasons why you absolutely need a corporate travel company. When you have a more efficient booking process, you’re leaving your employees with more time for their actual tasks.

#2: Get The Best Fares:

Even though you may already have your personal agent working on your travels for you and your business, the truth is that when you hire a corporate travel company, you’ll be able to enjoy even more savings.

#3: The Best Support:

When you work with a corporate travel agency, you can be sure they will be there, for you, round the clock. The truth is that these companies have local representatives that can help your staff to get everything they need in case there is any travel interruption.

#4: Dealing and Overcoming With Travel Problems:

If you have been handling travels alone, you know problems can come up anytime. From having your flight canceled with or without a reason, cabin strikes, among so many others, are becoming more frequent and can jeopardize your business. When you already have a corporate travel company, you just need to call them and they will make all the necessary changes so that you can still have your flight.

#5: Professional Service:

When you work with a corporate travel you can be sure you will have the best professionals working with you. One of the best things is that you will have an annual meetings with them. This meeting is extremely important for both parts since it will allow you to tell the corporate travel agency your feedback, and for them, this is a great way to keep improving their quality.

To make sure that you stop wasting your precious time and money, just give corporate travel a call or fill out the form. You can be sure they are one of the best and that they will take good care of you and your business.

What do today’s buyers give a flip about? They care about buying value that starts with the product or service as most of us think of value. However, part of the value equation with today’s customer often includes meeting personal objectives, e.g., shopping convenience, relevant information and/or experience, sustainability, brand purpose, monetary incentives, and tech tools to make it all happen ASAP, to name some of the more important factors.

Here’s a word of caution about today’s retail environment: If your business thinks of brand value only as the intrinsic value of your product and/or service you deliver, you are ripe for disrupting!

Since it’s our business to help you be more successful with Internet technology, the focus of this article centers on an effective tool that you can deploy to help create a better than ordinary customer experience. It may not be a right fit for your business, but read on to decide for yourself anyway.

How much we value business disruptions are typically linked to whether we are the disruptor or the disrupted. And when such disruption is fueled by genuine innovation, then many more people may benefit than not by such disruption and the world becomes a better place.

Take Amazon for example. Is Amazon disrupting your business or helping your business? Maybe Amazon is the frenemy of brick-and-mortar retail? If you are a retailer of packaged commodities and you have a successful Amazon store, then your daily shipments via the Amazon network may exceed your daily walk-in business.

Even more, according to a recent survey, online buyers have the highest regard for Amazon and may be more inclined to purchase your product because of this overall sense of goodwill and trust that Amazon has built with customers.

Of course, the Amazon store may be just one click away from being a competitor, too. Regardless of where your coin lands on this merchant dilemma, I’m going to suggest that all of our business challenges are bigger than any one competitor. Amazon deserves a lot of credit for being a true innovator by significantly improving the customer experience.

Here’s the real dilemma: We now live in an age where customers, competitors, and technologies are changing so rapidly that common problem analysis and problem-solving are too slow at addressing solutions!

Adam Richardson, the creative director at global innovation firm, frog design, characterizes this enigma quite well in his book, INNOVATION X – Why A Company’s Toughest Problems Are Its Greatest Advantages.

He provides two key points of what he calls colliding business disruptions that are affecting all businesses regardless of size:

POINT 1: Today, we have disruptive competition and blurring of industry boundaries as companies leap into each other’s spaces (this is a traditional way a business disrupts the marketplace).
POINT 2: Today, we face more demanding customers who place a higher premium on the experiential qualities of using a product-ease of use, how it makes them feel, how it fits into their lives, what it communicates to others, does it sync with personal values-that go above and beyond familiar objective criteria like performance and price (this is relatively new phenomenon… the connected generation is driving massive changes in the marketplace).

Richardson summarizes where he sees this leading, noting that “there is a need to create integrated systems of physical products, software, online experiences, and services that work as a single whole. (Often these integrated systems are the keys to meeting customer needs in ways impossible from a more isolated offering.)”

He is talking about something related to product eco-systems, but that subject is vast, and we need to boil it down to one important detail if we are to gain a better grasp of what we might do to help SMB businesses succeed in the rapidly changing present.

With this in mind, let’s consider Amazon’s secret weapon that they deployed with large success but not much fanfare over the last couple of years. It facilitates and drives both customer experiences and satisfaction.

Some of you are currently using their secret weapon; it’s their well-designed and functional mobile app. According to Millward Brown Digital research in early 2016, 76% of all digital shoppers have downloaded the Amazon app, and that is by far the largest acceptance of any mobile shopping app in the United States. The next closest is Walmart’s at 33%.

What does rule in any business is customer service, and if a well-designed app can give you an edge in customer service, there may be one in your company’s future, too.

App technology is a tool that can have a significant payoff for your business in the form of better customer convenience and service, and if you think of it the way Amazon thinks of it-it’s all about delivering better customer convenience, experience, and service, relentlessly.

As your business grows, your status in the business contacts may rise significantly, and this initial acquaintance with the fundamentals of the business, which is carried on these pages is probably not enough. But by that time, it is important that you have a desire to do better. You will have to look for a more extensive and specialized sources of information. But it is very likely that they did not have fully formed ideas and sequence.

Often, it is almost impossible to make a professional analysis of the selected areas, which would provide for every aspect. For example, the source may be unreliable numbers, and some of them may simply not have, so the calculation will be inaccurate. It may also be a change in the number of staff that does not involve the development of plans. A considerable part of businessmen agree that the strategic reorientation and expansion are often performed not only on the basis of plans developed, but also under the influence of external circumstances. Such as changes in the customer base can make you rethink your marketing strategy. New features may require you to re-evaluate the situation. That is reviewing opportunities may occur in response to changing situations. But in this case, the formation of a long-term plan and tentative assessment of possible growth rates allow for greater stability in the business and help to cope with the competitors, and more receptive to new opportunities.

Successful businessmen are rarely long rest. You should treat your business like large corporations, which are continuously engaged in planning and developing strategies to increase the cost. We must realize that developing and profitable business that is growing, and not static. Business growth must be based on a careful strategic thinking.

Business innovation is such a hard act to follow, if you ever wonder how certain companies seem to beat the competition all the time then the answer is right there, they innovate and they don’t let their strategies get stagnant. They think of new ways to better their customers and clients and it’s something that a lot of businesses lack. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, then you should know when a certain company technique is losing its charm so that you can upgrade or change. Mind you not only the old things and machineries are upgraded; techniques and strategies should be upgraded as well.

So how do you gather new intelligence and techniques to utilize for your company? During events and seminars related to your company’s cause should never be ignored. You need to learn about what the masses think about your product or services too and if you don’t take time to listen to them then you will most probably fail in that department. Have a team ready to venture and listen to the masses, a study now and then to know which of your products and services are liked and which ones are frowned upon will most likely push you to better that same product and service to great effect. If you don’t know how to listen to your target audiences, you are bound to fail, whatever business you are in.

I once taught a class on strategic change. The participants were 20 high potential leaders from a global service organisation that you probably know. These people were chosen because of their leadership potential. The organisation believed them to have a high probability of becoming the next C-suite executives of the company. After a two days intensive workshop I asked the participants for feedback. Many comments were positive. A few were negative. I still remember one of the negative comments. One manger said: “Dan, this was a course on strategic change. The part about strategy was OK. But the change part really doesn’t belong at our level. Change management should be the concern of lower level mangers or the HR-department. Top mangers have to focus on the strategy part.” This comment shows a problem that I have experienced in many organisations. Mangers don’t see a strategy process as a change process. Of course my learning was that I could have been better making this clear to the participants. My experience is that this is really hard.

Do top executives really need to care about change management in relation to strategy processes? Shouldn’t top managers just concentrate on crafting the high level strategic plan for the future and leave the details about implementation to the organisation? I think not! My experience from doing strategy work for more than 20 years has taught me that strategy and change are really two sides of the same coin. Strategy always concerns something new. The core part of a strategy is a vision or and idea of a better company. It could be about better performance, better service, a better place to work or many other things that basically concern an improvement of the present status quo. If a strategy doesn’t have anything new to it I wouldn’t really call it a strategy. So what a strategy basically does is to ask people to do new things. If a strategy is formulated and nothing new happens it is worthless. And the effort is wasted. Asking people in an organisation to do new things is all about change. If I would ask you to do new things I would certainly think about how the content of the message (the strategy) would affect you. Both the content of the strategy (often in the form of a document) and how it is created (the crafting process) will affect how much and what kind of change the strategy will generate. In my opinion it is not possible to separate strategy formulation from change. It is up to you as the strategist to use this connection to your advantage or not.