Doing Business in Asia: Making a Good Impression

It may go without saying that first impressions are important in business, but they are particularly crucial when you’re doing business in Asia.

Your image matters. Looking polished and sharp in a business meeting not only reflects well on you and your business; it also indicates respect for your host.

Proper Attire
For example, wearing an open-neck shirt, and going without a tie, is usually appropriate when you’re visiting suppliers, particularly if you’re touring factories. However, for other business meetings the dress code is stricter. Men may need a suit and tie, and women should wear a skirt or dress that falls below their knees, along with a jacket or sweater that covers their arms. All dress should be weather appropriate; wearing a heavy suit in a humid city can be uncomfortable and can interfere with the impression you want to create. You also need to make sure your socks are in good condition as shoes are prohibited in certain places in Asia, including some restaurants.

Business Card Etiquette
Business cards are another crucial consideration. Make sure you have plenty, because you’ll be giving away a lot of them, especially when you meet potential clients for the first time.

Following these tips can help you avoid cultural business-card gaffes:

• Use both hands when presenting and receiving a card. Using one hand in Asia is considered casual to the point of rudeness.  Although it is common to slide you cards over a table like dealing at a casino in the West this is not done when making a good impression in Asia.
• Properly acknowledge your associate. You do this by accepting his or her card and examining it carefully.  If you are not sure how long this should take be guided by how long they look at your card.
• Ask, “how should I address you?” Asian businesspeople are keenly aware of position and hierarchy. Titles are important, so don’t guess; ask! Do not be afraid to write down their preferred title so you can refer to it during the meeting.  When you make the effort to be respectful it is noticed and the other “mistakes” you will make are excused.  Also, never use a client’s given name unless he or she invites you to do so.
• ·         Keep the client’s business card on the table during your meeting. It is also acceptable to place it in a cardholder. Either way, leaving the business card in full view for the duration of your meeting will show appropriate respect.

Mawson Global can help you navigate the process of doing business in China and other Asian countries – and making a good impression while you’re there! In addition to arranging hotel and flight bookings, Mawson Global’s on-site staff can advise you on the proper way of dealing with Chinese businesspeople, along with briefing you on local businesses practices, business development, and the country’s customs, holidays, and practices.

Choosing a Customs Broker – What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

Customs Brokers – What do they actually do?

The work of a customs broker can seem rather mysterious because when managed properly, the customs clearance process should be seamless and invisible to you.  In an ideal situation, customs clearance of your imported or exported goods should “just happen.”

The truth is, the cross-border clearance of goods that change hands from one party to another can be a complex undertaking that is fraught with potential risk, extended delays and excessive taxes or other unexpected costs.  

Customs brokers are responsible for managing the end-to-end process that starts with identifying goods that need to be shipped from one location and finishes with the successful delivery of those goods to a final destination.  Brokers handle the paperwork, taxes, shipping details and customs compliance requirements at every step in the process.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You have endless choices available to you when it comes to selecting a customs broker. There are large variances among brokers in terms of cost, technical knowledge and overall competence.  Some brokers provide specialty expertise for certain industries or in transporting goods among specific countries.  Certain brokers have tightly managed internal controls and well established processes and procedures; others do not.

Perhaps crucially, some customs brokers actively seek to minimise customs clearance lead times but at the potential expense of full compliance.  Other brokers lack formal representation in the relevant locations and so rely on informal “arrangements” to get the job done. 

In the eyes of the authorities, you are responsible for the decisions made by the broker on your behalf, so it is essential that you can trust the customs broker you choose and that you share common objectives.

Customs Broker Checklist

When interviewing prospective customs brokers to facilitate your importing or exporting activities, be sure to cover the following points:

• Ask the broker what roadblocks are likely to be encountered with your particular customs clearance needs
• Ask how they handled a tricky situation in the past and what creative solutions they were able to implement.  For example, what steps do they take when a shipment is stuck at a border entry point behind a backlog of other shipments due to an extreme weather delay?
• Ensure they have 24/7 shipment tracking facility, not just online but on the phone with a real person
• Confirm that they will provide upfront and in writing a complete itemisation of the tariffs that you will be responsible for paying – in other words, total landed cost
• Ask for at least two references that you can personally ring to obtain a first-hand account of how the broker performed for other clients, ideally from your industry.  Then ring those clients.

The team at Mawson Global work with a variety of reputable, proven customs brokers every day and are here to help you with your broker selection process.  Please contact us if we can answer any questions for you.

Mawson Global’s Quick Look Analysis Provides Cost-Savings Proof

Every client we ever talk to shares a common characteristic – they want to improve profit. Yet the path to successfully achieving this isn’t always clear-cut or easy to follow. There are many ways a company can grow its business and bottom line, and one of the best is by reducing costs through global sourcing.

Mawson Global helps companies achieve this objective by offering global sourcing solutions that dramatically reduce their costs and improve their bottom line. Our mission is to reduce your risk by providing comprehensive assistance, valuable expertise, and effective solutions to your most challenging global sourcing needs. In 2012 we saved our clients more than $19 million.  

It’s easy to make claims of savings grandeur, but we back ours up with a complimentary quick look analysis.

This snapshot shows you exactly how much you can save by partnering with us to source a particular product. Each quick look analysis provides vital stats on the product you’re considering sourcing, including:

• How much the product will cost landed at your location including the current cost per unit, FOB cost, and estimated landed cost.
• How much you could save shown as total annual savings, three-year savings projection, savings per unit, and potential profit percentage.
• Approximate annual volume.
• Basic product specifications.
• A product image.

The quick look analysis is completely free, and you’re under no obligation to partner with us… although, most companies do when they see how much they can save!

All you need to do to start this process is take our Ten Product Challenge online at www.MawsonGlobal.com/Ten-Product-Challenge

Reliable and affordable global sourcing solutions are within reach -- find out how much you can save by requesting your quick look analysis from Mawson Global today.

If you require further information from Mawson Global, please contact us at +61 8 7123 2601 or online at mawsonglobal.com/contact.

Decision, Decisions: 3 International Shipping Options

Selecting an international shipping method is a complex decision for any global commerce company. There are numerous options, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and significant cost differences amongst the bunch Choosing the right shipping method could be the difference in whether your freight arrives on time. Picking the wrong one could mean your shipment never arrives at all.

If your company is evaluating its shipping options, examining each one, as well as some of the pros and cons, is an important step in the decision-making process. The following is a quick guide to a few of the most popular shipping options to aid in your shipping search.

Less than container load (LCL) - LCL is an international ocean freight shipping option that allows a shipper to utilize just a portion of a shipping container, instead of the whole thing. LCL is ideal for companies with a low volume of international shipments or those who need an inexpensive means for transporting cargo. It also allows shippers to quickly move their cargo because they don’t have to wait to fill an entire container. However, with these benefits come a few drawbacks. Most freight companies combined several LCLs to fill containers. This means your product could be at risk of contamination or damage from other cargo in the container. For businesses shipping high value items or food products, LCL might not be the best choice.

Full container load (FCL) – FCL shipping involves transporting using an entire sea freight container. FCL is typically the best way to transport freight – even if you’re only sending a partial shipment – because it allows you to track your goods and avoid the risk of damage or contamination by other cargo. Companies shipping a large quantity of cargo internationally, as well as those who need a little more control over their shipping timetable – and can’t afford airfreight – will benefit from FCL.

Airfreight – Shipping cargo via airfreight is exactly as it sounds. It’s putting your cargo on a plane in order to transport it to its international destination. This option offers the most control and flexibility over the shipping timetable and provides a safer means of transport over ocean freight shipping options. These conveniences come at a price, though. Typically, airfreight is the most expensive shipping option of the three, and may be out of many small and mid-size businesses’ budgets.

You probably can’t personally deliver your cargo to every international client, but you can find an international shipping method and freight forwarder that you can be confident in.

Mawson Global provides support to companies facing the challenging decision of which shipping method is ideal for their business. We work directly with freight forwarders to provide clients with numerous options in each of these shipping categories, as well as sound, reliable advice on the right choices for your business.  If your company needs an international shipping solution that it can count on, Mawson Global can find one that fits the bill.

Importing: The Productivity Booster

Productivity. It’s essential to success. It can be elusive. And it’s the driving force behind businesses -- literally. Without it, the world would crumble and nothing would ever get done. Without it your company wouldn’t exist.

Productivity is vital to all businesses, but it’s especially important to those in global commerce. To be successful, manufacturers need to bring products to market quickly, ensure on-time delivery, provide outstanding customer service, and maintain their market share. A high level of productivity is required to accomplish all these initiatives.  

There are a lot of methods for increasing manufacturing productivity – from restructuring the workforce to reworking procedures. However, one of the best ways to up the output is by importing manufacturing machinery.

Importing machinery can make a plant more efficient at a fraction of the cost of local machine brokers. It can also be accomplished a lot faster than other methods and with minimal disruption, especially when importing fully complete sub-assemblies.

By looking to equipment suppliers in other areas of the world, manufacturers can often find a larger selection of machines, lower prices, and better customer services. However, locating qualified international suppliers can be a challenge, especially for those with limited resources to devote to the search. These limitations don’t have to prevent you from importing your equipment, though.

Mawson Global, a leader in global sourcing, has a proven method for helping manufacturers import machinery and components. Need a supplier of sanding equipment or corrugated cardboard box maker? Mawson Global can perform a comprehensive search and provide you with supplier recommendations that meet a company’s exact requirements.

With Mawson Global, the risks commonly associated with global sourcing are minimal because we have teams located around the globe. This “boots on the ground” approach means we’re familiar with the international standards, language, and culture of each of the countries we source from.

If your manufacturing company is searching for a way to boost its productivity without having to decrease it first, Mawson Global can help. Let us handle the search for your machinery supplier. With our assistance, your business can not only improve its output, but also slash costs and increase its profit.