How to Get The Best Out of Your Trade Consultancy Services
Even the most experienced business owners need support from time to time, and that’s where consultancy services come in. From marketing and HR to financial and operations consultants, there’s all manner of support available. But if you’re dealing with imports and exports, you’ll benefit from advice from an international trade consultant. Staying up to date with rules and regulations can be tricky, especially in a global economy, but it’s essential.
With the guidance of a trade consultant, you can ensure that your business is not only lawfully compliant, but that it’s more efficient, cost-effective, and cohesive across departments.
It’s crucial that any business using a consultancy firm understands how to work with them in order to get the best possible outcome. At clearBorder, we offer world-leading expertise in international trade and border policy. Our consultancy services help businesses successfully trade in global markets. This means we understand how to work with our clients to maximise results and meet their business needs.
With this in mind, we’ve put together this handy blog on how you can get the most out of your trade consultancy services.
What are Trade Consultancy Services?
Before we get into how to work with trade consultants, it’s important to first understand what trade consultants do and how they can work for your business. In essence, a trade consultant will help you to start or expand trade with European and international markets. Good consultants will seek to understand your business and provide advice which simplifies, rather than complicates, international trade. They will offer guidance on creating import and export strategies, explain documents, processes and IT systems involved, and help you get your whole business to the next level in an efficient, risk-managed way.
A trade consultant will help you understand the complexities of international trade, so you understand your liabilities as well as the opportunities – and present technical information in a way that can reassure your board or management. They will use their expertise to ensure your business remains compliant with the trade laws whilst making the transition into new international markets.
They will listen to your concerns and guide you on the best route for your business, ensuring not just you, but all the relevant teams, are fully trained and equipped to begin trading seamlessly overseas.
Are International Trade Consultancy Services Worth it?
You are probably wondering whether trade consultancy really is worth the investment. It’s a vital question.
In simple terms, if you want to start trading in global markets, you will face new risks and requirements, new government regulations and additional supply chain management challenges. The rewards are worth it, but to make the opportunity work commercially, you’re likely to need a consultant to support you. Time and money spent on preparation is seldom wasted.
Import and export laws differ between countries, as can goods classifications, tariffs and regulations for different products. You might be well versed on domestic trade laws in the UK and the regulations with regards to imports, exports, money and tariffs, but international trade laws bring a new dimension. It’s all too easy to slip up and find yourself in hot water with foreign authorities. Add to this the fact that trade laws are continually changing, it can be hard to keep up and remain compliant. This is a huge risk, so it’s important you do everything you can to avoid tarnishing your business’ reputation.
On top of this, broadening your business into overseas territory is a big move, and one that requires expert strategic planning and a methodical, logistical approach. It’s best to have someone onside who has the experience and know-how to help you through this transition period, and few people are more clued up on this than trade consultants.
Finding the Right Trade Consultancy
To help you get the very best out of your consultant, it’s imperative that you do your research and choose the expert who will best service your business needs. Here are some of the things you can do to ensure a smooth, amicable working relationship.
1. Find a specialist
Firstly, if you want to maximise the quality of the service you’re getting, make sure you choose a specialist in your field. There are countless types of business consultants who can help you with various aspects of your business and its growth trajectory, but if trade is your main priority, choose a consultant who specialises in this area.
Not only will they have a wealth of experience and knowledge, but they will be by far the most qualified to guide you through this process. It’s a good idea to also keep an eye out for consultants who have direct experience in working with businesses like yours: they may know lots about their topic, but do they understand your business?
At clearBorder, we’ve helped businesses across multiple sectors adapt to international trade. Our team brings decades of very senior experience, so no matter what your industry is, we can help.
In addition, we put together our training resources with experts from industry and online learning – with years of experience – so you can rest assured that you’re receiving reliable, up-to-date, and specialist advice that will be delivered in an accessible way.
2. Ask every question you have
Trade borders are complex, but you can master them. If you’re not a professional in the area of international trade, you’re likely to have a lot of questions – and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask them. If you’re unsure about any aspect of the plan that’s being put together or what might work for your company, raise the issue to avoid regretting it later.
Consultants are there to help and guide you, and ultimately ensure you can overcome the complexities within the sector. If you don’t ask questions, you’ll find it’s easy to fall behind and be unsure about what’s going on. This won’t make for a good working relationship, and could cause misunderstandings and errors later on.
Ensure you communicate openly and honestly with your trade consultant. They want to help you make your business succeed on the global stage, but the only way to do that is through direct and honest communication.
3. Set clear and realistic objectives
For any trade consultancy relationship to work, there needs to be a clear level of understanding as to what your objectives are. Do you want to open new markets, lower the risks of trading overseas, or try to cut costs? Whatever it is you want to gain, make sure you work with your consultant to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-orientated). This will give you a good benchmark and mean that both parties are clear on what they need to do to achieve the objectives set out.
If you feel like the goals are too ambitious or not enough, contact your consultant. Likewise, if they feel your expectations are too high, they’ll tell you and work with you to find a realistic solution.
4. Share knowledge across your company
Working with a trade consultancy is a partnership. It’s a collaborative effort and requires consistent monitoring to ensure everyone is on the same page. One of the key risks of using consultants is that the knowledge gained isn’t shared across the business, so recommendations aren’t understood and benefits are lost.
With this in mind, use a trade consultant and an approach that enables you to share the knowledge gained across your whole company to ensure consistency and maximise the return on your investment.
International Trade Consultants at clearBorder
At clearBorder, we are experts in borders and trade consultancy services. Our team has decades of combined experience helping businesses like yours expand into new markets overseas. We are a hub of import and export information and are committed to assisting you in making sure your business is compliant, efficient and confident when it comes to global trade. We are the go-to consultancy for businesses who want to learn more about imports and exports, so let us help you.
We will work with you to get the results you want, help you broaden your business and improve your trade industry knowledge.
Our bespoke, expert advice will help you mitigate risk factors associated with international trade and get your business to the next level.
Our training courses can be accessed anywhere at any time. They are suitable for businesses of all sizes and are designed to accommodate your whole team, ensuring your whole business is ready to trade.
To find out more about how we can help you, arrange a free consultation today.