What to look for when hiring a transportation consultant - part 1
Transportation consultants can play a key role in helping you save time and money. We have found there are 10 major issues you should consider when hiring a transportation consultant. In part 1 of our two part series we will look at the first five. In part two we will review the remainder.
Time is money. There are many advantages to hiring transportation consultants who take the long-term view, puts the client first and if the relationship works sticking with that consultant. How do you find such a consultant? Find one who has long term experiences with large or reputable companies. That typically means the company has found a trusted advisor, involved the transportation consultant in the process of implementation and listened to practical advice. You don’t find that with transportation consultants who have a spotty record of one-night-stands with clients. Also by staying with a trusted transportation consultant there is no need to educate them about your company as new assignments arise. They already know you. It saves time and money and the benefit to you is that you can bounce ideas off of them often for free). In addition, they can provide you with new and spontaneous ideas when they hear about them that can save you money.
1. Transportation is not unlike any other service. The lowest cost is not always the best value. That is something a good transportation consultant knows. Upfront rate reductions, which are harder and harder to come by these days, are not the full story these days. Just ask any manager who has been seeking trucks at month-end. They know this.
2. An understanding of how carriers incur costs and how carriers can offset those costs is a key factor for transportation consultants. This knowledge can create a win-win situation and save money for the carrier. It is safe to assume that most large companies have achieved cost savings by working with transportation consultants to optimize these strategies that consultants know in the past few years. Also a good transportation consultant who knows the cost structures may suggest launching a private fleet, which is just one example of opening a broader range of options to maximize cost savings.
3. A good transportation consultant knows the long-term viability of the carriers and the way to get last second concessions. They understand the competitive landscape and are respected by carriers. Because they have important knowledge in this area, they can quickly determine the companies that would be interested in your business and the structures that would most advantageous.
4. Good transportation consultants switch their clients between modes, because it can save money. A good transportation consultant must have a solid understanding of each of the modes. Here is an example. Many boxcars become available at reasonable rates when automotive manufactures are slow. The boxcars become available at very reasonable rates. Also when we see high levels of imports, shipping companies need to get those containers back to port, so we see fantastic rates on shipping containers going to port areas.
5. Legal contracts can cost you an arm and a leg if you don’t know what you are doing. Many clients don’t. Good Transportation consultants do. And typically they will create the valid contract in the clients favor. Key points can be missed, assessorial changes will nickel and dime you to death, and if you don’t have the contract ready at the beginning, last minute negotiations will drive you crazy and cost you a lot of money. In addition to the business side of the contract, good Transportation consultants know the legal aspects of good-binding contracts and how to negotiate in your favor. And they save legal time too.
In part 2 of our series on 10 Steps to hiring a good transportation consultant, we will review the final 5.
When you consider a Transportation consultant, Thomas Moore and his associates at Transportation | Warehouse Optimization have been working with some of the top companies in America, finding practical solutions that have resulted in saving millions of dollars. They take a long-term view, know the market place and keep the client as top priority. Contact them at www.transportationoptimization.com for transportation cost reductions or warehouse challenges. Ask for a free consultation. While visiting their website, TEST YOUR SKILLS and see how well you can load a truck or manage cost savings.
How Can I Run an Employee Background Check?
One important part of the hiring process, no matter what industry you’re in, is running background checks on your potential employees. That tells you information about applicants that you wouldn’t know otherwise, and can be important to finding out whether someone really is the right person for the job.
Lots of employers skip this process, but they regret it later on when they find out something unpleasant about an employee. A simple background check will give you someone’s full history, from employment records to criminal records, address history and more.
This could help anyone’s employment process. Just one employee background check could uncover lots of important information. If an applicant has lied on his or her resume or has a criminal record you haven’t been told about, you’ll find out. That could help you make sure you’re choosing the right employee.
It’s also a good idea for applicants to run a background check on themselves to discover exactly what might be brought up in an interview. Believe it or not, it’s easy to forget about a part of your past that could come up.
Having your background report on hand before the interview lets you anticipate any and all questions, and you’ll be able to decide what the best response is to all of them. You’ll also get a better idea what your potential employer does and does not know about you.
Not sure how to run an employee background check?
This process is now a lot easier than it used to be. Everything can be done online, and there’s no need to hire any kind of investigative service.
That’s because the Internet contains a number of companies that have put together full background databases on almost everyone. Just log into the site, enter the name you want to inquire about, and you’ll get all the information available on that person.
You will have to pay a small fee for the services of these companies, and generally there are two options. If you’re only doing one or two background checks, you can pay per check. However, if you anticipate doing any larger number of checks, you’ll be able to pay a membership fee for unlimited searches on as many people as you choose. Membership fees usually cost only two or three times what one report will cost, so they’re often the best choice. Employers who hire more than every once in a while will prefer this option.
Any company that wants to be sure they hire the right applicant should be sure to include a background check as part of the employee screening process. This is an inexpensive and easy method, but it’s very effective.
Strategic Thinking Tactics - Time To Become A Clever Supervisor
Strategic thinking is an approach or a view that any top manager needs to consider while thinking about their business into the long-term. It is an invaluable method to learn how to change future desires and outputs into reality.
For any manager to transform a business vision into a successful business venture, they need to focus on developing their expertise in analytic thinking, coordinated group work, and problem solving.
And, perhaps most particularly, the ability of a leader, and perhaps, where possible a whole group of key people, to ponder upon what the future holds, whilst observing those obstacles|hurdles| and confrontations that might hold progress up.
Strategic Thinking - An Overview
Well, the use of strategic thinking as a tool has the widest of applications. In fact anywhere can benefit from a better understanding of the long term direction of the organization. The clarity generated can make the challenging considerations that are required day to day are focused on the ‘bigger picture’ outcomes that a strategic overview will provide.
The use of a strategic thinking methodology allows reverse engineering of the future, so that tactics are delivered regularly, rather than ending up there with a bit of a wing and a prayer principle.
Any business that takes such a lazy view of their business will err towards difficulty and a lack of focused forward planning. If you want a recipe for those organizations most likely to fail, especially in today’s world, then this would most likely be it.
The Purpose of Strategic Thinking
The main thrust of working forward with your strategic thinking is for it to research the potential opportunities and threats long-term and how they might impact on the bigger picture goals and aspirations of your business over the long term. Even if you are a large multi-national, there will be a timescale for the health of your business that you will want at least to protect - and preferably enhance.
It’s also a sufficient and clear guideline for the continued development and growth of the organization. One of the most important purposes of strategic thinking, is out-thinking your competitors and keeping ahead of your rivals.
While engaged in any strategic thinking process, a business team usually has to try to consider as many consequences and eventualities that may arise from their own actions aimed at improvement or growth. By minimizing adverse outcomes that could destroy ambitious plans.
In this process, by bringing together innovation, strategic planning and operational management, leaders attempt to develop as foolproof a business strategy as possible with a greater likelihood of success.
Simple Strategic Thinking For You And Your Team
Upfront preparation of a business plan is tricky at the best of times, especially as you need to do it with the future to consider. Tactical problem solving is much simpler, as the issues you come across every day hit you right in the face each morning. This is, by itself, likely to cause you much more difficulty over the distance, without the adequate provision for needs going forward.
If you’re are working for the long-term as well as current, it needs to be embedded in the way everyone works within the team or the organization as a whole if possible. When the culture of the business is always asking “Is this appropriate for the longer-term as well as right now”, then you will recognize that the focus is right.
This will allow thinking and planning with an eye to the outcome and encourage approaching every interaction with a view to the desired result. It gives a long term focus and not only enables dealing with short term disappointments, it also helps to identify and make best use of leverage opportunities turning situations to maximum advantage, whilst expending the minimum effort.
Strategic Thinking, In The End It’s Everyone’s Future…
Most usefully, strategic thinking can be a versatile valuable aid to versatile management and provides a ‘bigger picture’ that simplifies the most complex of business organizational activities processes, as well as creating the environment to encourage the sharing of possibilities for the future.
Of course, just because you take a bit of time out to look at the future and all it’s opportunities, you are not going to make it work out perfectly. Life is rarely quite that easy.
Anyone who is strong enough to try strategic planning, there may well be a rich future ahead!
Office Management tips and Common Mistakes
One of the many ways that you can go about becoming a better office manager is by staying well aware of your time. Time management is an important component of office management. Office managers are known for having long and large tasks lists. To accomplish each of your daily and weekly activities before their deadlines, you will need to have a good sense of time. Regularly missing deadlines or running behind schedule is not good for your company or your office as a whole and it may also put your job at risk.
One of the many ways that you can go about being a better office manager is by staying aware of those who you are responsible for. Although office management jobs do vary, many office managers are responsible for overseeing other office staff members. If management is one of your job responsibilities, you will want to make sure that you know who you are supposed to manage. It is advised that you introduce yourself to all new employees or all office members if you are a new hire. Not only should you know everyone who is under your supervision, but they should also know who you are and what your role in the company is.
Investing in office management software is another moneysaving way to effectively manage your office or your business as a whole. Yes, you will need to pay for office management software and the cost can be quite high. With that in mind, it is important to consider the purchase an investment. In fact, the buying of office management software is actually an investment that you can easily see a return on, as it can pay for itself if used properly. Office management software combines a number of business programs all into one. These programs can be web based or shared on a network. This allows you and other office employees to create and share project tasks lists, and do so much more. Office management is known for its ability to save time, speed up productivity, and improve performance levels.
Another option that you have involves hiring temporary workers. Temporary workers are nice, as you can use them as needed. If you are interested in employing temporary workers, it is important to make their work status known up front. Many job seekers would prefer permanent employment, but there are others out there who can benefit from temporary employment. When hiring temporary employees, you can use the assistance of temporary staffing firms, the internet, or local newspaper employment sections.
Management mistakes
If you are looking to find an office management job or if you were recently promoted to office manager, you may be feeling proud and excited, as you should be. With that in mind, it is also important to focus on the tasks at hand. Office management can be rewarding, but it can also be demanding. In this type of environment, it is easy to make mistakes. A few common office management mistakes, namely ones that you will want to avoid making, are outlined below for your convenience.
Not taking responsibility for your actions is another mistake that you will not want to make, as an office manager. As stated before, office management is demanding. It is not uncommon for you to have your own tasks, as well as be responsible for overseeing others and their projects. This is often what leaves room for errors or excuses. As an office manager, it is advised that you do not abuse your power. If you make a mistake that is brought to light, it is advised that you own up to that mistake. In the fast paced career world, many office managers can find themselves doing or saying things that they otherwise wouldn’t do or say. That is why it is advised that you always try and keep one foot on the ground, as they say.
4 Top Things to Consider When Seeking Venture Capital Funding
As a business start-up, entrepreneurs often need quite a bit of money to get the business started properly. More often than not, they do not have the money needed to pursue their dreams. It is at that point that the need for venture capital funding is required. A venture capitalist brings money to the entrepreneur in exchange for a share of future profits.
Venture Capital Fundings Verses Bank Loans
You might be thinking, what’s the difference in a venture capital and borrowing money from a bank? Banks look to make money on interest income, while venture capitalists look for long term gains. Most investors will hope to get three to five times their investment.
The Time Consuming Task of Seeking Venture Capital Funding
You may be asking yourself, how do I get venture capital funding for my business? Often it is who you know. You need a specialized company who knows how to approach and line up venture capital money successfully. You won’t regret it. The amount of time you will save by continuing to concentrate on growing your business will be invaluable during this time. Leave the heavy lifting of seeking venture financing for your business to the experts.
Entrepreneurs can approach the venture investors, but it can be a long and drawn out process. You may talk to a hundred investors before you actually find the one who is willing to invest in your project. It may take a numerous business meetings, conference calls, business plan revisions, with a number of venture investment companies before you actually find the one who will fund your business.
Create A Proper Business Plan
One of the first things that a venture capital investor will need is a business plan. The business plan gives a timeline. In the timeline, it generally provides a ballpark idea on the financial outlay required and how long it will take to get a return on investment.
Final Thoughts on Venture Funding
Venture capitalists vary in the way that they approach your business. Some have a hands-on approach and will make sure that every penny of the finances is spent properly. Some are more laid back, and even more leeway. But in the end, investors want to see a profitable enterprise taking off. Stay focused on the business plan, be open to advice from your investors, and go about making your business successful.
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