The Logistics of Logistics

New School Supply Chain Basics with the Supply Chain Queen, Sheri Hinish Sheri Hinish and Joe Lynch discuss new school supply chain basics. As a supply chain thought leader and change agent, Sheri is leading the way toward sustainable supply chains, new paradigms, strategy, and leadership. About Sheri Hinish Sheri Hinish is The Supply Chain Queen and she is on a mission to change the world through sustainable supply chains, evangelizing The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and building technology grounded in the principles of sustainable development. She helps executives and their teams explore new school supply chain, digital readiness, sustainability, innovation, design thinking, and connected value networks. Sheri earned a BS (Maryland) and an MS (Rutgers) in Supply Chain Management. Sheri is currently a Master of Arts Candidate, Sustainability at Harvard. The Supply Chain Queen In her work as the Supply Chain Queen, Sheri has made a career simplifying the complex, rethinking supply chain strategy and customer experience, the way we design, connect, and influence each other. Sheri helps executives and their teams reimagine their approach by 1) leveraging new ways of thinking about supply chain, sustainable development, and corporate sustainability in the world we share. 2) helping leaders design, guide, & inspire organizations through complex transformations, bridging workforce generations. 3) using next-generation leading practice to develop the right technology, supply chain, and solution strategy for ecosystem orchestration and stewardship. Key Takeaways – New School Supply Chain Basics The new school supply chain basics (below) that Sheri described on the podcast also appear on the Supply Chain Revolution website. New School Supply Chain. The "we've always done it this way" operating model is over. Supply chain has never had a bigger seat at the table. Advances in supply chain technology, data science, corporate social responsibility create opportunities like no other decade in our existence to building a new global economy that is circular. This requires a "new school" shift that puts the customer experience, supply chains with purpose, and leadership front and center. Corporate Sustainability. Corporate Sustainability isn't philanthropy. We help companies understand supply chains are a conduit for social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and the win-win of ' doing well and doing good" to transform the world we share. Circular Economy & Circular Thinking. We are leaving value on the table and take-make-waste, or linear economy is costing our planet and our supply chains billions in value leakage annually. The Supply Chain Revolution embraces circularity, making fiscal sense of shifting toward regenerative, restorative processes and designing for zero waste in end-to-end supply chain orchestration. Sustainable Development & the SDGs. This is the decade of action. Propelled by purpose, new school leaders understand the inter-connectivity of industrial, technological, environmental, and human systems. Sustainable Development and Supply Chains are a conduit to realizing many of the SDGs by 2030. Diversity & Inclusion. The way we lead, hire, think, design, connect, share in communities of practice is shifting. New diversity includes challenging paradigms for inclusion by transforming culture, developing multi-disciplinary teams, and encouraging diversity, divergence, and radical collaboration. Leading & Influencing Change. The ability to lead in Supply Chain 5.0, digitalization, the future of work, and transition toward sustainable, circular models requires new-school leadership. Themes include headspace, modus operandi, stewardship, and understanding new impacts in transformation and beyond. Learn More About New School Supply Chain Basics Sherri Hinish Supply Chain Queen Supply Chain Revolution Podcast The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

5 Challenges to Expanding into Latin America with Demo Perez Demo Perez and Joe Lynch discuss 5 Challenges to Expanding into Latin America (LATAM). The LATAM region is huge and growing fast so many North American, European, and Asian companies are anxious to enter the market. LATAM is a golden opportunity, however, there many problems unique to the region. Demo has been helping global companies expand into Latin America for over two decades and he shares some of his valuable insights. About Demo Perez Demo Perez is the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of the IPL Group, based in Panama. Demo and the IPL team specialize in Latin American warehousing and distribution. Demo has proven expertise in warehousing, distribution, logistics, value-added services, logistics technology, government affairs, and international trade. Prior to founding IPL Group, Demo held leadership positions at Logistics Services Panama. Demo is the President of CSCMP, Panama Roundtable, and the Vice-Chair of the Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee (Chamber of Commerce). Demo has worked with a number of Panamian government and trade groups and advised Georgia Tech on logistics innovation. Demo earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Panama. About IPL Group IPL Group helps global firms expand their business into the Latin American market. IPL Group is based in Panama, which is the go-to country for companies that want to expand into the huge, fast-growing Latin American market. IPL Group specializes in Latin American warehousing and distribution. IPL offers a wide array of value-added services that help customers comply with the rules and regulations of the different countries in the LATAM region as well as special needs from distributors, retailers, and individual customers. IPL Group is also a full-service freight brokerage and freight forwarder. Key Takeaways – 5 Challenges to Expanding into Latin America LATAM region is comprised of over 30 countries and each has its own unique culture, customs, dialects, federal regulations, currency, tariffs, and consumer tastes. When expanding into the region, companies must recognize the difficulty and complexity of entering into each individual country. Many business people used to large homogeneous markets like the USA will need to change their attitudes to be successful in LATAM. Managing inventory is a major concern for companies expanding into LATAM. Developing accurate sales forecasts is often a problem for companies new to the region. If a product doesn't sell, moving excess inventory is challenging. Companies are better off, keeping their inventory at a regional distribution center rather than committing to local inventory. The regional DC should be in Panama because of the strategic location. Panama also has the logistics expertise, infrastructure, and experience required to manage a LATAM regional distribution center. To minimize investment when entering LATAM, companies often find distributors who work in the region. Distributors can offer some advantages, however, they are separate entities that can't be easily controlled. Distributors may work with your competition and they may not fully commit to selling your product. The costs added by distributors may make your product unattractive to the LATAM markets. In many cases, companies new to the market will be better served by a regional 3rd party logistics provider (3PL). To successfully expand into the LATAM region, companies must partner with the right 3PL. Hiring a 3PL that can manage warehousing, value-added services, logistics, and distribution will enable your team to focus on growing the revenues in the region. Learn More About 5 Challenges to Expanding into Latin America Demo Perez IPL Group Related Topics: 7 Reasons Panama is the Latin American Supply Chain Capital with Demo Perez The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

Emotional Intelligence in Sales with Ann Holm Ann Holm and Joe Lynch discuss emotional intelligence in sales. Ann reviews the basics of emotional intelligence and how to apply it to sales. About Ann Holm Ann C. Holm, MS, PCC, is a Professional Certified Coach specializing in executive, career, and sales coaching. In addition to being a certified Master practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, she offers the Type Coach online assessment, with a focus on personality as it relates to the process of generating leads, closing and maintaining sales accounts. She also has 25 years of experience in applied brain science, using her hands-on experiences to help her coaching clients understand how to stay focused, be engaged, and energized given the demands of the 21st century workplace. Ann has both a BA and an MS from the University of Michigan with focuses in psychology, brain science, and language. About Ann Holm's Coaching Practice Ann helps individuals position themselves for success by increasing their self-awareness, which is a must-have skill in the 21st century. Through coaching and proven assessment tools, Ann helps people become aware of their personality, emotional intelligence, and how they manage their brain energy. She also helps her client to better understand their value proposition or personal brand. Areas of expertise include: personal self-awareness, sales coaching for logistics professionals, emotional intelligence, communication and influence, team building, MBTI Master Practitioner, extensive experience with the MBTI Step III, 360 Reach/Personal Branding, and applied brain science. Key Takeaways - Emotional Intelligence in Sales Self Awareness - Know your strengths and weaknesses. Social Awareness - Understanding the cultural environment of your customer so you can behave properly (when in Rome). Self Management - Build self-management skills so you can adjust your behavior to the situation. Relationship Management - Do the things that foster the relationship between you and your customer. Learn More About Emotional Intelligence in Sales Ann Holm AnnHolm.net Related Topics: Avoiding Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt with Steve Elwell Understanding Your Sales Personality with Ryan Schreiber and Ann Holm The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

Accelerating Time to Value for 3PLs with John Golob John Golob and Joe Lynch discuss accelerating time to value for 3PLs implementing and onboarding new accounts. 3PLs, freight forwarders, and carriers are increasingly concerned with the timely implementation of new customers. A poorly managed or late implementation can be very costly for both the LSP and the shipper. Additionally, the damage to the business relationship could last for years and cost the LSP an opportunity to win additional business from the shipper. About John Golob John Golob is the founder and CMO of Winmore, a San Francisco based software firm that has developed the Customer Success Platform (CSP) for Logistics Companies which helps commercial teams win more RFPs, minimize scope creep, and build customer relationships at scale. Winmore is John's sixth start-up since graduating from USC in 1991. Previous early-stage ventures include Scopus Technology (acquired by Siebel for $500 million), Octane Software (acquired by E.piphany for $1.3 billion), Digital Impact (acquired by Axciom for $190 million) and Xobni (acquired by Yahoo for $90 million) and Good Technology (acquired by Motorola for $500 million). John earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. About Winmore Winmore brings years of industry expertise and a passion for redefining logistics through innovation and digitization. Winmore's business is helping logistics service providers become more successful. Winmore provides three solutions: 1.) RFP & Tender Collaboration software streamlines the bid qualification process, increases the efficiency of your bid desk, and improves overall win rates by as much as 25%. 2.) Customer Solution On-Boarding software manages the onboarding of complex customer implementations, accelerates time-to-value, minimizes scope-creep, ensures compliance, and delights customers. 3.) Business Process Design Studio is a drag-and-drop business process modeling tool for developing and publishing multi-stage, collaborative workflows that accelerate and streamline your business processes. Key Takeaways – Accelerating Time to Value for 3PLs The Consequences and Causes of Mismanaged and Delayed Customer Implementations When logistics services providers (LSPs) are awarded a large account by a shipper, the expectation is that the implementation will run smoothly. Unfortunately, that is seldom the case, especially for larger implementations. The consequences for a poorly managed implementation are: customer dissatisfaction, lost business in the event the customer doesn't renew, extra cost for manpower to remedy the situation, lost business, lawsuits, frayed relationships, lost savings for the shipper, and lost revenue for the LSP. Large LSP-shipper implementations are hard. The onboarding, integration, and communication are very difficult to manage. Data sharing and hand-offs between the 3PL and shipper are problematic, especially as the project moves through the RFP process. The RFP process includes the following process steps: 1.) RFP, 2.) Response from 3PL, 3.) Evaluation, 4.) Contract, 5.) Implementation, and 6.) Continuous improvement. In each process step, there are new people involved, actions undertaken, and decisions required. Accelerating Time to Value for 3PLs To properly manage a shipper implementation and integration, 3PLs need to utilize a stable, effective process, that ideally enabled by a system. Winmore has specifically developed its Customer Solution On-Boarding to help LSPs onboard new customers. Winmore's comprehensive, but easy-to-use software solves the three most critical pain points that impact customer solution delivery. Process control - manages and monitors the end-to-end solution delivery process, providing feedback and alerts to identify and solve bottlenecks quickly. Internal compliance - clearly communicates requirements, status, success criteria, and results to all stakeholders, helping ensure adherence to your internal processes. Continuous improvement - Six Sigma black belts and continuous improvement people love Winmore's Process Studio, Kanban boards, and stage/gates, helping them remove waste from their operations. Learn More: John Golob Related Topics: Increase Your RFP Win Rate by Fixing the Bid and Tender Process with John Golob The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

5 Challenges to Expanding into Europe with Joe Paris Joe Paris and Joe Lynch discuss 5 challenges to expanding into Europe. As an American entrepreneur and recognized expert in operational excellence living in Germany, Joe Paris has unique, first-hand insights into the challenges facing American companies expanding into Europe. About Joe Paris Joe Paris is the founder and CEO of the XONITEK group of companies. Joe has devoted his entire career of over 30 years to helping companies become high-performance organizations. As an international entrepreneur and a sought-after strategist, consultant, mentor, and speaker with engagements around the world – and through the considerable experiences Joe has had, the research he has conducted, and the articles he has written. Joe is a world-recognized thought leader on the subject of operational excellence. About XONITEK XONITEK is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping companies in their pursuit of achieving operational excellence. XONITEK mostly works with publicly listed firms with international operations or value-chains. Clients typically have a mature continuous improvement program. They aspire to press further to become high-performance organizations with a clear vision, unmistakably communicated, and vigorously pursued. XONITEK consultants are highly capable subject matter experts who are eager to engage, highly communicative, and can help you move quickly from assessment to action. Key Takeaways – 5 Challenges to Expanding into Europe In Joe's experience the biggest problems American's companies struggle when expanding into Europe, for the following reasons: Taxation is a major concern when expanding into Europe because you will most likely be doing business in multiple countries, with very different tax codes. American businesspeople who are used to the large US market underestimate the accounting and tax expertise required to do business in the European market. Human resources are very different in Europe. In the USA, most employees are usually "at will" which means they can be released with a minimum of hassle. In Europe, employees are protected by government regulations and employment contracts. As a result, employing people in Europe is more rigid and expensive. Investment capital in Europe tends to be risk-averse and less plentiful compared to the USA. Companies expanding into Europe will need to pay extra attention to how their expansion will be financed. Lack of flexibility is a challenge for US businesspeople who are used to developing plans for the US market. In Joe's experience, companies expanding into Europe should avoid big investments in real estate, people, and operations until they fully understand the market. Companies are better off entering the market slowly, partnering, and outsourcing to avoid a big investment. Postpone investment until you have a better understanding of the customer, risks, and opportunities. Environmental regulations in Europe are very different and often more stringent than in the USA. For businesspeople interested in European expansion, understanding the environmental impact and country-specific regulations is very important. Bonus challenge! Understanding customs and cultures is sometimes a struggle for companies expanding into Europe. Each country has its own unique culture and customs, which is very different from the US market, which is mostly homogenous. In general, Europeans have more national holidays, vacation days, and sick days. They also value their time off and create boundaries between work and play, which contrasts greatly to the culture of most American businesspeople. Learn More: Joe Paris XONITEK Operational Excellence Society The Readiness Institute Podcast - The Outliers Inn Related Topics: 4 Pillars to Future-Proofing Your Supply Chain with Yatish Desai The Hidden Solution to Most Supply Chain Problems with Ron Crabtree The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

Avoiding Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in Sales with Steve Elwell Steve Elwell and Joe Lynch discuss why avoiding fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the sales process will help you close more deals. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt in a buyer's mind almost always kill the sale. About Steve Elwell Steve brings a strategic and practical approach to the challenges of leadership and business profitability. He is expert in the growth and turnaround of small and medium manufacturing, logistics, and technology businesses. He led the turnaround of 5 troubled companies and started 2 new businesses. He successfully recruited and led 6 sales forces, introduced dozens of new products, and entered 10 new markets. As a retained executive search consultant, he built C-suite leadership teams for clients in a variety of industries. Steve earned a BA in Economics and Management and a MBA. He lives with his family in suburban Detroit. About Steve Elwell's Work Steve Elwell helps business owners with challenged businesses increase liquidity, improve sales, leadership, efficiency, and growth. Business situations include turnaround, sales stagnation, customer-market concentration, and rapid growth. Key Takeaways – Avoiding Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in Sales Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt – Definitions and Causes Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is the game behind the game. FUD emotions will not be openly discussed, but they may kill your sale. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Uncertainty is the state of being uncertain. Also, unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness, chanciness, precariousness, unsureness. Doubt is a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction – uncertainty. Also, lack of certainty, unsureness, indecision, hesitation, hesitancy, apprehension, suspicion, confusion, insecurity, inhibition, uneasiness. Typically, FUD is caused by the mistakes made by the salesperson. Inconsistences in the sales process like miscommunication, unanswered emails, bad grammar or language, poor presentation, inappropriate dress, late to meetings, outdated websites, lack of social proof online like no LinkedIn profile. Unforced errors cause FUD. Anything that might make the prospect uncomfortable, potentially causes FUD. FUD is hard to overcome once it has been introduced, so it must be avoided. To Avoid Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) in Sales, Demonstrate the 5 C's Character – display integrity and high morals in business and personal life. Competence – show your clients and prospects that you can do your job effectively and efficiently. Become the expert professional that they want to work with. Care – pay attention to the project, show your customer that their project is important to you. Communication – Have your written and verbal correspondence on-point and on-time. Connection – build a relationship, a bond with your prospective client. Get on their wavelength and empathize with your prospect. Learn More: Steve Elwell Related Topics: The Number One Reason Why People Buy with Steve Elwell Understanding the Buying Process with Steve Elwell The Only 3 Ways to Improve Your Sales with Steve Elwell Entering New Logistics Markets with Steve Elwell The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

Reducing Cost and Improving Transit Time for eCommerce Shipments from China with Brian Miller Brian Miller and Joe Lynch discuss eCommerce shipments from China, which can be challenging for small to mid-size eCommerce companies. Brian and his company, Easy China Warehouse have a unique approach that can reduce the cost and transit time for shipping from China to the USA. About Brian Miller Brian Miller is the founder and CEO of Easy China Warehouse (ECW) based in Shenzhen, China. Prior to founding ECW, Brian co-founded a blue tooth speaker eCommerce company so he understands the unique challenges faced by eCommerce companies shipping from China. Earlier in his career, Brian held leadership positions with Chinese manufacturing companies. Brian earned a BS in Business Administration from The University of Connecticut. Brian speaks fluent Mandarin and lives in Shenzhen. About Easy China Warehouse Easy China Warehouse, based in Shenzhen, specializes in warehouse and transportation solutions for eCommerce and Amazon FBA sellers. With its proximity to Hong Kong, Easy China Warehouse (ECW) can provide customers with the fastest and most economical shipping lanes in the world. ECW ships to all Amazon FBA warehouses globally and can drop ship from its Chinese warehouse directly to customers anywhere in the world. In addition, they provide value-added services such as product kitting, bundling, simple assembly, and package, and insert manufacturing. ECW provides the most flexible and cost-effective global fulfillment solution for eCommerce sellers manufacturing in China. Key Takeaways – Reducing Cost and Improving Transit Time for eCommerce Shipments from China Typical Problems for eCommerce Shipments from China (particularly LCL) For many eCommerce companies, their product is manufactured in China and then shipped to the USA. Smaller eCommerce companies, especially start-ups, do not always have enough product (sales) to fill a shipping container so they are forced to use Less Than Container Load (LCL) services. Less Than Container Load (LCL) is a shipment that will not fill a container. With an LCL shipment, you pay for your load to be shipped in a container with one or more loads from other customers of the freight transport provider. While LCL is a good option for many, it is more expensive than buying a full container and the consolidation and coordination often increases the transit time. Reducing Cost and Improving Transit Time for eCommerce Shipments from China On the podcast, Brian Miller explained another approach to ocean shipping for eCommerce companies that typically would use LCL. Brian's company, Easy China Warehouse, and other companies like his use this approach. Rather than ship your product to a freight forwarder in China for LCL consolidation and eventually shipping to the USA, the product is shipped to a China warehouse that labels the product with shipping instructions (UPS, FedEx) and consolidates it with other companies product. While it is similar to the LCL consolidation, the process is faster and saves days or even a week in transit time. Since the product is labeled in China, the breakdown and shipping coordination in the USA is greatly reduced saving more time and money. Since Brian's company, Easy China Warehouse specializes in eCommerce shipments, they understand the unique challenges faced by eCommerce companies. Learn More About eCommerce Shipments from China Brian Miller Easy China Warehouse Related Topics: 5 Biggest Mistakes Sellers Make When Using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) with Ephraim Ausch Selecting an E-commerce Fulfillment Partner with AJ Khanijow The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast can be heard on the following players: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

Stop Toiling in Obscurity with Ann Holm Ann Holm and Joe Lynch discuss why you should stop toiling in obscurity. To build a successful career in the 21st century where most people will have dozens of different jobs, you must work smart and become known within your industry. Toiling in obscurity hoping to be noticed and rewarded for all your labor is not a healthy or smart approach for managing your career. About Ann Holm Ann C. Holm, MS, PCC, is a Professional Certified Coach specializing in executive, career, and sales coaching. In addition to being a certified Master practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, she offers the Type Coach online assessment, with a focus on personality as it relates to the process of generating leads, closing, and maintaining sales accounts. She also has 25 years of experience in applied brain science, using her hands-on experiences to help her coaching clients understand how to stay focused, be engaged, and energized given the demands of the 21st-century workplace. Ann has both a BA and an MS from the University of Michigan with focuses in psychology, brain science, and language. About Ann Holm's Coaching Practice Ann helps individuals position themselves for success by increasing their self-awareness, which is a must-have skill in the 21st century. Through coaching and proven assessment tools, Ann helps people become aware of their personality, emotional intelligence, and how they manage their brain energy. She also helps her client to better understand their value proposition or personal brand. Areas of expertise include: personal self-awareness, sales coaching for logistics professionals, emotional intelligence, communication and influence, team building, MBTI Master Practitioner, extensive experience with the MBTI Step III, 360 Reach/Personal Branding, and applied brain science. Key Takeaways – Stop Toiling in Obscurity The Problem with Toiling in Obscurity The definition of toil is to work extremely hard, incessant labor, grinding without rest or peace. The definition of obscurity is the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant. Obviously, no one wants to toil in obscurity, but if you are not proactive, you can find yourself being a doer and not a leader. Toiling in obscurity means you lack leadership, influence, and you are not recognized for your contributions. Some problems associated with toiling in obscurity: People sometimes struggle to step out of obscurity because moving into the light requires them to leave their comfort zone. Toilers often are not familiar or native to the social media tools that are useful for getting found. Many people in their 50's and 60s' did not grow up with social media so they do not use them. People living in obscurity sometimes do not fully understand their value proposition. Not realizing their value to the deal, they are hesitant to share their expertise. Many people who are flat out experts have a distorted view of themselves. They undervalue their expertise and experience in a field, which makes them hesitant to Sometimes individuals hold on to outdated thinking about their role. They perceive themselves as doers rather than as a leader or influencer. This behavior will not help you be discovered. You must choose yourself. Put Yourself Out There - Join the Conversation When you become more active with the logistics community via social media, content creation, and networking, you can become a thought leader with more influence and a network of trusted contacts. When you put yourself out there, you get the following benefits: Gain legitimacy Grow your network Recognize your value proposition Leave your comfort zone Increase your confidence How to Become Part of the Conversation – Put Yourself Out There Create a professional, high-quality LinkedIn profile with a nice headshot, headline, and list of accomplishments. Develop a network on LinkedIn and get to know the people your connected to. Participate in discussions, join some LinkedIn groups, share an article, podcast, or video, and include your comments. Volunteer to represent your company at a networking event, speak at an event, Create content like an article, podcast, or video. Learn More About Toiling in Obscurity Ann Holm AnnHolm.net The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

The 5 Billion Dollar Overcharge with Steve Ferreira Steve Ferreira and Joe Lynch discuss the 5 billion dollar overcharge which refers to the amount that ocean shippers are overcharged every year. Steve is well recognized expert in ocean freight auditing and in the interview, he describes the problem of ocean freight overcharges and ways to recapture the difference. About Steve Ferreira Steve Ferreira is the founder and CEO of Ocean Audit. Steve has spent his entire career in global container shipping. He established Ocean Audit in 1994 when he realized general freight audit practices reverse no more than 50% of overcharges occurring in ocean transportation. Today, Steve's process is leading edge and utilizes machine learning to identify and validate ocean freight invoice errors. Initial recovery validation can be accomplished with only a very basic requested client-side report. Steve Ferreira is often featured in leading business publications like USA Today, Journal of Commerce, and as a guest commentator on CNBC. About Ocean Audit Ocean Audit is the leader in ocean freight invoice auditing. Ocean freight billing is very complex, and few shippers fully understand all the charges. As a result of this complexity, ocean freight shippers are commonly overcharged. Ocean Audit and Steve Ferreira specialize in ocean freight auditing. Ocean Audit uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify invoice inaccuracies and overcharges. Ocean Audit utilizes its expertise on a contingency only basis, which means Steve only gets paid if he discovers a saving. Key Takeaways - 5 Billion Dollar Overcharge The Problem with Ocean Freight Invoices In Steve's experience, ocean freight invoices are usually inaccurate. The average high-volume ocean freight shipper is overcharged by 1-2% with some shippers getting overcharged by much more. Ocean freight invoices are very complex and there are few supply chain people who have the time and or expertise required to audit the invoices. Auditing of the ocean freight invoices frequently falls in a gap somewhere between accounting and the supply chain group. Ocean freight invoicing is often very antiquated and technology improvements implemented are far behind the truckload and LTL modes. The top five reasons ocean freight invoices are inaccurate: Double billing (the ocean freight provider may double bill when they discover a surcharge not added to the freight bill). Date cusp issues Fuel surcharges Not checking container numbers Contract complexity Ocean Freight Auditing – Recapturing the 5 Billion Dollar Overcharge Shippers can conduct their own ocean freight auditing; however, they would need to hire an internal resource that would have a deep understanding of ocean freight auditing. This specialized knowledge is not easily found. Shippers can also hire a pre-auditing firm, which is a 3rd party company that audits the freight bills prior to the shipper paying the invoice. Since most pre-auditing firms specialize in over the road trucking freight audit, they may lack the knowledge required to conduct an effective ocean freight audit. For many ocean freight shippers, the right audit solution is a company that specializes in ocean freight auditing. Ocean freight auditing is too complex to hire a firm that just dabbles in the space – hire a specialist. Ocean freight shippers hire Steve Ferreira because he has over 40,000 hours of expertise in all areas of ocean freight invoicing and dispute management. Steve is the world's leading expert in recovery auditing for the container shipping industry. Ocean Audit is the only international company specializing in all aspects of ocean freight recovery. Learn More: Steve Ferreira Ocean Audit Business Insider FreightWaves The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast

The Niches Have Riches with Kevin Hill Kevin Hill and Joe Lynch discuss why the niches have riches, which refers to the advantage of specializing and owning a niche. In the logistics and transportation business, competition is intense and increasingly the best 3PLs are developing market segments, so they can customize their services to a specific niche (market segment). About Kevin Hill Kevin Hill is the Director of Editorial and Research at FreightWaves, which publishes proprietary research on all things transport and logistics. Kevin is also the co-host of the popular freight sales podcast, Put That Coffee Down. Additionally, Kevin is the founder of CarrierLists, which is the only carrier database that provides a comprehensive profile of carriers that go beyond what is available in public records. Earlier in his career, Kevin held leadership positions in both the financial and logistics industries. Kevin earned an MBA from the University of Oklahoma. About FreightWaves FreightWaves is the leading freight intelligence provider, offering current digital intelligence and context to the freight community on a central platform. FreightWaves'​ SaaS product, SONAR, is the leading freight market analytics tool and dashboard, aggregating billions of data points from hundreds of sources to provide the fastest data in the transportation and logistics sector. FreightWaves.com, the company's news site, is the leading provider of news and commentary for the transportation and logistics space. FreightWaves also hosts conferences under Transparency and MarketWaves branding and is a co-developer of the first futures contracts dedicated to trucking spot rates. Key Takeaways – The Niches Have Riches The Problem with One Size Fits All The competition is fierce in the transportation and logistics business and without a niche, you and your company will struggle to stand out from the crowd. The "we are everything to everyone" messaging is a sure loser Shippers look to 3PLs for answers to their transportation and logistics problems. Shippers are increasingly looking for industry-specific expertise and if you do not have it, they will work with your competition. Content marketing begins with market segmentation (niches). If you want to gain favorable attention with a food shipper, you better be able to create content that appeals to them. Food shippers are obviously different than hazmat shippers, and vice versa. With a one size fits all strategy, your marketing and messaging is going to be a "mile wide and an inch deep" which won't for shippers who want to work with experts in their business. The Niches Have Riches Approach When logistics providers develop their own niche, they have a better chance of winning business with shippers in that niche. To develop the selected niche, learn about the biggest problems facing the niche industry - that your company can solve. Once understood, incorporate the problems along with your solutions into your marketing and sales messaging. With industry knowledge, your chances for a sale increase. Since your company is focused on a niche, the confidence of the sales team will be much higher. Logistics market segments include: Automotive Chemical and Plastics Industrial and Manufacturing Gov & Defense Energy and Petrochemicals Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Furniture Food and Beverage Appliances Electronics Health, Pharma, Life Sciences Industry leaders like CH Robinson are using market segmentation and thought leadership to grow their business: https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/industries/ Learn More: Kevin Hill FreightWaves Put That Coffee Down CarrierLists The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast