Whether you are starting a new company, revamping an existing one or just working to stay abreast of fast-changing business situations, you need information. This information is all around you-in the newspapers, on TV, in corporate PR and annual reports, in myriad places both on and off the Internet-beaten path-but is often difficult to obtain, much less analyze with confidence.

Researching markets and analyzing industries is not for the fainthearted or easily thwarted. It takes time, attention and a solid triple-digit IQ, as well as that hard to define “business sense” that some people just have, and others just envy.

Where’s the beef?

This is why there are firms that specialize in this work. While you put your focus and expend your energy on growing your business, professional market researchers and analysts put their time into gathering, sifting, checking, rechecking and performing microscopic quality control on the data you need to make both strategic (big picture) and tactical (task oriented) decisions.

Of course, there is more to getting the right info, from the right place, than flipping open the real or virtual Yellow Pages and choosing a company at random. Additionally, whether you do go the DIY (Do It Yourself) route or buy your reports, you need a clear idea of what information you really need, what goal(s) the data will support and its overall value in a strict, bottom-line sense.

What do you need to know?

If you don’t formulate a clear idea of what you need to know, you may end up simply paying four figures or more for a foot-thick binder and/or DVD full of data. Instead of getting answers and a focused response, you get another job-digging through all the pages to find out what you want to know, assuming you will recognize it when you see it. Before you start your own research project, or write a check for business market research reports and industry analysis, consider a few guidelines:

Start at the end: This is just a clever way of saying “define your goals,” which will force you to think about why you need the research in the first place.

Strip it down: If you narrow your focus and get specific about the results you want, you will save DIY time if you go that route, or money if you opt to buy the data.

ID your competitors: You always need to know who your competitors are, and also how they define themselves to consumers.

ID yourself: Much of the time, businesses in the same industry say a lot of the same things, so research and analysis helps you establish a differentiated brand.

What to do besides read reports

Some of the information that you may pay for will be out of date when you get it. So you will have to consider periodic reports and analysis, or take on some of the follow-up yourself. For instance, with today’s “social marketing” and Net-Connected Everything, you can follow customers, competitors and even online business analysts throughout the day on blogs, forums, MySpace/Facebook pages, the industry-oriented LinkedIn and even the 140-character mini-newsfeed Twitter.

In addition, such websites as SurveyMonkey.com and Zoomerang.com let you create your own surveys, define and buy special reports, rent targeted mailing lists and otherwise interact with both current and potential customers. For every possible question, you must ask yourself, “What does it mean if a respondent answers this way as opposed to that way?” Decide beforehand how you will treat your responses, what weight you will give particular ones and where the “tipping point” is for getting you to adjust your plans.

Personalized for you, or by you

Conducting in-depth interviews with existing customers, even potential ones, is a good way to get a feel for your market and your message. You can often customize the questions you want answered when you contract for reports from market researchers. Experts agree that open-ended questions that allow respondents to answer in their own words will get you the most valuable, usable feedback.

However, and wherever, you get this important customer (and potential customer) feedback, you will benefit from much more than crunched numbers and standard analytical breakdowns. You will get the “voice” of your market, as well. Smart business people know that customers are the best source for an “expert opinion” as to what constitutes a powerful marketing message. Your messages should sound more and more like your customers all the time if you are making the most of your market research and industry analysis.

If it begins to sound like a time- and brain-intensive undertaking, that’s because it is. You will have to consider, in your own special circumstances, what your time is worth as opposed to the cost of the market reports and analysis purchased from one of the many “knowledge brokers” and “metrics” vendors. With a little tailoring beforehand, there are few purchases you can make that will benefit you as much as good marketing research and analysis, no matter the size of your business, the industry it’s in or your annual sales.

If you get your firm the best business market research reports and industry analysis you can afford you will doubtless come to consider it one of the best investments you ever made-and soon, too.

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When you decide to buy jewelry for any woman in your life, you certainly want to be sure that the gift will be one she loves. A piece of jewelry is a very personal gift and you want to ensure that the message you’re sending is the one that you want to communicate.

Jewelry is a sign of love and true appreciation. You want the piece to be as beautiful as the woman in your life. You also want it to reflect the unique personality and character of the woman. One way to determine what piece would be right is know the style the woman prefers. If you know her well enough to buy her jewelry, you certainly know what her particular style and tastes are. You’re sure to have noticed patterns in her own choices of clothing, accessories and decorations.

Invariably, you’ve noticed the kind of clothing she prefers. Perhaps she’s a practical woman who tends to prefer clothing that is comfortable and durable. If this is the case, you may choose a piece of jewelry that is equally sedate. It may be a nice bracelet or necklace that can easily be paired with casual clothing.

Sometimes the practical dresser is that way due to necessity. If the woman in your life is one who works in a field that doesn’t afford her much room for self expression, you may want to consider a piece of jewelry that speaks more to her true character. Just because she has to wear a uniform all day doesn’t mean there isn’t another side to her personality. It may mean a great deal to her that you see her more unique and feminine side, and a piece of jewelry that communicates that message may be just the right heartfelt gift.

The woman in your life certainly already owns jewelry. The jewelry that she chooses for herself is a good indicator of her personal style and taste. If you’ve noticed she wears a lot of silver instead of gold or platinum, you may take that as a sign that she really prefers silver.

The type of designs and gemstones that a woman chooses for herself are also an indicator of the kind of jewelry she may prefer. You may notice that she really likes a particular color of stone or perhaps her outfits or decorating choices tend to favor certain shades. These are all signs that she may appreciate jewelry that features the same colored stones.

The occasion for which you’re giving the jewelry can also be a determining factor in what you select. If you’re celebrating a special event or milestone in the woman’s life, you will want the gift to be equivalent to the significance of the moment. A birthday, holiday, promotion, educational achievement, or other special recognition are all reasons for celebration. The jewelry you give should be as special as the event you’re celebrating.

There are, of course, moments that are special to just the two of you. If you’re giving jewelry as a gift for an anniversary, you may want to consider a piece that carries some symbolic value. The piece itself may not cost that much but it should have a special significance to the woman. Celebrating a first anniversary can be a good time to give a small token of your appreciation. A simple necklace or pair of earrings can be a perfect choice.

Momentous occasions merit more spectacular gifts. The celebration of the birth of your first child for instance can be a great time to purchase a piece of jewelry that features both of your birthstones and the birthstone of your newborn. Or perhaps you’re celebrating your 10th wedding anniversary, in which case you may want to consider purchasing her a ring that rivals the beauty of her engagement ring.

Each woman is different and the jewelry you buy for that special lady in your life should be true to her own special nature. Reflecting your own intimate knowledge of her and your unique appreciation for her splendid beauty is important. It lets her know that you see her for who she really is and love her for all that she brings to your life.

Buying jewelry or any similarly personal gift can be intimidating. Of course, you want it to be something that she will love. You may be afraid that you won’t choose the right piece to clearly communicate how special she is to you. You may think you’ll choose something that she won’t like all that much.

Odds are that your worry is for naught, as you likely know her better than you think. You probably know more about her tastes, personality and character than you realize. All you really need to do is take a good look at the lady in your life. Examine the way she carries herself, the clothing she loves and the decorations she chooses to surround herself with; you’re sure to have a good idea of what type of jewelry may suit her well.

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To the uninitiated, shipping from China looks like a complicated, disorganized process. There are political, legal and cultural factors that, in fact, do complicate matters, but when you select the right China-based partners you can rely on their expertise. What you need to know about shipping cargo from China involves government regulations in China and the destination country, as well as freight forwarding companies and various logistical matters. As in any other specialized operation, you should stick with your core activity and get the right people to help you navigate through the entire process.

It is easier to understand what is going on if you look at the individual steps involved. There are about 10-12 steps, depending on variables, involving about that same number of different parties. Briefly, the process works like this for a shipment out of South Mainland China to the U.S.:

- Factory advises that cargo is ready

-Customs broker in China will arrange clearance and inspection

-Based on factory license, Chinese customs allows export

-Trucking firm takes cargo to Hong Kong border

-Chinese customs clears export to Hong Kong

-Cargo delivered to port or airport

-Hong Kong export clearance allows booking with shipper

-Cargo arrives at destination

-U.S. customs is cleared

-Trucking firm takes cargo to destination

Through these steps you have dealt with factory managers, buyers, brokers, customs officials in three locations, trucking firms and shopping companies. The questions should immediately present themselves to you: How much of this do you want to manage? Who can help you the most?

Go with what you know

First-timers will rarely be able to organize and manager the entire process of sourcing from China, whether it’s one time only or a regular weekly thing. In fact, it is best that you and your firm focus on what you do best (buying, selling, marketing, service, manufacturing, whatever it is) rather than become a logistics company. Selecting a good international shipper may seem the best place to start, but shipping firms do not have the breadth of experience in most cases to help you cut through bureaucratic red tape, attend to the many legalities, work within the cultural milieu or resolve misunderstandings.

The answer is clear. An attorney that knows China, speaks the language, understands the culture and is experienced in international shipping is the way to go. Not only will the attorney be able to ensure all your dealings are correctly managed, he or she will handle the myriad different details and allow you to concentrate on your central business activities. Because you now have the support of someone with expertise in Chinese business and logistics, you will enjoy the benefits of the attorney’s many contacts and get the best, most cost-effective deals. Your lawyer, a China expert, will be the most important piece of this puzzle, the central hub coordinating the many different activities that can become dizzyingly complex at times.

Large-scale networking

You can think of this as a networking process. Rather than making multiple, often overlapping connections to 10-12 different parties (from freight forwarders and local trucking firms to customs officials in various countries), creating something of a tangled web if you are not careful, you make one connection to a lawyer experienced in shipping from China. The lawyer’s connections then become available to you for the solution of your particular challenge, whether it’s a single shipment or a regular schedule of shipments. The time you save through this top-down networking is substantial and, therefore, valuable, offsetting the cost of the attorney and creating a cost-effective solution.

There is simply no substitute for real-world experience when it comes to shipping from China. No matter how many how-to books you’ve read on the subject, and regardless of how all the Chinese regulations explain the process, there is always a difference (sometimes major) between the way things are written and the way things actually operate. You need an attorney with direct experience in China to help guide you through the process and, in fact, protect your interests. It is the single best decision you can make if you are involved, or will become involved, in shipping cargo from China.

By working with an attorney who knows China, its people, its laws and its customs, you will save yourself time, money and aggravation. Stay focused on your core operations, while getting expert assistance in the specialized areas, and your cargo will be delivered on time, every time.

As an experienced China lawyer, Benjamin Lau firmly believes that the client is the main focus of his law practice. Every client is guaranteed personal attention and aggressive legal representation. Mr. Lau is a lawyer whose reputation is well known for excellence in resolving his clients’ legal problems. For More information about china lawyers please visit my website.