Trump's prices have made sales experts very busy and stressed

Derek Losting, a global supply and transport chain advisor, was recently invited to speak at a conference on investors for a large bank.

The invitation occurred for a little notice: he accepted the commitment on a Friday, and it took place practically the following Tuesday.

But despite the bank which only has the weekend to promote it, around 300 analysts showed up to hear it speaks, far from the usual dozen of investors who are generally present at this type of event, told Business Insider in Business Insider.

They were impatient to acquire the information they could on how the latest decrees on business issues, such as the prices and the end of Minmis, could have an impact on businesses and the economy as a whole.

“I think people lack information,” he said. “Things are so fluid right now.”

All uncertainty makes global trade experts very busy – and perhaps a little stressed.

Cindy Allen is the CEO of the Trade Force Consulting Office, which advises companies on global business issues such as the prices and the end of Minmis. It has 35 years of experience in trade, mainly as a customs broker and freight transfer. She also held steering positions in customs automation at customs and the protection of American borders and in accordance with Fedex Logistics.

Allen described the current commercial environment as “unprecedented”. The closest comparison she could think was the cocovated pandemic, but she said that it was more a problem of transport and availability, while the problems created by the prices are more financial.

Working in this industry means having in -depth knowledge of complex regulations. Become a certified customs broker, for example, requires passing an extremely complicated test that Most people fail.

“It was already complicated to assess the tasks, determining what regulations apply to products,” said Allen. “But now, with all additional prices, it has become extremely complex.”

A support group for “commercial nerds”

Paul Diedrich is Director of Customs Brokerage and Trade Services at the transfer of burgundy freight Global Logistics. As a professional compliance professional, his work consists in helping the ardent customers to navigate the latest customs regulations and ensure that they are in accordance.

He said that he had worked for 12 hours, more on weekends, in the weeks following the “Liberation Day”, providing advice and answering questions to small and means owners of business who were worried about the impact that the prices would have on their net profit.

“It was really not the physical act of importing a shipment on behalf of one of my clients,” said Diedrich. “He was just talking about the edges, in some cases.”

“When you had a container that yesterday, or before all these prices, would have been $ 3,000 to $ 5,000, and now it is $ 54,000 in service-for a small business, it is a great success, and few companies can take this type of cash at once,” he said.

Diedrich has decided to create a “pricing support group” for “commercial nerds” sailing in uncertainty. He organized the first meeting at the end of March and a second in April.

“More chaos yesterday with a softening of the tongue around China prices putting more pressure on me and my colleagues. I hope everyone repoked these crystal balls,” said Diedrich in a Linkedin Post Promote the group's first meeting. “We are without judgment, without politics and open to any broker, importer or professional of compliance beaten in recent weeks.”

An area of ​​frustration for people who join the Diedrich support group is how it has become difficult to interpret the decrees that often do not have the specific details they need to do their work effectively.

“There are people people in my industry to offer contradictory opinions” on things like what a duty on a particular importation could be, and if an exemption could be available, said Diedrich. “Honestly, you can look at both opinions and look at the order and say:” Okay, I can see where you come from. “”

'I am generally there with a glass of wine, while waiting'

Following the latest decrees and interpreting them for customers is a long part of the work.

“The first place you need to check is the White House website for decrees,” said Allen. “5 pm Friday seems to be the favorite moment to remove the main commercial problems, so I'm generally there with a glass of wine, waiting.”

She added that commercial publications and associations, such as the National Customs Brokers and Feldowers Association, are invaluable sources of information.

But staying up to date also means monitoring social media, including Trump's messages – or “truths” – on social truth.

“The work to stay up to date at the moment is a very different type of work from what has historically rendered the consulting firms in what they do,” said the loss. “Historically, it was data on historical trade, but now he catches the lunch interviews that the secretary of the Treasury had to DC this afternoon and monitored his comments.”

This makes it difficult for sales experts to make solid recommendations as they historically have it. The loss said that he had rather presented his customers with data points and a “scenarios modeling” that they can consider when making decisions.

“We could be 30 seconds from the following” truth “and all that we thought was true could be different with China,” said the loss. “Usually, when you help customers with a kind of strategy, it doesn't change daily.”

However, being at the center of a national conversation could have money lining.

Allen said that during most of his 35 -year -old career, most people, including her family, did not really understand what she had done for work. Trump's prices have changed this.

“There is a greater appreciation for compliance professionals. The CEO now has its phone number and knows its name,” said Allen. “Our industry has become much more precious in the conference room.”

She said that she hoped that attention would interest more people in the field.

“Trade is only becoming more complicated, and we need younger and more recent people to come with great ideas to help us modernize the process,” she said.

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