If you’re relying on your local bank for assistance doing business in other countries, you may be getting short-changed. That’s because you’re not getting the kind of innovative, flexible currency solutions that foreign exchange specialists can offer.

As UK businesses increasingly go global, they’re frequently dealing in multiple currencies. And the success of any venture can often rest on getting the most favourable foreign exchange transaction rate.

That’s where specialist foreign exchange companies come in. Through lower overheads and fewer branch offices than their banking competitors, savings in exchange rates are able to be passed directly onto the customer.

As experts, they know that when it comes to foreign exchange, speed, timing and efficiency are the keys to success.

They will customise a service that exactly meets the client company’s needs and integrates seamlessly with their current business practices.

Good FX specialty providers are trusted by business leaders and Fortune 500 companies because they can provide secure, award-winning foreign exchange services globally.

The best of them enable clients to transact billions of pounds annually, on-line and through their international networks of trading offices.

‘The large banks are very good at providing foreign exchange to the large corporations that need to exchange millions of dollars, but when it comes to mid-size or small corporations then they are more challenged,’ according to Peter Gustavson, founder and chief executive officer of Custom House.

Click ‘more’ to see some of the services Custom House can provide.

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If you manufacture, import or re-brand electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), you have only got two days to register your business.

Producers must join a producer compliance scheme and be registered with an environmental regulator by 15 March 2007.

Key dates for the enforcement of WEEE regulations:

• The regulations came into force on 2 January 2007.
• Producers have to join a compliance scheme by 15 March 2007.
• Producers have to mark electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) by 1 April 2007.
• Full responsibility for treating and recycling household WEEE begins on 1 July 2007.

For more information on what you need visit the legislation section of the Mersey Economy website or read the government’s own guidance .

No matter whether you are negotiating a pay rise, holidays or with a seller or buyer, there are certain rules or principles that will help you succeed.

• Focus on interests, and not your positions. Positions are fixed, but each of you may have interests which need to be met. Fixed items can put your negotiations into a corner.
• Regardless of what you want, the other person must be satisfied or at least feel satisfied with what they got. It’s important to focus on how you both can win.
• Separate the people from the problem. Focus on solving problems and not on emotions wrapped around the problem.
• Keep your emotions in check. Unless you can get beyond your emotions, a dispute is not likely to be resolved. Feeling that you are right can be a heady emotion, but it has no place in the negotiation. If the other side is only interested in being right, chances are the situation won’t be resolved.
• Know the negotiation style of the person you are negotiating with, listen and question them, you may discover a better deal than you ever thought was possible.
• Look forward, not back. If one party gets too involved in what has happened in the past, it can be counter-productive. You have to work out a way to get to the present and deal with current issues. Ask the other party what they want now to resolve the dispute
• Always Have a Plan B. Ask yourself questions that start with how or what if? How can I sweeten the deal? How can I close the deal? What if the other party likes this? What if they reject this? Try to come up with some alternatives that will help seal the deal. Having a Plan B gets easier the more you negotiate. It becomes a way to be flexible and react to what the other side wants and think fast on your feet.
• Be prepared and do your research. That could be as simple as listing your arguments on a sheet of paper or as complex as doing the research to cost out a request for wage increases. Either way, you need to be prepared. Otherwise, you might make a concession or agreement that you will later regret. You need to know the rationale behind your requests and a good estimate of the costs, including the future costs. You cannot be over-prepared. It is important to have as much information and research as possible just in case you need it.