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| Effective Business Manager |
So often, a small business manager is responsible for a myriad of tasks, including recruiting, hiring, overseeing and coordinating the activities of employees, setting strategy, establishing budgets, and finding new markets for expansion. Thus, in order to be effective in this position, you must be, above all, flexible. Additionally, you might consider taking the following tips to heart.
Train Employees Thoroughly
A business cannot prosper without productive employees. So commit plenty of time, attention, and resources to employee training programs; be sure these sessions explain in detail every aspect of the business. It’s also wise to partner a new employee with a longtime worker, so the latter may mentor the former during his or her initial weeks. Let new employees know that you’re available to answer questions and hear concerns, too.
Know Your Stuff
Study your field constantly. Learn to use new technologies and media platforms. Always scrutinize the marketplace, the work of your competitors, trends in advertising, changes in the law, and anything else that might possibly give your business an edge.
Hold Yourself to the Same Standards as Everyone Else
If you want respect as a small business manager, you must earn it by holding yourself to high standards. If you make a mistake, admit it to colleagues candidly and then move on. And don’t bend the rules that you expect everyone else to follow. Always follow the company dress code, for example, and don’t exceed the lunch hour. Do not award yourself special bonuses or unnecessary perks, either.
Goals and Detailed Plans Go Hand-in-Hand
An effective business manager is both a visionary and detailed oriented. To that end, always have in mind a broad, long-term vision. For instance, you might decide that your business will achieve X amount in annual sales or Y percent market penetration. Then craft a highly detailed strategy to make that vision a reality. Devise a budget. Decide which cost management strategies you’ll employ to stay on that budget. Create monthly goals, and communicate those goals clearly to every one of your business’s employees so they’re keenly aware of what they need to work towards.
Build Relationships with Customers
To the greatest extent possible, get to know your clients and customers personally. Engage them in conversation. Stop and say “hi” whenever you see them, whether it’s at your business or at the mall with your family. Send your biggest clients holiday cards, or even invitations to dinners or golf outings. Doing so will increase their loyalty and bring in new business through positive word of mouth.
One Thing at a Time
When you focus on one task at a time, rather than trying to multitask, you decrease the number of errors you’ll make, reduce your overall stress level, and increase the chance of a creative breakthrough. Multitasking is sometimes necessary for a business manager, but it’s greatly overrated. In addition, prioritize your tasks: Allot the most time and energy to the most important among them. See if you can assign less important activities to someone else.
Continually practice these tips and become an effective business manager.
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