Managerial Skills

A manager's job is varied and complex. Managers need certain skills to perform the duties and activities associated with being a manager. What type of skills does a manager need? Research by Robert L. Katz found that managers needed three essential skills. These are technical, human and conceptual skills. Technical skills include knowledge of and proficiency in a certain specialized field, such as engineering, computers, financial and managerial accounting, or manufacturing. These are more important at lower levels of management since these managers are dealing directly with employees doing the organization's work. Human skills involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group. Because managers deal directly with people, this is crucial! Managers with good human skills are able to get the best out of their people. They know how to communicate, motivate, lead, and inspire enthusiasm and trust. These are equally important at all levels of management. Finally conceptual skills are those managers must have to think and conceptualize about abstract and complex situations. Using these skills managers must be able to see the organization as a whole, understand the relationship among various subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader environment. These are most important at top level management.

A professional association of practicing managers, the American Management Association, has identified important skills for managers that encompass conceptual, communication, effectiveness, and interpersonal aspects. These are briefly described below:

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Conceptual Skills: Ability to use information to solve business problems, identification of opportunities for innovation, recognizing problem areas and implementing solutions, selecting critical information from masses of data, understanding the business uses of technology, understanding the organization's business model.

Communication Skills: Ability to transform ideas into words and actions, credibility among colleagues, peers, and subordinates, listening and asking questions, presentation skills and spoken format, presentation skills; written and graphic formats

Effectiveness Skills: Contributing to corporate mission/departmental objectives, customer focus, multitasking; working at multiple tasks at parallel, negotiating skills, project management, reviewing operations and implementing improvements, setting and maintaining performance standards internally and externally, setting priorities for attention and activity, time management.

Interpersonal Skills: Coaching and mentoring, diversity ; working with diverse people and culture, networking within the organization, networking outside the organization, working in teams; cooperation and commitment.

In today's demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who are invaluable to an organization must be willing to constantly upgrade their skills and take on extra work outside their own specific job areas. There is no doubt that skills will continue to be an important way of describing what a manager does.

Managerial Skills

Rashid Javed is an Asian author. He writes articles about business and management accounting. He focuses on budgeting and planning, business improvement programs, and financial statement analysis etc.

Three KPI Examples

There are many ways to measure an employee's performance. However, the most popular tool of today that is also used by many managers all over the world is the employee scorecard. This scorecard contains metrics with specified targets and these are called KPIs. KPI means key performance indicator. As the term suggests, these are areas of performance and there is a specified target for each one. Many employers have a certain target set as expected performance. Any level of performance below these targets are deemed unacceptable, and anything beyond is something that exceeds expectations. There are hundreds and probably thousands of metrics around the world, but below are some most commonly used KPI examples.

CSAT

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This stands for customer satisfaction. Definitely, companies need to hear the voices of their customers. Customers are the very bloodline of very business, without whom the business will not have any opportunity to expand. Before, many companies get their customers satisfaction level through surveys. In many fast food chains and restaurants, there are survey forms available in counter stations, and customers can pick up and fill out these forms as they please. Now, with the advent of the Internet, companies simply send these surveys through emails. The responses of the customers will then give the company a clear picture of the processes that they can improve on. These comments from customers can also provide adequate information on how to improve service down to the employee level, especially in customer service industries, like the BPO or Business Process Outsourcing industry.

Quality

There is no doubt that companies can only improve business by adhering to a set of standards called quality. Quality is very important in any business because this is an unbiased form of judgment and this is the method used for internal control. This is a means of ensuring that all products and services are at par with customer specifications and expectations as the company has promised. From time to time, human beings will have lapses at work, but any quality personnel will see to it that the same defect or mistake should not be repeated again by the same employee.

Attendance and Tardiness

There are many companies that do not have much bearing on attendance or tardiness, especially in the sales industry in which employees are sent out in the field to sell and reach a certain quota. Once this quota is reached, the employee has the option to stay at home as much as he wants to. However, attendance is a serious issue in many industries, especially in manufacturing since people are needed to operate the machines. This is also a critical metric in the call center industry because service is delivered to customers real time. There has to be a person manning the phones, so if a customer calls, someone will attend to his concerns.

These are only few of the most common KPI examples. There are many more out there and these metrics or key performance indicators vary from one company and industry to another. This is because one company has a different strategy and priority from the others.

Three KPI Examples

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Top Ten Tips About People Management

To get the best results you have to be very good at Managing People...and it's not as hard as you might think. Here are the secrets of the very best managers:-

The best at Managing People...

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  1. Manage! They focus on getting their people to deliver the key activities and don't attempt do too much themselves. The best managers delegate widely, using the ethic 'Ask for forgiveness, not for permission' to free their people from blame or wrongdoing.
  2. Build the Best Teams Leveraging the exceptional talents of all the people around them, managers develop and utilise capability fully - and glue it together.
  3. Focus on Delivery Managers are there to deliver the day to day tactical results the business or organisation needs. Here, there is little space for strategy or vision as such, but those great at managing peoplewill keep a reference point there. Every manager's defined goal is measurable results.
  4. Build Relationships As it's all about people, great managers build relationships easily and make it a priority, day-in-day out. They spend a lot of time with and listening to, their people.
  5. Accept Feedback Actually, they don't just accept it, they suck feedback in - they use their excellent listening skills to seek out feedback all the time - in every interaction.
  6. Develop Others Grasping the opportunities, the best managers quickly link them to those who can make progress in their own development - and in line with ongoing Succession Planning, prepare for the future well in advance.
  7. Are Accountable They are very clear that they are 'where the buck stops'. No blame elsewhere, not upwards deflection of decisions; no 'someone else's fault'. They are where the action is and they accept it. It's down to them.
  8. Set Standards To ensure that everyone is clear, great managers have simple and clear standards throughout their area of operation - ideally created in collaboration with their people.
  9. Are Determined Focusing entirely on value-creation, they stick to plans, policies and change programmes like glue. They have a skill to know and deliver what is right, without veering from their Vision.
  10. Can Be Trusted The best managers are ethically sound, fair and honest. They make promises only when they know they can deliver. Everyone is treated equally and their own behaviour models fairness and transparency.

Simple steps, using them can make 90% of your management very, very effective. Checkout the website for key information in 40 different people skills to develop your management skills fast!

Top Ten Tips About People Management

(c) 2008 Martin Haworth is the author of Super Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly development program for managers of EVERY skill level. You can get a sample lesson for free at http://www.SuperSuccessfulManager.com

Business Management - What Are The Good Traits

To start a business and have it up and running successfully, you will need to think of some realistic business management plans. With these plans and your dream in mind, you will have to work through the initial difficult stages to build up good business management strategies and the ways to achieve them. Your business-management skills may be the crux between mediocrity and success.

The first and most important step in a good business management plan is to set clear specific goals and objectives. It is easier to achieve goals or objectives that are distinctive and focused. In addition, it will take lesser time but produce better results continually. As such, design your strategies to achieve your objectives. It makes good business sense to organize the "to-dos" for each day so that there is better focus on every task.

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Another important business management trait is align your own personal goals and objectives with that of the company's and give them full focus until each task has been completed. The more time you spent on perfecting a skill, the lesser will be the time taken to complete the task.

Another purpose of setting goals and objectives is to create a way to measure performance and track accomplishments. Such goals and objectives have to be challenging but achievable. You need to be creative and innovative in order to achieve the specific goals and strategic objectives set up in the business management plans.

At the same time, create your company's mission and vision statements and find solutions on how to implement or accomplish them. Outline the performance targets and the ways to achieve them. This is to avoid going in different directions. Define the company's passion and the methods to excel in it. Such business management strategies will strengthen the company's competitiveness in the industry. In addition, setting up long-term goals will determine the company's position in ten years' time and mark out the path to achieve them.

Some entrepreneurs may confuse activity with productivity. Most of the entrepreneurs who succeeded have the ability to identify and categorize specific activities that are extremely crucial or create an extraordinary significance that will contribute towards the overall success of the business. More time will then be allocated to ensure that these are carried out thoroughly and effectively. A successful entrepreneur also has an in-build drive that motivates them to persevere and make things happen. This is one of the most important business management traits.

Another business management characteristic is to know how to respond to industry changes and market conditions. A successful entrepreneur will learn through other people's knowledge and efforts especially those of their clients or competitors. Capitalize on these new ideas or concepts and your business may expand with lesser efforts contributed and within a shorter period of time.

Due to continuous changes, good business management is an ongoing process to constantly evaluate strategies and monitor performance to see if there are better ways to accomplish the goals and objectives or whether improvements and adjustments need to be made. This may even lead to changing the company's mission or vision statements.

Business Management - What Are The Good Traits

Ske Chay of www.inventoryanalytics.com [http://www.inventoryanalytics.com] Providing some comprehensive information on business management at www.trade-opportunities.com

List of Small Business Ideas - The Top 7 Best Small Business Ideas

Everyday people are realizing that in order to truly reach a state of financial freedom they will have to do something other than being a traditional 9-5 employee. If you really want to become successful, you will need to start thinking outside the box and start thinking big! If you are one of the many that is strongly leaning towards starting your own business and becoming your own boss, but you are not yet sure where to start, then here is a list of small business ideas that you may want to try to get started.

List of Small Business Ideas; The 7 Top Small Businesses Available today:

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1. Virtual Assisting: Become a virtual secretary by answering phone calls, replying to and writing emails for virtual clients.

2. Open a Store: Start a Specialty retail store. This could be expensive so be sure to look into the cost required for this.

3. Open a Franchise: Running a fast food chain is another possibility although also quite expensive to start at anywhere between a couple hundred thousand and more.

4. eBay: You can use this and other auction sites to buy and sell items and make a good part-time income, depending upon the amount of time you are willing to commit.

5. Freelance Writing: If you enjoy writing, you can start a writing service either on or offline.

6. Coaching/Consulting: Offer a consulting service to coach people in a field that you are proficient in.

7. Online Marketing: One of the most effective and lucrative Industries available today because of the tremendous boom of the Information Age. This is probably your best bet if you are looking for both low start-up costs and high potential for significant income!

Remember, that when deciding upon which small business industry is best for you, you will need to keep in mind which best fits your particular interests, strengths and financial funds available. The more you enjoy your business, the better your productivity will be. Be sure to look for a system that provides extensive training and mentoring to be sure that you will have the knowledge and skills that are needed in order to ensure success. You will need to know how to market to and attract prospects and customers and how to stand out above any and all competitors.

Stay motivated and focused as you go through the process. Starting a business takes patience and hard work, but the right one will provide you with the necessary tools for achieving financial freedom and success!

List of Small Business Ideas - The Top 7 Best Small Business Ideas

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Shawn Stoik is an accomplished Entrepreneur, Top Internet Marketer and International Team Mentor who trains both Total Beginners and Seasoned Pros to achieve Financial Freedom by creating wealth and prosperity online! For more information on the Top Internet Marketing Tactics that you can use Now to build the most successful online business, please visit http://www.make1kaday.com

The Best Small Business Ideas For Women

Throughout the years, women have proven to be savvy business owners. They are natural organizers and planners, and those are two traits that are absolutely necessary in the business world. If you are a woman, and looking to start up your own small business, there are literally thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of business opportunities out there today. More and more, people are turning to the internet to find those opportunities and also to build their businesses.

So if you have decided that starting your own business is something that you would like to do, you first need to decide just what you want to sell, or what service you want to provide customers with. One great thing about internet business is that it puts you in touch with potential buyers in every corner of the world. This makes it much easier to start the business you have always dreamed of, even if it would not succeed in your home town. But what should you do?

\"business Ideas\"

Think about what you are good at, or what you have always wanted to do for a living, and go for it. Do you like to write stories or articles? Then you might make a great freelance writer. Do you enjoy giving your opinion on things? Then maybe you would be interested in online surveys.

If you have excellent computer, telephone, and interpersonal skills, you might be a great virtual assistant. These are just a taste of the many careers available today, so it is easy to see that you would be able to find the perfect job to fit your personality.

The Best Small Business Ideas For Women

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How to Start a Lawn Care Business

Starting a lawn care business is not that difficult. Just look at how many young teenagers are running around with a trailer and some pretty nice equipment. It's not rocket science, but you do need to have some direction. Choosing the right direction takes some knowledge and that is what we are going to give you.

What do I need?

Business

The first thing you need is a desire to start and run a successful business. If your heart isn't in it, then you might as well go home. The next thing you need is to write up a business plan for your new venture. This includes coming up with a name for your business, listing your startup expenses, writing a mission statement, and creating a list of short-term and long-term goals. Develop a list of several points that will be key to your success. Finally, you need to lay out the steps you need to take to meet your short-term and long-term goals.

What should I name my business?

Obviously, one of the easiest names to pick is your own, but some people like to get creative and choose names like Razor Lawn Care or Above the Hedge.

What equipment should I get?

This is one of the most important steps to the success of your business. It is the difference between being professional and well... not. You need to get commercial grade equipment if you want to succeed. The amount of use and abuse your equipment is going to have is very substantial. I'm sorry, but Wal-Mart brands are not going to cut it. You need brands like Toro, Husqvarna, and Exmark. To start out with you are going to need a good walk-behind mower, edger, trimmer, and blower. As your business grows you can add a zero-turn radius mower and other equipment as needed.

How do I get clients?

Ok, so you have your business plan, your equipment, and a will to make things work. Now what? Get some clients. Starting out is the hardest time to get clients. The key is to display yourself and your equipment in a professional manner. First impressions are everything. Once you have established yourself, you won't have to work nearly as hard to get more clients. The easiest and cheapest way to get started is to exhaust your circle of influence. That is family members and people that you know. Then you can make some business cards, signs, and flyers. They aren't that expensive and you can pass them out pretty easily. If you're still not getting enough clients, then you may need to start going door-to-door. Remember to present yourself and your equipment in the most professional way you can.

What price do I charge?

Pricing is a sticky issue. Nobody has a set formula that is easy to apply. It all depends on your location, competition, customer, and the job. I personally have a minimum that I charge for extremely small yards that take 15 minutes or less to finish. The price can go up to as much as several hundred dollars depending on the size and difficulty of the job. The key with pricing is to get the job and charge enough to make it a profitable job.

Do I need accounting software?

If you want to make things a hundred times easier, yes, you need accounting software. I use and recommend Quickbooks Pro. It is pretty easy to setup and makes keeping up with your finances a breeze. You can also create really professional invoices to send out to your customers, keep up with when you receive payments, and who still owes you money.

How do I deal with trouble customers?

Everyone ends up getting a trouble customer and there is nothing more annoying than someone who is never pleased with your work and basically demands something for nothing. I always treat these customers with the same respect that I would any customer with one exception. I always charge them more. If they accept my higher prices, then I get paid for dealing with them. If they decide to stop using me, I got rid of them without a bad taste in their mouth because I was respectful. It is a win-win way to handle them.

Keys to Success

Finally, let's discuss the keys to your success in starting up a lawn business. Always do more than is expected of you. Going the extra mile always pays off. It means higher customer retention, referrals, and ultimately more money! Present every aspect of your business with the utmost professionalism. Your image and reputation are everything to your business. Do not do anything to hurt them. Last, have fun and enjoy your work. Take pride in the job you do and you will succeed beyond measure.

How to Start a Lawn Care Business

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Business Management

Business Management characterizes the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). Early twentieth-century business management writer Mary Parker Follett defined management as "the art of getting things done through other people."

One can also think of business management functionally as the action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan, and as the actions taken to reach one's intended goal. This applies even in situations where planning does not take place. From this perspective, there are several major management functions, namely: planning, organizing, leading, coordinating and controlling.

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Management is known by some as "business administration", although this then excludes management in places outside business, e.g. charities and the public sector. University departments that teach management are nonetheless usually called "business schools". The term "management" may also be used as a collective word, describe the managers of an organization, for example of a corporation.

Today, we find it increasingly difficult to subdivide management into functional categories in this way. More and more processes simultaneously involve several categories. Instead, we tend to think in terms of the various processes, tasks, and objects subject to management.

One consequence is that workplace democracy has become both more common, and more advocated, in some places distributing all management functions among the workers, each of whom takes on a portion of the work. However, these models predate any current political issue, and may be more natural than command hierarchy.

All management is to some degree democratic in that there must be majority support of workers for the management in the long term, or they leave to find other work, or go on strike. Hence management is becoming less based on the conceptualization of classical military command-and-control, and more about facilitation and support of collaborative activity, utilizing principles such as those of human interaction management to deal with the complexities of human interaction.

Business Management

Ismael D. Tabije is the Publisher-Editor of http://www.BestManagementArticles.com, a unique niche-topic article directory that features exclusively business and management topics. For a large dose of business management tips, ideas and strategies, see http://business-management.bestmanagementarticles.com.

Business Degrees - What Is the Best Direction for You?

Students wishing to enter business after enjoying an A Level or college course should be advised that the next step forward should be undertaking one of many business degrees available across the nation's major business and financial teaching institutions.

However, choosing the right course and direction can be a difficult task, with so many specialist fields available to study. Beginning a professional career in business means that you will need a specific all-round level of business knowledge - not to mention an understanding of the environment that exists within your organisation. Without an understanding of the way people work it is difficult to succeed in business.

\"business Management\"

Business managers are also required to measure the effectiveness of their company, and to complete these roles in an adequate manner managers need a strong grasp of the core fundamentals of statistics, technology and accounting. Meanwhile on a personal level, ambition and communication skills are vital to aid personal development as a team player and a leader.

While many business degrees in the UK will touch upon a vast percentage of what has just been discussed, there are a number of 'niche' courses that provide a more refined focus of a particular subject or discipline.
Therefore it is vital that throughout the search of a course that you look carefully at course structures and the potential career paths that are available upon graduation.

The reputation of your chosen business school and the employability of its students are also crucial, and generally this kind of information should be made available by the universities themselves in terms of the percentage entering full-time employment after graduation.

Some of the most globally-recognised business schools are London-based, with close links to the City of London and the business and financial district. They are truly international and attract students and faculty from around the world, complete with leading learning facilities acting as an intellectual hub for future business leaders.

Business Degrees - What Is the Best Direction for You?

Located in the heart of London's financial district, Cass Business School is a leading provider of business and management education.

Our MBA is recognised globally as a market leader, we have the widest portfolio of Specialist Master's programmes (MSc) in Europe including our Business degrees at our Undergraduate School, which is one of the best in the UK. Ranked in the UK's top 10 business and management research schools, means we attract leading PhD students.

3 Ways to Review Network Marketing As a Home Business Opportunity

The idea of owning your own business and being the captain of your own fate is immensely tempting and frightening all at the same time. If you have never been in charge of running your own company, even something as supposedly prepackaged and safe as a home business opportunity can be overwhelming. For people who want to take this big step, but still find they need more knowledge, network marketing is a good business model to explore. Here's 3 Ways to Review.

1. You Can Build on Other People's Mistakes

Business

It is inevitable that when you start something new there will be a learning curve of some sort. Those who don't have the capacity to learn from their errors simply don't last long in the business world. The real goal is to minimize the number of mistakes you make and to maximize what you learn from each episode.

When you review network marketing, you'll see that it is a team game. Those who have been in the business longer have already found things that work and you can use those business approaches - they are tried and tested, you don't have to invent anything.

To avoid the most common mistakes you should find an experienced network marketing sponsor and take advantage of his or her knowledge. You can get some useful advice from online forums that are dedicated to entrepreneurship, but your best bet is to hook up with a home business success coach who will sponsor you personally. This one to one relationship will significantly increase your odds of success.

2. Learning while You're Earning

Just because you have a coach doesn't mean you can count on them to do all the work. The more you learn yourself and put things into action straight away, the more and the quicker your earning potential.

Your coach will guide you, but you need to be ready to pick up the load and learn everything you can. Personal development is a very big part of being successful since as a home business 'sole trader' YOU are your business and you should choose to market products that make sense to you and are profitable.

You may need to take classes to increase your working knowledge of a particular area, such as copy writing, internet marketing or leadership. You may need to develop a marketing plan that is in accordance with good business practices and can be converted to high quality leads.

Learning extends beyond the basics for running your business, though. You want to keep learning about every new angle to build awareness of the products you are selling. Successful entrepreneurs are always on top of the trends. Great marketers will attach their messages to current news and events to attract leads into their sales funnel.

3. Increasing Your Chance of Success

It shouldn't take much to figure out why those budding entrepreneurs who work with a top business coach right off the bat succeed more frequently than those who don't. If you wanted to learn how to sink a three point basketball shot and had never played the game, you would certainly hire a coach. If you wanted to learn business and finance, you'd take a course with a top professor.

In the same way, you should not leave your opportunity of business success to chance. When you review network marketing, find the buzz and how far back the track record of any affiliation goes. Do a search on the name of any sponsor you are considering and see if they are up there on Google and have authority to coach you to success and credibility in their field.

Finally, you need a vehicle - a business and marketing model and a system. Today, there is no better leverage of your time and money that the Internet. The difference between a traditional network marketing business and an internet based business system is like the difference between pushing a family car up a hill or being given the keys to the ignition of a very fast sports car.

3 Ways to Review Network Marketing As a Home Business Opportunity

Jay Allyson is a leader in one of the fastest growing teams of online entrepreneurs. She coaches others on home business success, internet marketing and effective leadership and offers advice on how to review network marketing home business opportunities.

Contact Jay Allyson via her blog at http://JayAllyson.com where you can also opt into her free 7 day success blueprint 'How to Build A Profitable Online Home Business'... or Google Jay Allyson.

The Importance of Key Business Performance Indicators to Small Business Management

How do you know how well your small business is doing? Do you look at profit? Do you look at your sales numbers? Do you measure growth?

Most businesses use monthly financial statements, which include sales revenues. Some compare those monthly results to the plan and/or to the previous year's results. All business should continue to use that information to manage their business. However, all small businesses should also include more significant key performance indicators as part of their measurement process. As a small business owner, managing-by-measuring performance is a significant key to your success.

\"business Management\"

Develop a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your business growth and success. These measures will keep you focused on your business goals. When you write your business plan make sure that you include measurable goals and objectives. Then set in place a system that will provide you with regular indications of performance.

KPIs can be easily developed and monitored however each business needs to customize the measurement process to their own business needs.

Here are just a few KPIs you can consider for your business:

  • Number of orders in a day/week/month/year
  • Number of estimates in a day/week/month/year
  • What kind of 'win' ratio does your business enjoy (e.g. do you 'win' 15% of all estimates - track this data)?
  • How long does it take for you to respond to customer queries: estimate turn-around times; order processing; time from order placement to order delivery; responsiveness in handling customer complaints; and so on?
  • How often do you hit your 'promise' date (i.e. the date you promised to deliver the order to your customer)? Analyze the 'misses': ship dates you don't make. Are they with one product line? Or with one customer or type of customer? Or with one employee?
  • What kind of employee turn-over rate do you have?
  • What kind of customer turn-over rate do you have?
  • Percentage of business your largest customer holds?
  • Sales by customer
  • Sales by customer by product
  • Sales by product

These would be in addition to your regular monthly financials but consider KPIs more of a daily or weekly measurement. Set up KPIs to help you see what is going on in your business presently and to help you forecast the near term (this week, this month, next month). If you track some of these statistics daily you will begin to develop trend lines that will highlight both the positives and negatives of your business growth.

Once you start to collect the data, it becomes much easier to see where the problem lies. If you are a manufacturer and you are always late delivering to your largest customer, find out why. Analyze your process. If you are a distributor and you are always late delivering a certain product, find out why. Is your supplier always late? Do you need to carry more inventory of that item? Or in both these examples is it because your employee turn-over is particularly high in the shipping department? Why is turn-over in shipping high? Are you hiring the right people? Are you under-paying? Does your shipping supervisor have weak people skills?

Developing good performance indicators will help you identify and solve issues quickly. Once you have developed KPIs that are aligned with your business goals, and once you track your performance regularly, you will be in a better position to manage your business.

The Importance of Key Business Performance Indicators to Small Business Management

For more small business strategies and other small business resources go to http://www.more-for-small-business.com/ Kris Bovay is the owner of Voice Marketing Inc, a business and marketing services company. Kris has 25 years of experience in leading large, medium and small businesses. Copyright 2008 Voice Marketing Inc.