As a business owner, keeping your employees, customers, and clients happy and engaged is your number one priority for success. Whether you have a wealth of experience behind you or you’re about to launch your own startup, here are five business skills that every business owner needs to master in 2019.
Motivating Employees
As the head of a business, all eyes are on you. For employee satisfaction, commit to providing effective motivation to your employees. A paycheck is not enough; employees must be led with enthusiasm and appreciation in order to accomplish tasks and reach fulfillment in their work. Their success directly impacts the success of your business, so this particular business skill delivers exponentially on the effort you provide. Giving your workforce a push in the right direction makes a huge difference in meeting your business goals.
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Planning Ahead
“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Every project deserves your best effort. Before any outcome can be realized, your time must be spent in the process of planning. This business skill can make or break a project before the work has even begun!
Successful planning ensures that the project is completed on time and with excellence. Clients and stakeholders want to trust in your brand, so creating an effective plan for your work is your top priority. You cannot risk starting a project with your eyes shut. Take the time to plan so you may avoid potential risks and pitfalls to allow your project to run smoothly.
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Marketing Skills
Knowing how to market and promote your business makes it possible for you to find and keep the customers you want. When it comes to your brand it’s important that you take every opportunity to get your business at the top of consumer awareness. Use social media to your advantage; creating branded business pages and ads. Set up a web presence that is easy to find and easy to use. Make sure that your messaging and branding is consistent across all platforms and that they give customers more of an insight into what your company is all about. Utilizing the right strategies can help build up a loyal following.
Networking Skills
The networking business skill has long been a staple of the successful business owner’s toolkit. Word of mouth can make or break you when it comes to running a successful business. Remember, word of mouth can be positive or negative and customers are more willing today than ever to post their thoughts to your website, search engines, and social media. If you aren’t delivering a quality service, customers are more likely to leave negative reviews, which can tarnish your reputation.
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Being professional, friendly, and attentive to whoever you meet is crucial. Take advantage of in-person and online networking to build your brand. When the feedback comes, knowing how to communicate effectively is key to diffusing difficult situations and attracting return customers. Every touchpoint with a customer or potential customer is important.
Time Management
Stakeholders and clients set the schedule of the work you provide as a business owner. The time management business skill will help you stick to the deadlines and avoid over-promising and under-delivering. Various project management tools are available to help keep you on track and ensure your projects run smoothly and efficiently. Use whatever tool assists you in keeping your commitments so you can build trust with those who make your business a success.
Small business owners and leaders of large corporations use these business skills to accomplish their goals in business. Let 2019 be the year that you master these skills to enhance your impact and your success.
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