The Manager's Resource Handbook
Tools, Resources and Guides for Managers and Business Leaders. Real Advice from Real Bosses.
How to Estimate Hours for a New Project How many times have you been asked the question “It’s going to take you how long?” when you present an estimate of hours required for a new project? Regardless of whether it is your customer or a fellow manager, the conversation is often the same. As the expert, you anticipate the project will
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How to Communicate Your Value Proposition to Customers Companies compete on a daily basis for a finite amount of sales and revenue in the market. Whether we are a small business, a conglomerate, a B2B or B2C firm, we all have competitors. As we chase the next sale, the next contract or the next service appointment, though, there are ways of
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Basic Lessons in Customer Service When it comes to working with customers, there are numerous ways to make a lasting impression that will bring them back to you time and time again. Sometimes a friendly tone of voice over the phone is all it takes to win a customer over. Perhaps your quick response time is all the customer needs
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How to Manage in Chaos It was late on a Friday when an employee came by my office to check in before he left for the weekend. The office was mostly empty by this point, and he was one of the last to leave. It had been a busy week and we had hardly crossed paths over the previous five days. This employee was one
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Preparing to Work In a Different Culture In today’s business environment, working with international partners, customers, or suppliers is inevitable. Sometimes an international project will be brief and short-lived; in other instances your working relationship can last several years as you accrue thousands of frequent flier miles. Perhaps you will even end up on an expat assignment for a couple of years. Regardless
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How to Grow With Current Customers: A Case Example In Sales and Marketing, we spend a lot of time pursuing new customers and new channels of growth. But we frequently lose sight of the sales potential right in front of us. Our best customers are often our current customers. And for this reason, we should always treat our current buyers with
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Identifying What Customers Value Think about the last time you went into a store prepared to buy something, but eventually left empty-handed. What was the reason you, as a customer, did not make that purchase? There are many possible answers to this question; maybe it was too expensive, the quality may not have been to your liking, or you simply
» Read more Why Your Employees Need to Learn the Local Culture As technology advances, the world gets smaller and smaller. Email, conference calls and WeChat offer us instant communication to opposite ends of the globe. Whether you routinely jet set to far away places to meet with your customers, or you never leave your comfort of your office, working alongside people from another culture
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Using Business Partnerships To Fuel Growth When it comes to new markets and expanding your small business globally, you will likely face an uphill battle. You may struggle with start-up costs, you may have distribution challenges, and you may have gaps in knowledge of the specific market you target. These issues are difficult enough by themselves, but are even further magnified when
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How to Conduct a SWOT Analysis: Take a Closer Look At Your Business Leading a successful company requires you periodically spend time identifying ways to improve and get better. A SWOT analysis is one evaluation method that aids in organizing characteristics of your business that you deem as successes or concerns. Specifically, a SWOT analysis is an evaluation technique that helps you capture the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
» Read more How to Grow Your Small Business We recently worked with a small company to assist with their business development struggles. The CEO described his company’s situation as “able to perform well when we can actually get in the door.” The company employed about 20 employees and worked in the IT services industry. MRH conducted an evaluation of the business, focusing
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