Employees
Although thinking in terms of a "relationship" with employees might seem a little odd for a business owner, that relationship could be the most important of all of the relationships for the owner to cultivate. Because good employees represent a major resource in a small business, the time and effort the owner invests in nurturing that relationship has a huge return on investment (ROI). Employees who feel seen, respected and appreciated almost always produce more than anticipated. (Doing More With Less: The Sales-To-Employee Ratio gives insight into a company's productivity and financial health.)
Employees represent - in fact they are - the company to the customers. The business relationship with customers largely depends upon their experience and interaction with the employees. Happy employees tend to want to satisfy the customers, want to do a good job and want to stay in the job. This is important to the continuity of high-quality customer service and avoids the significant expense of employee turnover, employee retraining and the expensive but inevitable "rookie mistakes" of new, inexperienced employees. In addition, having trusted, long-term employees can free up the owner to handle off-site duties as needed. (Establishing a retirement plan can benefit you and your employees. Read Plans The Small-Business Owner Can Establish to learn more.)
Read more: Small Business: It's All About Relationships | Investopedia http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financialcareers/08/business-owner-relationships.asp#ixzz3vnbEYaun
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