"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."                 ~ Zig Ziglar

With all the overbearing, obnoxious and self-serving people in our society, it is not surprising that some try to become entrepreneurs. However, because of the way they regard and treat their fellows, their ventures soon collapse. Or, if they are lucky and launch the right business at the right time, their arrogance and disdain for everyone else is reinforced - failure just takes a little longer.

Bad behavior will undermine your efforts to succeed. If you are not a plesant person to deal with- you beter learn quickly how to be.... You're only contaminating your business. Bad customer service and/or lack there deter potentional customers based on what they hear from others. Bad news travels faster than good and will quickly poison a business... If there is too much poison it eventually will kill it off entirely... 

Attracting customers alongside with attracting success depends on your attitude. If you are overconfident with an attitude of "shop elsewhere if you don't like my price or service," you are going to be a lonely entrepreneur. But you do not have to be.

 A well known business writer, Joe Griffith, penned this list of customer care commandments that sums up what all of us need to understand and appreciate about the "wining and dining of those who pay our bills"...

Your customers are the most important people in your business.

They are NOT dependent on you ; you are dependent on them.

They do not interrupt your work;  they are the purpose of it.

They do us a favor when they have a question or comment and call, write, or e-mail us with it; we are not doing them a favor.

They are not statistics, but fellow humans with feelings and emotions.

They are part of our business, not outsiders.

They are not someone to match wits with or argue with.

They bring us their wants; it is our job to satisfy these wants.

They deserve the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give.

They are the lifeblood of our business.

Not a word there that is not common sense, yet often ignored by many "wannabe" entrepreneurs who will be quick to blame the world when they fail. If you doubt the value of customer relations to your prosperity, contrast the customer service of a successful business with some of our government agencies that are shielded from the market and competition. The difference is striking - from: "how may I help you?" to "don't bother me and if you do, be quick about it."People want to do business with those who want to do business" is a favorite personal reminder to me that customer care is critical and crucial to the success of any business - that is unless you are lucky enough to have a monopoly. Still, when you get enough Davids together-even Goliath will fall.