Recently, I got fed up with my big-box bank. The fees are outrageous, and since I know a personal banker through my BNI chapter who specializes in business accounts, I chose to move over to a smaller community bank. If you’ve ever changed banks, you know that it’s a hassle. I thought I had enough money in the account to cover everything outstanding, but I got an e-mail yesterday saying I’d overdrawn the account—leaving me with a pesky $35 overdraft fee. Everything had cleared, so I headed down to the bank to officially close the account and cover the outstanding amount.

I had just been at the bank a few days earlier to close my personal accounts, yet the same woman with whom I spoke then wasn’t even there on my return visit. In fact, I didn’t recognize anyone—and certainly no one recognized me. I had to wait at least 10 minutes to be seen, and when I was greeted, the banker didn’t even shake my hand nor did she make eye contact. When I told her I wanted to close my accounts, she asked me the obligatory “Why?” I told her it was because of fees (the truth), including the $35 overdraft I’d just been charged. She proceeded to close the account, asking me for the outstanding amount, roughly $45.

Here’s where this big bank lost an opportunity—and the lesson for you in your business. When I told her the only reason I was leaving the bank was because of fees, a customer service-oriented individual would have said something like, “I’m so sorry to hear that, and we’re sorry to lose your business. I see that you received an overdraft fee when closing this account, so let me waive that for you.”

I told a colleague about this, and he said, “But they know they’ve already lost your business. What’s the incentive for them to not charge you the $35?” Ah, but here’s the thing: even though I’m leaving, would you rather leave your exiting customers with a positive or negative impression of your business? As it stands, not only would I not return to said bank, I would vehemently discourage my friends and colleagues from doing business with them. Granted, there’s one on every corner and ATMs in every mall (my initial reason for choosing them), but is that level of “convenience” worth the hassle of not being valued or appreciated?

Every company is going to lose customers. It’s inevitable. Your ability to handle that separation gracefully will define you, not only as an individual but also as a great business owner who always maintains a focus on customer service—whether someone remains your customer or not.

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When you walk through the mall, you’ll find greeters at the door of the best-managed stores. Wall-Mart is known for its greeters. While you might think it’s just a job for retirees, the greeter serves a vital purpose in the retail world: to reduce theft and build the customer experience. Small business owners can learn a great deal from these greeters.

While most entrepreneurs don’t need to consider loss prevention (unless you have a storefront, of course), customer relations are at the core of repeat and referral business. From the moment a potential client interacts with the company, he is making a series of decisions on what the future will hold. Think about the many ways clients can first learn about you: in person, through word of mouth, advertising, Web site, or telephone. In each of these, you should be saying, “Welcome to [company]; how are you today?” Are you welcoming potential customers?

The other key component of a greeter is to thank the customer for coming and ask them to return. Too many people miss this step. While the initial contact seems like a no-brainer, the post-sale communication seems to fall by the wayside. Are you thanking your customers for doing business with you? I don’t mean implying; I mean literally thanking them. I send a thank-you card and, of course, add them to my drip-marketing campaign.

Remember that your first impression sets the tone while your last impression lingers. Make sure that you’re focusing on both—and everything in between—and you may be surprised at the results.

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Did you happen to read Liz Ryan’s article this week in The Huffington Post, “That’s Definitely Not Networking”? She shared some wonderful comments on what activities should not be construed as networking; unfortunately, some people still count them as part of their business-building efforts. Some examples include connecting with colleagues on Facebook or sending a monthly e-newsletter to your database. That’s not to say those ideas are bad ones, of course; it’s more a matter of definition.

Whether you’re a very extroverted entrepreneur who is energized by going out to events, or a more reserved personality who dreads those business lunches, here are some great ways that you can enhance and maximize your networking efforts.

1. Have a plan
Just going to events willy nilly isn’t a plan. How many will you attend each week? Will you always do one type of event (breakfast, seminar, mixer), or will you pick a variety? How many people do you want to meet? What kinds of people? Having a strategy will give you a way to measure if you’re meeting your goals and help you stay more focused while you’re out and about.

2. Follow up
I’ve been as guilty as the next person in this category, putting the business cards I’ve received in a pile and then forgetting about them for a week – or more. By then, I’ve typically forgotten anything about the people I met that long ago. Strive to follow up within 48 hours, either by phone or email. If you want to really stand out, you can mail a card. Your method isn’t quite as important as the fact that you’re reaching out beyond the event. Remember that your goal is to cultivate and build relationships.

3. Go back
I’ve heard a few people say, “Yeah, I went to that event before, but I didn’t make any connections.” The likelihood that you’ll score a client or referral partner after attending anything once is pretty low. You need to continue making an appearance, connecting with people, and being consistent. Be patient. It may take a number of weeks or months to create relationships and generate sales.

Networking is a vital component of being a successful entrepreneur, and you can make it work for you if you take the time to make a plan, follow up, and stay connected. Then you may find that you’re not only enjoying networking but effectively building your client base.

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Sometimes we forget that not everyone knows the same things we do – or maybe that’s just me. Recently, while sitting down for a one-on-one with a web designer, we were talking about the benefits of great content in boosting SEO. I was telling him about how he should be blogging on a regular basis to add more content to his site, and that he should follow up with notices on social media about his blogs.

“Can I just lift blogs from other people if I give them credit?”

It’s a good question—with an easy answer. Ideally, you should contact the writer and ask for permission. Short of that, giving full credit to the author on your blog, along with a link to the original post, is sufficient.

However, the question about cross-posting brought up another topic of SEO: commenting on others’ blogs. If you run a Google alert on certain keywords significant to your business (résumé, job search, etc.), you will learn of all kinds of blogs from colleagues. What a great way to make connections and drive traffic to your site by adding supportive, thought-provoking comments to those blogs!

Determine who the industry and thought leaders are in your profession. Follow them. Comment on what they have to say. Readers will link back to your site if you offer noteworthy comments that capture their attention and provide information. It’s a simple, effective trick to improve your SEO and continue to position yourself as an expert in your field.

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I’m a member of BNI (Business Networking International), and at this week’s meeting, the educational moment was about the 80/20 rule: how, for most entrepreneurs, 20% of our tasks take up 80% of our time. In actuality, it should be the reverse.

If you’re a procrastinator, you may choose to do those more menial tasks first, the ones that don’t earn you any money. You know what I mean: heading on to Twitter or Facebook, checking email and phone messages, or doing office tasks. However, you know you have a project that needs to be completed – and you’re putting it off in lieu of those other non-revenue-producing items.

In a past blog, I discussed keeping track of your time, budgeting 45 minutes of each hour for important things to do and the remaining 15 minutes for the daily time wasters. I suggest an addendum to that calendaring system: schedule the more challenging items for the earlier part of your day.

Some motivational speakers refer to the concept of doing the more difficult and less exciting tasks first as “eating the frog.” If you eat the frog first, everything else is better – and easier.

Usually, you’re more motivated to complete tasks right out of the gate, and then, if the phone rings, a client stops by, or a last-minute requirement pops up, you’ll feel less stressed in attending to them right then. Also, if you know you have to “eat the frog” before moving on to other tasks, you’ll be more eager to actually finish it – meaning you’ll succeed in spending 20% of your time completing 80% of your work, instead of the reverse.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m a horrible procrastinator. I have a daily to-do list, but I usually find myself surfing Facebook or Twitter, checking e-mail, or basically wasting time until I realize I’m falling behind on my to-do list and have to scramble to catch up. However, I recently discovered that a little planning and a simple cooking timer can do wonders for even the most obstinate procrastinator.

Balancing working ON the business and working IN the business seems to be one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs. I have current clients who need attention, and I also have to keep the pipeline full for the future. This is where having a thorough calendaring system is imperative. I don’t take on more than two events per day – and I prefer only one. That way I’m out of the office no longer than a couple of hours, and I can complete my projects on time. I block out the week in advance so I know exactly what’s due and what I’ll be working on throughout the day. Of course, life happens, but having a plan to tackle that to-do list is really important for me to stay on task.

Once I have my daily tasks lined up, I assign a time limit to each project. For me, I’ve found that I can’t concentrate for longer than 30-45 minutes at a time, so I don’t block more than 45 minutes for each project. (It may take two or three 45-minute blocks to complete the project, but I stay focused on it for that long at a time.) In the remaining 15 minutes of each hour, I give myself time to play, doing all of those time-waster activities I enjoy. It’s kind of like dieting: without an occasional slice of chocolate cake, carrots get a little monotonous.

With a timer and my iPhone, I am much more focused and deliberate with my time. If I think of something not work-related during my 45 minutes “on,” I jot it down on the notepad that’s always next to my laptop. That way, I remember it and can stay on target with the task at hand.

Even though some of my résumé clients will say one of their strengths is multitasking, I’ve learned that the real talent is not being able to do multiple things simultaneously. It’s the ability to stay focused and complete one task, while having the flexibility to jump around as needed when the phone rings, a client walks in, or my son needs my attention. Only then will I master my mind and meet the goals I’ve set.

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As a successful business owner, you should have a clear understanding of the differences between the terms customers, clients, and guests. In fact, your view of these words should define your business model.

Customers
A customer is simply someone who buys something from another person or organization. This is the base of sales interactions. Customers don’t typically develop a relationship with the company. You may consider yourself a customer of your local grocery store, for example. You won’t differentiate your business or yourself by relating to people as customers.

Clients
A client has a relationship with an organization with whom s/he is doing business. You will cultivate clients and remain in touch with them through drip-marketing campaigns that may include phone, email, and direct mail interactions. Clients are those people who come back to you again and again – and refer their friends and family because they trust your services. Most small business owners refer to those they serve as clients.

Guests
A guest is a person who is invited to do business with you. S/he feels valued and welcomed to your office (whether brick-and-mortar or virtual), and is engaged in the process. This is what you should aspire to have in your business. Think of each interaction as building a long-term relationship. You may notice that many larger businesses are transitioning to this term in their quest to provide the highest level of customer service. Walt Disney mastered this approach, and it is what turned the Disney name into an empire.

I encourage you to consider how you’re relating to those with whom you do business. Are they customers who just give you money in exchange for a service? Are they clients with whom you are developing a relationship? Or are they guests who feel warmly greeted and cared for throughout the process? The answer to those questions will define your interactions – and have a profound effect on how you do business.

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Jerry: Your back hurts because of your wallet. It’s huge.
George: This isn’t just my wallet. It’s an organizer, a memory, and an old friend.
Jerry: Well, your friend is morbidly obese.
~ from Seinfeld, “The Wallet”

If you grew up with Seinfeld, like I did (okay, I was in my 20s, but you get the idea), you may remember George’s gigantic wallet he could barely close. Granted, his leather back-pocket protruder wasn’t bulging with cash, but it’s a nice idea. Who among us doesn’t want to be able to awe and impress family and friends by pulling out a $50 or $100 bill to pay for dinner? Well, as an entrepreneur, your wallet can switch from paper-thin to overflowing in a blink. But what if wealth has little to do with the amount of cash you’re carrying?

Wednesday I attended the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) annual conference, which was chock-full of impressive and inspiring presentations. One in particular was about building a positive relationship with money and overcoming a feeling of lack and scarcity. Although the focus was a bit more spiritual than I would have preferred, the principles were sound. Karen Russo, the presenter, shared a number of money traps and the universal laws that counteract them.

The Trap of Survival
Who among us hasn’t had a day, week, month, or year when we’ve struggled to keep our heads above water? Especially in this economy, it seems a number of people are just “getting by,” hoping to have another client fall in their laps before that next bill is due. It’s a hard place to be – and perhaps harder to overcome – when the bottom seems endless. Russo suggests that the law of money flow and connection is the counterbalance to this trap. Money comes in. Money goes out. It can’t be changed. If you can be okay with it, you’ll find yourself releasing some of that pent-up anxiety. One way to do that, according to Russo, is to schedule time to pay those bills and be okay with the flow of money. She calls her time “Money Mondays.”

The Trap of Blame
If you have a lover or ex-partner who “done you wrong,” you know all about blaming. He walked out on you with all the bills and three mouths to feed. It’s the stuff of bad country songs. But flip this trap on its side and you may be blaming yourself. Perhaps you’re still reeling from that pyramid scheme or buying into the latest gimmick from a door-to-door salesman. Regardless, you need to let go of the blame. Forgive the people in your life who have put you in your financial predicament and get comfortable with the fact that you’re in charge of your bank account.

The Trap of Scarcity
This one kind of partners with survival in that, if you are just getting by, you may see things as never getting better. Again, in an economic recession, it can be challenging to see the silver lining. One way to do so, says Russo, is to seek the source behind the good you do have. Be grateful for the things you receive, but go one farther and look at how those good things are coming to you. If you believe in higher powers, that’s a good place to start. If you’re like me, think about your values and those areas of your life that drive you to succeed.

After hearing all of these traps, I had to sit with the information for a day, but what I realized is that I have been cheating myself in my finances. Like many entrepreneurs, sometimes it seems like the sky is pouring down $1 bills, while other times I can’t squeeze a penny out of the faucet. I had to find a way to be okay with that, to not be fearful, and to know that if I move forward doing the right things, wealth will come.

Here’s my realization: I was blaming my ex-husband for leaving me and taking with him his 2/3 of our combined income. I was acting as the victim (“I don’t have any money, Ex; I can’t do that.”) with the underlying psychological thought that he would want to come back and rescue me (okay, it’s deep, but it’s true). I wasn’t taking ownership of my financial situation and embracing the money I have, don’t have, and will get soon.

Monday I will start allocating time to focus on my finances – without guilt or fear. I also started journaling more about money: that I’m comfortable with my finances and I welcome – and am thankful for – the money I receive. I made a list of the people to whom I owe money, writing at the top, “The money I return graciously and with thanks.” Even if I pay $10 a week to the kind souls who helped me in the past, at least I’m paying – and I’m okay with the flow.

So, unfortunately, I didn’t inherit $1 million this week, and my client list is the same as it was last week, but I discovered that I don’t need to be a Rockefeller to be financially free. It may just come down to feeling comfortable knowing that money comes and goes, and my share is available to me if I am open to receiving it.

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