Having basically "cut my teeth" in the business world on the front line of sales, I have some pretty specific thoughts on relationships with customers. Here are five of them.

1) You catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.

2) You're never going to make everyone happy all of the time but "everyone" is a lot more understanding of that fact if they think of you as a friend first and a vendor second.

3) First impressions may not be "everything" but they are pretty darned close.

4) Do you have a relationship with your customer such that they would show up at your funeral if you died today? And, most importantly, would they show up grieving or celebrating? :-)

5) (Staying on the thought of funerals...) In making decisions as to how you deal with customers (or any question of business or life ethics), if those decisions are read as part of a eulogy at your funeral, will you be proud of them or embarrassed by them?