Each time you contact someone, you learn a little more about what they do, their hobbies, interests and other personal information. You should be making note of everything that is important to that customer. You should be keeping your power page up-to-date at all times. These are the crucial notes that give you the information you need to make a touch point with this person. Remember that any excuse will do when contacting a client. Some people call this the inner ring of importance.

There are some people that do this extremely well and their career in sales seems to be unrealistic in the way they have repeat customers. I remember reading a book by Joe Girard on how to "Sell Anything to Anybody". In this book he outlined the things he did to keep the customers coming back. One of the most important points in this book was that he kept in touch with all of his customers from day one. He bent over backwards with customer service and made sure they got what they needed. His customers always came back even if the price was slightly higher. Why? Because he kept in touch with them and gave them the service they loved.

If you see something that will interest your client, pass it along. You do not need to make a sales call each time you have a touch point. All you have to do is show that you are interested in them. My step father was always cutting out newspaper articles that he thought I would like to read. It seemed very curious that he would take such an interest in what I did but I also found out that he did the same thing for the rest of his family. It was his way of keeping in touch and letting us know that he cared. The same should be true of your customers. You need to show golden girls dvds you care and that they are valued.

If you focus on the customer at all times, you are likely to increase the amount of business you get from them. You will be in their minds when it comes time to select the correct person to fill a big order or to manage a project.

I did not persist.

I waited and waited long enough until what I was absolutely sure I wanted to do changed.

I spent a lot more money up front than I really should have.

I did not take care to respond to all the mail that came to me.

I mixed my private funds with my business earnings, or was it the other way around?

I wanted everything to be perfect before showing my first product.

I lost touch of that element called customer service.

I would start counting my profit before the cash was transferred into my pocket.

I never followed my own counsel.

I could not shake off that internal bug chewing on my mind called "doubt."

The biggest killer of them all is number one: not persisting.

What happened to me was internal to cause my business to flop. I would call it the reality of success. I would begin to learn from my mistakes, begin to gain some confidence, begin to see some results, and then -- I would get distracted and do something else. I would be get my railroad engine up to top speed and then forget to put in more coal. My momentum would quickly wane.

Momentum is a must. Gaining enough momentum is work, work work, work work work... is a locomotive of work. Momentum must be maintained. Only through persistence.

All the other reasons above are overrated. They can be overcome by overcoming the first one: the lack of persistence. Because each of the other reasons can translate into learning experiences, they represent lessons for growth. I can talk about them now and sense I have learned from them. They do not represent finality.

Yet, if I do not persist, finality is my destination. If I desist, then the lessons I have learned thus far will merely be forgotten scenes passed outside my golden girls seasons train window. By persisting, those reasons become the deep lessons, the "still lifes," that propel me forward.

Through many years, my home-based business went through many mistakes. I forged forward through my mistakes. I never thought of stopping. I survived in business, because I kept going. I persisted. Today, my business - operated completely out of home - is thriving and earning me a fine living to support my family.

Ten reasons. Sure. They are valuable. But the most important one is the first one.

I never gave up. I persisted. I kept at it.