It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused

Chapter 26. Respond to the Client Even If You Cannot Provide an Immediate Solution

Find a way to be different.

Jiddo, my grandfather, taught me many different values. One of his favorite expressions was "Hiyetti, find out what the poor people are doing . . . then don't do it."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Find out what the successful folks do and emulate them." Good sage advice from an uneducated immigrant.

His advice has carried over into all aspects of my life today. I think differently because that was how my mentor taught me to think. He began that teaching process with me as early as I can remember. I recall bagging groceries in his grocery store at the age of five. I was not yet even in school. He taught me about a work ethic. We all worked from early ages because that was the belief system in our family.

We never believed in allowances because we were too poor to have them. Consequently, I never gave my children allowances, either. In fact, I went totally in the opposite direction. I actually charged my children for living in my home. The allowances in our home worked like this: "If there is enough food left over, you get to eat. If there is an empty bed, you get to sleep."

I actually charged my children $228 per month to live in my home. They had to pay their life insurance (I sold them the policy). They had to set some money aside for their college education and they had to give a little back to God (that's how we did it in our house).

We started them with checking accounts ...