Most of the horses in horse racing don't win the big stakes by much more than a nose.  

Sprinters win by fractions of seconds. The same with swimmers. Cyclists win by a hair's breadth. Many football games are won by only one goal - just a flick or a kick or a nudge of the ball a couple of degrees either way will make the difference between the championship and losing.

You see, you don't have to be brilliant. Just give life a good shot and it will make a huge difference because so many others don't give a damn. You will stand out in a crowd because for most people being average is an effort but being a bit above average is not an impossible task.

Who started this idea that the customer is always right?

I meet retailers who are so frustrated by that statement.

• There you stand with a customer swearing that the jumper they bought last week was one size but by the tie they got it home and put it on their child the garment had changed size.  You want to tell the customer that it couldn't possibly have happened but you know from the slogan that the customer is always right.  You just can't bring yourself to say how sorry you are for stocking such rubbish.

• How about the situation where you warned the customer not to freeze the garlic bread because it was best eaten fresh but they did it anyway and now they are telling you that you make lousy garlic bread.  You want to tell them they are stupid but then you remember that the customer is always right.  The words stick in your throat and you just can't apologise for being a lousy baker.

• And then there's the day that a customer pops in unannounced and wants their hair done right away declaring that she has an appointment this time every month.  You know she is wrong and yet you know you are supposed to say she is right.  You split in half, dumbfounded at the idea.

And what about a thousand other instances where the customer is just plain outright, clear as day WRONG?  How can you go along with 'the customer is always right'?

It seems as though we are constantly faced with the issue of trying to find new customers. Most of us are obsessed with making sure our advertising, displays, and pricing all “scream out” to attract new business. This focus on pursuing new customers is certainly necessary but, at the same time, it can wind up hurting us. I believe our focus really should be on the 20 percent of our clients who currently are our best customers.

Focusing on the best current customers should be seen as an on-going opportunity. To better understand the rationale behind this theory and to face the challenge of building customer loyalty, let’s look at five customer types.

Loyal Customers: They represent no more than 20 percent of our customer base, but make up more than 50 percent of our sales.

Discount Customers: They shop our stores frequently, but make their decisions based on the size of our markdowns.

Impulse Customers: They don’t have buying a particular item at the top of their “To Do” list, but come into the store on a whim. They will purchase what seems good at the time.

Need-Based Customers: They have a specific intention to buy a particular type of item.

Wandering Customers: They have no specific need or desire in mind when they come into the store. Rather, they want a sense of experience and/or community.

My first ever job was in retail.  I loved it!  Having grown up in the country, treks to town were rare (aside from going to school ... and that didn't count!) so to be able to spend all day every day around shops and merchandise and interesting shop people was heaven.
One of the jobs I longed to do was to sweep the footpath.  I know - it sounds ridiculous.  But I so wanted that job.  Why?  Because the boss swept the footpath every single day and it took him forever to get it done.  I was convinced I could sweep soooo much faster and better.
What I was missing (at my tender 'know it all' age) was why he swept the footpath.  It wasn't necessarily worse than any other piece of footpath outside a shop.  In fact, given my druthers, I'd probably have swept it twice a week.   Job done. Time saved.

I crowd-sourced these answers from customers across facebook and twitter.  These were the constants.  Anything else you'd care to add?

You’re probably asking “Am I supposed to know what my customers say when they leave?”

You might well be thinking:

• I want them to say “Goodbye.”
• Why do they have to say anything?
• I hope my customers leave town!

How could knowing this possibly be important?   Why do you want to know what your customers say after you’ve served them?

Easy.  It’s a test.

Complaint handling that discourages customers from speaking up includes all or some ofthese reactions:

• apologies and nothing more
• rejection
• promises that aren't delivered
• no response at all
• rude treatment
• being passed on to someone else
• avoiding personal responsibility
• nonverbal rejection
• customer interview, or
• customer interrogation

Apologies and Nothing More
A customer walks into a restaurant and leans against a freshly painted wall, leaving a paint smear on his coat.  All the staff members he talks to say they are sorry but there is no attempt to fix the situation.  "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."  The customer says, "They're very good at saying 'I'm sorry' but they don't do anything.  'Sorry' isn't good enough.

In today's high-tech world, the one communication tool that remains a constant is the telephone.  Using the telephone competently and courteously is essential to customer and client satisfaction.  Poor telephone etiquette can have a disastrous effect on your telephone customer service - and bottom line.

Here are some tips for providing excellent customer service:

Preparation:  Have a fair idea of what you are going to say in advance of your telephone call.  Have a mental script you can fall back on if the conversation wanders.
Introduction:  When we meet people face to face we often introduce ourselves with a handshake.  On the phone we must do this verbally by greeting the customer with genuine warmth.

I recently met a genuinely funny man ... funniness beams from him.  In fact, I'd met him a few months earlier at a seminar I was running on the Gold Coast but didn't realise it.
To ensure that mobile phones don't blast my seminars (because I want people to absorb what I'm saying, not just 'attend')  I always give people the choice of turning their phones off, onto vibrate, silent or leave them on.  The only thing is:  If they choose to keep it on and it rings in the seminar, they will be asked to stand and sing "I'm a little teapot" and do the actions.
Back to my story:  He came in late to the seminar and missed the message.

We all know that a positive tone and language are highly important when it comes to good customer service, but many retailers still use phrases that may give the wrong image and negatively impact our customers' shopping experience. 
The following phrases used in a customer service setting can kill a sale and possibly lose a customer.
Here are some sayings retailers should avoid: 

1. I Don't Know
Customers don't expect retailers to know everything, but when it comes to answering a product question or other enquiry, they do expect the salesperson to be confident enough in their knowledge of the business to provide an answer. 

Better: "That's a good question. Let me find out for you."