I was a little nervous as I walked through the doors of my Bank of America branch this morning. I was sure they could tell why I was there. I needed to close my two business accounts, and my downward-cast eyes were a tell-tale sign that I was hoping for a quick and impersonal transaction.

I quickly realized that would not be the case when I got to the teller, and he informed me that I would have to sign in over at the white clipboard and someone would be with me in a moment.

When I told the nice young associate of my intentions, she made a pouty, sad face and asked me why – and if something was wrong. I told her that I didn’t keep huge balances and was tired of paying monthly fees. (The other reason, which I did not share with her, was that I was very excited about using a community bank, with local ownership keeping my money churning in the local economy. I also like that they bring me cookies.)

She then told me that with minor adjustments to how I use the account, the fees could have been waived. Again, that is not the only reason I moved, but it sure could have saved me some money over the years.

Why didn’t I know that? They should have done a better job telling me about ways to use my accounts more efficiently. Are there ways for your customers to save money by making minor adjustments to how they interact with you?

I realize that you may lose a little income at first, but what a tiny investment that will prove to be when they stay with you for years and tell others about how well you treat them. We should always be more interested in relationships than squeezing a few extra cents from each customer.

And that you can bank on.

Dave Fiore is the founder and CEO of davemail.

While hanging out with my younger three children last night, I heard my 9-year-old son say something I have thought a million times but never had the courage to say out loud.

He was busy putting the final touches on a new Lego ship with his little brother, when his 7-year-old sister started telling him something apparently unrelated to the project at hand. Without even looking up or interrupting the process of snapping small plastic pieces together, he replied very matter-of-factly, “I have no idea what you are talking about, but I am going to act like I know exactly what you are talking about.”

Undeterred, she kept talking, he kept building and I chuckled inside.

While that is the kind of advice that should be standard in pre-marital counseling (the concept – not actually saying it), it is not great advice for business. Like not quite hearing what someone has said and replying with a smile and nod (a la Seinfeld’s low talker and agreeing to wear the puffy shirt), only pretending to understand your clients’ needs can be deadly.

It is much better and far less embarrassing to ask a client to clarify or even repeat their request than to grab the highlights of your conversation and run with it. This is especially true if you have performed a similar task for them before. Our clients care about the details – and so should we. Everyone understands an honest mistake, but it is much harder to explain the fact that you were simply not paying attention.

So don’t fake it. Make sure you know what your clients need and then go above and beyond – be proactive, suggest new ideas and do your best to blow them away with how well you understand their needs.

Oh, and that advice goes for personal relationships as well. You think clients get mad if you are not paying attention?

Dave Fiore is the founder and CEO of davemail.

Your email newsletters can be cool, flashy and colorful – with lots of links and social media gadgets – but none of that matters if we are not giving them something useful to read. With apologies to Elvis and LeBron James, content is king – at least in the world of effective communications.

While the davemail writing team is here to help (a lot), the ideas for your newsletter articles are generally going to come from you. So where are the best places to find good, usable content that will compel your readers and help build stronger relationships? Here are five places to start looking:

1. Stuff you already have. Your Web site, brochure or other materials that tell your story will provide great nuggets for short newsletter articles.
2. Web sites that serve as resources for good info on subjects of interest to your readers. (Note: You can link to online content only when you grab a snippet and link to the original source. You can not use someone else’s work without permission.)
3. Online news stories on subjects related to your industry. You can sign up for Google Alerts on any subject and you will receive relevant news links in your inbox every day.
4. Blogs written by industry experts or people who care about the same things your readers do.
5. Your brain. Write something original, or jot down some bullet points and let the davemail team polish it up a bit.

Always put yourself in your readers’ shoes.  Would you want to read what you are sending out? If the answer is not yes, then we have some work to do!

Have other ideas? Please share.

Why can’t I send my email newsletter to anyone I want – like I can with direct-mail cards?

Like it or not, we in the legitimate email marketing business are forced by law to play by different rules. Again, it comes back to permission. As marketing icon Seth Godin says, almost all forms of traditional advertising and marketing are based on interrupting our daily lives with messages we didn’t ask for. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines - and even Web sites - are trying to get our attention away from what we came to get and attract us to what their advertisers want us to see and/or hear. Those forms of communication are important, but legitimate email marketing is different - and so are the laws.

We must get permission to deliver a message into an inbox, which opens the door to build real relationships - and the obvious benefits that result from earning and keeping our recipients’ trust.  Instead of a liability, think of it as an opportunity to reach your audience in a new and powerful way.

So, resist the temptation to buy or rent a list, we don’t need spam (or the fines that go along with getting caught) to be successful. We’re better than that.

At about 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, I tweeted that I was about to head home and was looking forward to being greeted by my youngest three children (ages 9, 7 and 3) because they still run to me with open arms and big smiles when I get home.

After a few minutes of light traffic and sports-talk radio, I was ready for my hugs and “I love yous.” What I got was something far more nefarious. Sending their mother to the front yard to distract me, my three little angels did indeed run to greet me – dressed in swimsuits and armed with an array of water weapons firing at will. With little regard for my sharp, business-casual attire and leatherette portfolio, they proceeded to drench me, much to their delight (as well as their mom’s, based on her snickers).

Running a small business can put us in similar situations at times. We walk in the office door with high expectations only to be attacked with email, voicemail, tweets and updates that can quickly throw our expectations for a loop.

 So what do we do about it?

 I am a little embarrassed to admit that there was a time that I would have gotten a little put out by the water attack incident. I was tired, my clothes were getting wet and I probably was not looking too cool in front of the neighbors.

 Thankfully, I have grown to understand that water dries, clothes get washed and my neighbors already know I’m not cool. Plus, I certainly didn’t want to disappoint my little army (that had been waiting to ambush me for a while I later learned) with anything but feigned fear and indignation and lots of slow running. OK, that part was real.

 I am grateful for all my clients, even if what they need at the moment is a little inconvenient or makes me shift my day around a little.

 I would hate to imagine what life would be like without them.

A client emailed me last week to ask how I decide the right questions to ask when interviewing a subject for a profile piece. She was concerned about focusing too much on his accomplishments at the expense of exploring the more revealing aspects of his life. She rightfully wants her readers to really know the person, not just be familiar with his resume.

People profiles, whether for an email newsletter or academic journal, often are the most difficult stories to write. That’s because an experienced writer is always looking for a good hook that will make the reader care enough to finish the story (or at least read past the headline), and they are not always easy to find. Sometimes, it takes a little digging.

First, get the basic info with a Google search and by simply asking an assistant for a current bio – that way you can skip the questions about their hometown, college and the boards on which they sit. You may want to break the ice with an easy question – maybe about what they are doing now and why they enjoy it. Then, once you have them talking, you can start working on what you are really after.

The goal is to gain insight into what makes the subject tick. In this case, the person is being honored for his leadership activities, so start by asking why he is so committed to his chosen organizations and what he has gained from serving as their leader. Ask what makes a good leader. Ask what he learned from serving others and why he encourages others to do so. Ask what advice he would give younger leaders. Ask how being a leader has changed him over the years. Ask him why he kept saying “yes.”

Of course, you may not need to ask all those questions, but you get the idea. Get them talking about their passions, and the story should write itself. People who love to lead usually love to talk – so let them.

Dave Fiore is founder and CEO of davemail.

When a client presents a task that challenges your ability to deliver, you can politely decline and refer them to a competitor, hurriedly add a staff member or seek help from a trusted independent contractor.

Clever copy, creative logos (and really cool email newsletters) often are the work of talented individuals or companies hired by managers of companies in need of a specific skill set. While these stealth specialists often remain anonymous to the client, they play a vital role in more local projects than you might expect.

So how do you decide if outsourcing is your best option and then choose the right provider?

• Determine exactly what you need. This may seem obvious, but understanding the details of your project will help ensure that you find the best outsourcing option. Then communicate those details clearly.
• Establish a realistic budget. Everything sounds easy around the conference table, but take a hard look at the how long it will really take and what may be needed to complete the project.
• Choose between a per-hour project and retainer relationship. A project-based assignment is clearly defined and may be better for the short-term, while a monthly retainer allows greater flexibility.
• Set clear financial parameters. The contractor should never spring extra charges on a client, and the client should resist the temptation to add to a job already agreed upon – without expecting to pay for it.
• Allow time for a learning curve. Even your employees need some time to learn the ins and outs of your operation and your business culture. Build this into your schedule.
• Provide a reliable contact person. Even if you are the one doing the hiring, give your contractor the “best” person to reach when they have questions or need information.
• Know who you are hiring. Check references, see samples and ask around. Make sure they know what they’re doing, people like working with them and that they deliver on time.
• Look beyond the hourly rate. Don’t be scared off by a contractor’s hourly fee. Remember that there are no payroll benefits or taxes, and in most cases, you are getting a level of experience and expertise you could never afford in a full-time employee. A bargain for sure.

It is a lesson that business owners and managers learn quickly: There is simply more to do than time to do it. And if that isn’t the case, then something is probably wrong.

I can already hear all the Franklin planners popping open and the chants that proper time management is the key to happiness and world peace. But it’s more than that. It’s about balancing our daily activities so that we are providing flawless customer service, pursuing new business and attending to the tiny details that keep our doors open – all in a fluid environment that demands thinking on our feet and personal discipline.

It simply is too easy for an entire day to go by without moving the business essentials forward. So what do we do to guard against spending time on good stuff, but not the best stuff? And how do you figure out what the best stuff even is?

I posted that question on my blog and got a most insightful response from my 85-year-old grandfather who lives in Ohio and is apparently still cool enough to blog. His no-nonsense approach, learned through decades of successful sales, management and business experience, got right to the point.

“Dave, business practices have not changed much over time,” he said. “The best advice I can give you is that you have to learn to separate the chaff from the wheat. Without new business coming in, everything else is inconsequential! So that must be uppermost in your mind at all times. I know you have a million and one things to do, but somehow they will get done.”

So there you have it. Nothing else matters if you don’t have clients (or customers). What a novel idea. Of course, you should make sure you are taking good care of the clients you already have, but I think from his perspective that is a given. Creating a revolving door doesn’t get you anywhere.

Being a smart businessperson means staying in business – something that is a whole lot easier when someone is buying what you’re selling. And while there are at least a million other things we can be doing, we must keep new business coming in and let the rest take care of itself.

Strengthening relationships with current customers is the easiest and most effective way to increase your sales. The old adage that it is five times more expensive to gain a new client than retain a current client may be difficult for you to quantify, but it is certainly true in principle.

It just makes sense. Is it harder to convince a new person that you are worthy of their trust or remind a former customer of the positive experience they had even years earlier? Not only are current customers more likely to come back for more, they also are your best sales reps. The longer a person has used your services or purchased your products, the greater their loyalty and motivation to tells others about you.

People like referring their friends to people they have done business with. It makes us feel good to share a great tree guy or IT specialist and for our friends to also have a positive experience with them. Everybody looks good, and that kind of networking can gain serious momentum – especially if it enters the digital realm.

So while advertising for new customers is always important, don’t forget to pay special attention to the group that holds the greatest potential of all – the people you already know, and more importantly, already know you.