Two days came and went with no call back, and I figured #1 and #2 didn't really know what they were doing so I tried again. This time I got a very pleasant person (#3) who took time to listen to my problem, and she solved it "lickety split". She not only solved problem, but displayed a real caring attitude which previous two did not.

Now, it seems that many companies staff their customer care department with warm bodies, give them a trouble shooting book (you can hear them turning pages) and then try to get rid of you as quickly as possible so they can handle their next call.

This never ceases to amaze me. They spend millions on advertising their service, send out trial CD's by train load, and then staff their primary customer contact, with incompetents or people that don't give a fig about problems their customers are having. It seems that they really don't care if they lose a customer.

If you are in business, either you must be a #3 or have one working for you. Never forget - sales department gets customers, customer disservice department loses them.

5. Intense Pragmatism. Balanced with their idealism, these highly successful people were extremely practical. They are solution- focused, and use technology, information, and skills to reach their most important goals. They were not interested in theories, or in defending past choices or old traditions. They use practical tools to help them reach their goals.

6. Extraordinary Curiosity. They observe culture, read paper, read about their industry, and try to learn about everything around them. They read about politics and religion, they want to know about stock market and cooking. I was surprised that most of them were not "experts" in usual sense, but they are extremely educated, bright and curious. They have earned their doctorates in "real life". Very interesting!

7. Personal Discipline. They don't waste time, and they don't lie to themselves. They don't exaggerate or minimize, and they don't generalize. These people were precise when they spoke about their age, relationships, business affairs or dreams. Numbers and dates, dollars and cents were important to them, and I found them easy to talk with, and very clear in their communications.

What impressed me was that keys to their success were not related to family or background. They had not been born wealthy, and only about half completed college. They did not seem "driven" for success. They did not make their fortunes in high-tech or by winning a lottery. Instead, they followed a plan that created persistent, high levels of success or a lifetime.

Each of these skills can be learned by anyone! There are no "secrets" of success, and talent, family and luck had little to do with it. These highly successful people knew what they wanted, and used their networks, hard work, patience and discipline to achieve outstanding results. So can you!