7. State comments in a positive way. Choosing positive and motivating words when speaking with a client will show you are a skilled communicator, and it will keep your client interested.

8. Surprise every client (in a good way!). Give your new or existing clients something of extra value at no charge that will increase your worth to them in their eyes.

9. Go extra mile. Always do more than client expects. While delivering a training program to a large telecommunications firm's customer service representatives, one of participants told me she had been having a problem getting hypertext links to open from her emails. I'd had same kind of problem before, so I took a look. An upgrade to company's email program had turned that feature off. I ran a quick executable from a Command Prompt window, and voila! problem was solved. That participant happened to be Manager of Technical Support. I now have a long-term contract to deliver a broad range of training for that company, plus I deliver several speeches at company's conventions and meetings every year.

10. Be on time! One of most aggravating things to a client is when you're late or don't show up. Avoid saying, "I'll be there between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m." Your client's time is as valuable as your own. If you are taking longer than expected on a call, notify client that you will be delayed and give them option to reschedule.

11. Be worthy of a referral. The next time you are working on a project for a client, remember, they are (usually) experts in their own fields and communicate with many other friends in similar businesses. Offer client a referral fee or a discount for referrals. Put a referral code on back of your business cards so you can track referrals as they come in.

GETTING INTO THE FLOW IS OK, JUST DON'T LET IT KILL YOU

Sometimes I do get caught up in work, plunging ahead at a feverish pace. At times like these, I do hardest thing in world for me - I force myself to take a day off and do absolutely nothing. Surprisingly, work still gets done somehow, often ahead of schedule.

By taking time out to recharge your mental, emotional and creative batteries, you can produce even more of value and worth. Even if results aren't apparent immediately, you're not idle. Your brain is working in background and your creative imagination is actually more stimulated by not being distracted by "busyness" -- part of negative legacy of Puritan work ethic. And have you ever noticed how similar words "business" and "busyness" are?

LAZINESS IS TRULY THE FOUNTAINHEAD OF CREATIVITY

If you take some time to deliberately distance yourself from busyness of typical day, your subconscious creative mind can forge ahead unfettered. One of expressions I hate most from business world is, "Keep your head down and your tail up." What crap! Busyness will keep you from tapping into your creative potential. Don't feel you have to prove something by always appearing busy.

Remember Parkinson's Law? "A task will always expand to fill amount of time available for its completion." The contrapositive of that might go like this: "A task will take only as long as amount of time allowed for it."

So go ahead, give yourself a well-earned day off. What did your mother always say to you when you got so busy in house you were driving her crazy? "Go out and play." Have fun. You'll be more creative, more successful, more prosperous.