I've been a programmer, designer, analyst, manager, VP and director for various companies over past twenty years. I've always lived by this rule, and I've always demanded it from vendors and companies with which I do business.

You always treat customers well. Good, paying customers are like gold in world, and you always treat them right. You don't need to "take it" from them, you simply treat them with respect. Treat your customers well.

When I managed a shop of 12 consultants we had a strict policy: customer must be happy with our work. If customer is unhappy, we would work for free or give money back or come to some agreement to make him happy. Sometimes, of course, there were those customers who could never be happy with anything - those we simply didn't do business with at all. The customer must treat us with a measure of respect, after all, but we always felt we were in drivers seat.

This applies to job as well. In my organization, my "customers" are my users, people who use computers which we support. We practice "the customer is king" all of time, every day of week. If I get a call from a user on a weekend at 2 am, I make sure he gets help he needs. When CEO's laptop breaks, he gets a new one as fast as possible; and when receptionist needs a new program installed it's done just as quickly.

I've written about this before, and one person wrote back, "In my experience, kowtowing to clients or customers, bending to their every whim no matter how ludicrous, and keeping a fake smile plastered on your face while you utter 'Thank you sir! May I have another?' is a sure-fire recipe for misery."

Ah, poor fool simply does not understand. You don't "kowtow". You provide service and give respect to your customers.

But what about those abusive customers? The customer who is never satisfied or demands his money back or whatever?

These are exceptions. Most people are good, honest and hard working. They want to do good, and they want a good product or service. Most people are perfectly willing to pay for value received, and most people do not make life difficult.

Those that do are exceptions to this rule. Most people are good, not evil. So treat vast majority as good, and treat exceptions appropriately. Remember, you don't have to accept money from anyone, but once you do they are customers.

If you are a consultant, give best value that you can, then give a little more. If customer is a complete jerk, then don't do business with him at all. You don't have to accept money!

And that's what I've got to say about that.

I remember when I first heard about idea of giving. I thought it was a scheme to get me to give money to people who were telling me to do giving.

If I did give, it was like a miser. Naturally, what I got in return was equivalent to what I gave. I gave little. I got little.

But then one day I decided to test theory of giving.

I love inspiring stories. I read them, listen to them, share them, and tell them. I decided to thank Mike Dooley of tut.com for inspiring messages he shares with me and others every day by email.

I decided to give him some money. In past I would have given him maybe five dollars. But that's when I came from scarcity and feared giving principle wouldn't work. This time would be different. I took out my check book and wrote a check for one thousand dollars.

Mike was stunned. He got my check in mail and nearly drove off road as he headed home. He couldn't believe it.

I loved making him so happy. I delighted in giving money to him. Whatever he did with it was fine with me. What I got was an incredible feeling of helping someone continue doing what I believed in. It was an inner rush to help him. I still rejoice at sending him money.

And then something wonderful began to happen.

I suddenly got a call from a person who wanted me to co-author his book, a job that ended up paying me many times over what I given away.

And then a publisher in Japan contacted me, wanting to buy translation rights to my best-selling book, "Spiritual Marketing." They, too, offered me many times what I had given my friend as a gift.

A true skeptic can say these events are unrelated. Maybe in skeptic's mind, they aren't. In mine, they are.

When I gave money to Mike, I sent a message to myself and to world that I was prosperous and in flow. I also set up a magnetic principle that attracted money to me: As you give, so you will get.

Give time and you'll get time.

Give products and you'll get products.

Give love and you'll get love.

Give money and you'll get money.

This one tip alone can transform your finances. Think of person or persons who have inspired you over last week. Who made you feel good about yourself, your life, your dreams, or your goals?

Give that person some money. Give them something from your heart. Don't be stingy. Come from abundance, not scarcity. Give without expecting return from that person, but do expect return. As you do, you will see your own prosperity grow.

Try it and see.