Your Attitude Really Does Matter
eBay assumes that people are basically good. It’s written into the bylaws of the site. If you want to do business on eBay, you are also supposed to believe (or at least act like you believe) that all people are basically good.
Do you assume this in your business? Or do you assume that people are out to cheat you?
Imagine, if you will, walking into a department store. The workers all eye you suspiciously. Someone follows you around to make sure you don’t steal anything. There are security cameras everywhere. On the walls, in big letters, they have a sign that says ‘Serious Shoppers Only!’ or ‘Shoplifters Will Be Prosecuted!’
You don’t exactly get a welcome feeling. Stores like this inevitably attract the very customers who don’t mind this kind of treatment—i.e. people who have been kicked out of more welcoming stores for stealing.
Your attitude shapes the clients you get. Now that doesn’t mean you should be gullible. Just don’t treat clients as if they are criminals if they haven’t done anything to deserve it. If there is a problem, make it clear that you know they will do the right thing. You are simply giving them an opportunity to do so. 9 times out of 10, they will.