Some building maintenance staff do as little as possible, standing on their brooms just waiting for 5:00 on Friday. Not Rosa, she works hard. Every time I see her, she's sweeping, washing, cleaning, and tidying up.

I wanted to give her a thank you note, but wasn't sure what to say. I realized I'd thanked the maintenance person in another office building, so I looked up that letter in this collection, and repurposed it for Rosa. I included a McDonald's gift card with this note.  

Result: the next day someone told me Rosa appreciated my gift. She had been out of money and was going to miss lunch. The McDonald's card saved her. What has this got to do with building a successful consulting practice? As consultants, our reputation cuts across everything we do. Rosa will never hire me. . . but my phone keeps ringing.