We get hired to do something. We do it. We are courteous and responsive, but we do it and move on. That’s the way business works. Right?

That model works perfectly as long as everything works, well, perfectly. What happens when the result is not what you — or the client — expected?

I recently got the air conditioning fixed in my daughter’s car. We took it to the usual, trusted shop known for its honesty, quick response and reasonable prices. They had just replaced the compressor, but it still wasn’t cold. I took it back, they did something minor, tested it and said it was fixed.

Their tests may have said it was fixed, but it still wasn’t cold.

I took it back again, and they discovered that some vent that controls the hot air coming into the car was broken, allowing the 100-degree weather to mix with the cold air from the a/c unit.

It took me three trips to get the problem solved. Each time, they would test the air-conditioning system, and it would show that everything was working perfectly. But they never bothered to sit in the car. Just a couple minutes of that stifling hot air blowing in your face would tell you that something was still not right.

They had done the technical part of the job correctly, but did not check to see what the result was. They didn’t make sure that what I was really paying for — cold air inside the car — had been achieved.

For those of us who provide a service, our jobs don’t end with the delivery of our product. They end when we have confirmed that what our client really hired us to do is actually done.

We need to take a minute to sit in the car and make sure the air is cold. It is always better for us to sweat than our clients.

How much is my email address worth? Certainly more than I would have guessed. Last week, I traded my email address to the Fairmont Turnberry Resort in Aventura for four days of Internet access in my room and in the lobby. They charge separately for the different areas of the facility at around $15 or so per location per day. If I would have paid for all of it, it would have totaled $120.

How did I get it for free? Was I a VIP in the penthouse suite? Hardly. I was attending a client conference, walking up to the room with the bellman when he started explaining the resort’s amenities. Once we got to the room (which did have a great golf-course view), I asked about Internet access, and he offered a nice piece of inside information.

Andrew, a transplant from New York City who shared my disdain for the crazy South Florida drivers (that ought to tell you something), told me that to avoid the stiff connection charges, all I had to do was join the Fairmont President’s Club at the concierge desk.

The admission cost to the club was nothing more than my basic contact information and my email address. It took about five minutes to complete the process after which I received my access code and free Internet access for the rest of my life – as long as I happen to be in the vicinity of a Fairmont resort somewhere around the world.

While I am sure that they would have loved to have an extra $120, or even $60, they were more than willing to trade it for the right to send me offers in the future. Well, actually, they were more than willing to trade it for the right to contact someone with a lot of money who travels the world and is likely to stay in their resort on his own dime.

Unfortunately for them, that person is not me. That is probably why I was probably not even supposed to know about the offer. But I did, and I used it to leverage some nice connectivity.

Did I turn out to be a good investment? No. But my guess is that the value of gaining permission to communicate with enough of the right people is worth catching an occasional dud like me.

Thanks, Andrew, for the heads up. Us working people need to stick together.

It is amazing how much can happen in a second.

I was at a restaurant recently where our server was pleasant and efficient, but she always seemed more concerned with where she was going next than her time with us. As we answered her questions about the taste of our entrées or need for beverage replenishment, she would nod, turn and retreat in a single motion. Skillful, but unsatisfying. Instead of feeling taken care of, I felt like I was a box on her to-do list waiting for a checkmark.

In contrast, we stopped by Publix on the way home, and after checking out, the cashier handed me the receipt, looked me in the eye, smiled and wished us a nice evening. One second. That was the only difference. She took an extra second to connect with me and make me feel like she was present in the interaction and that I mattered to her.

If you are wondering why it is all about me and how I feel, it’s because it is. I am what matters. I am the goal. I am the prize. I am customer, hear my roar.

Getting new customers is the lifeblood of any business, but keeping the ones you have may be the difference between survival and unsurvival (yes, I made up a word). Spending that extra second on the people who have already chosen to do business with you is an important reminder to them about the value you place on the relationship.

So how does that translate to other types of businesses? What do we do when we don’t always see our customers face to face? How do we smile at them through phone calls or email? (Emoticons do not count.)  Try returning calls sooner. Remember more about your last interaction, especially if they shared something personal or timely. And send the last email in a conversation wishing them a great weekend or conveying your appreciation for their business.

That should certainly be enough to get a smile out of them.

We just had the exterior of our house painted, and every time we drive up, we are impressed. To my wife and me, the difference is dramatic, but our friends have apparently not been as concerned with our fading siding.

The house is mostly brick, but the siding under the gables, the trim and the battered front door were a splotchy, faded beige. Fifteen years had not been kind to the green shutters, either. And our garage door was the same stark white it was when we had it installed eight years ago.

Today, the siding, trim and garage door are dormer brown (OK, darker beige), the shutters are shiny black and the front door is barn red. It is clean, fresh, and it makes the house look terrific.

People we told about the painting or saw it in process, comment about how great it looks. But others have noticed with less consistency. One friend didn’t notice anything, but her 8-year-old daughter said, “Hey, your door is red.” Another friend complimented us on the new welcome mat.

Now, before I get all judgmental, I readily admit that I would be very unlikely to recognize a change in a friend’s house color, either. The point is that people often don’t recognize better, they just recognize good – even if they are not sure why.

It is important to make improvements to our business, too, but don’t expect people to notice that you have changed the bullet points on the back of your business card. Just make sure those points are great. It doesn’t matter what you have done before (unless it was illegal, then someone will probably care), it just matters that what you are doing today is the best you can do.

People want a great experience and will recognize and appreciate it. They just may not realize what you’ve done to get there.

Social media is proving to be a window to our souls that always stays open. In the last couple days, rapper 50 Cent and actor Gilbert Gottfried have taken heat for insensitive jokes they made on their Twitter accounts about the ongoing tragedy in Japan. In fact, Gottfried was fired as the voice of the iconic Aflac duck for his off-color comments. Aflac is Japan’s largest insurer.

There is nothing new about famous people making stupid comments about the events of the day — or unfamous people doing it for that matter. The difference is that ill-advised comments used to be caught by a microphone that was left open after a political event, a hidden camera or an email that was accidently replied to all.  They were not intended for everyone to hear — not that that makes it any better or less-offensive.

This is different, though. Through social media — primarily Twitter — people are launching their thoughts into the digital universe, often without using the filter that most of us have between our brain and our mouth.

I have a phone in my hand. I want people to think I’m funny. I am watching the news. I am tweeting.

Even if we do not have 2 million followers, we can still ruin our brand, our reputation and even our livelihood in 140 characters or less. So let’s be careful out there, and maybe read it out loud before hitting the send button.

I was in a Sprint store last week to swap out a bad Blackberry battery (can’t wait to get the Evo May 1), when a group of people wandered in as if they were lost. The helpful Sprint associate explained that they were from the warehouse wholesale event next door. It had become a common occurrence, he said.

“Are they really looking or just curious?” I asked. “They’re just curious,” he responded quickly. “But that’s my job — to take the curious and make them customers.”

Wow. I went in for a battery and came out with a business lesson. That is my job, too, and probably yours. Get people in to your store — or on to your website — and then convert them. Make them believers in what you do by explaining the value of what you offer and how it will make their life better.

They don’t have to be fans before they arrive, just after they leave.

I interviewed a loan officer the other day who told me that while a loan application may give him the numbers he needs, he still “banks the man (or woman).” He explained that a person’s character is still the most important factor to him in deciding a person’s loan worthiness. He asks himself, “Is he (or she) the kind of person I want to do business with?”

So how exactly does one make such a determination?

The banker I spoke with said he could just tell what a person was like from the face-to-face interaction they have during the loan process. After a few decades in the business, he claims it is pretty easy to do. Even if the applicant is a good businessperson, it is not enough for him. He has to like him. Not in a buddy-buddy way, but in a “I trust that you are who you say you are” kind of way.

Is that fair? Nobody’s perfect and judging others can certainly be risky business.

Attempting to determine a person’s overall character is certainly not about them being perfect – I am pretty sure most people disappoint themselves on a regular basis, and that’s OK.  We always could have done more. We could have tried harder. We could have handled that situation better. But character is not about not failing, it is about intent and heart and the desire to be a better person. It is about being the same person when you are alone as you are when you are in a conference room with prospective clients.

It is about knowing what you believe and acting like it. It is about boldness on the things that matter and grace in matters of opinion.

In other words, it’s being the kind of person someone you would want to do business with – or even lend money to.

I know we are already in resolution-breaking mode, but here is a simple goal for 2011 that would help all of us who are looking to keep our business doors open this year.

I heard from two small-business owners this morning who said they simply needed more people to pick up the phone or drop by their store. One retail owner told me he had one person in his store yesterday.  The other said his phones are far too quiet and he needs to keep his employees busy.

So what can we do? Let’s be conscious of every opportunity to refer people we know to the businesses we like. Keep a list (at least in your brain) of the local products and services you use and then try to pair them up with your friends, family and colleagues.

It’s not rocket science, but it takes a few minutes of thought. Overhearing a conversation about jewelry or overgrown trees? Jump in with the name of your diamond expert or tree guy.

When new business seemingly comes from nowhere, it usually starts with someone taking a moment to offer a personal recommendation.

Let’s be that person more often in 2011.

“It’s about what you write, not how well you write it.”

Like a dagger to the heart, those words from a new email newsletter client pierced my writer’s soul and made me question the purpose of my very existence. Why am I here if not to take the mundane and spin it into something interesting?

The context of our discussion was that a consultant had tried to sell him on the misguided notion that social media updating is more about style than substance — that a clever phrase or dash of humor could make up for a lack of compelling information.

I think there actually are two separate issues in play here. First, he is absolutely correct that no amount of thesaurus-driven prose will make up for shallow thought. However, there is something to be said for eloquence, brevity and adherence to AP style.

Start with something real to say and then put some thought into the best way to communicate it. Good writing is always more effective than bad — or even average — writing. Good story telling will sell more than bullet points.

So, yes, how well you write something is not the most important thing — but if given the right foundation, it can sure come in handy.

I find it hard to write when I get discouraged. At a time when businesses are crumbling, the rate of small-business closings has tripled, and people are making drastic lifestyle decisions, I have let my writing time be consumed with thinking. Way too much thinking, to be honest.

Part of my excuse for the lack of literary production is the little voice inside my head whispering that it doesn’t matter anyway. Who is even reading my “insights” about small business or tips for better email newsletter writing? And even if they are, how is it impacting my bottom line? Isn’t it just better to post something clever on Facebook and call it a day?

As my momma always said, “Life is like a good blog.” (She was ahead of her time.) Writing is what I do, and I need to take advantage of any opportunity to share useful information, offer encouragement or be honest when times are tough. Even when I don’t feel like it.

And in regard to impacting the bottom line, no single blog post is likely to do that. Just like any form of communication or networking, consistency is the key. Relationships are based on trust and ideas shared week by week and month by month, which is why, incidentally, email newsletters are so valuable.

So with my brief hiatus over, it is time to get writing again. Even if it is just for you and me, I will consider that worth the investment. I hope you do, too.