Say what you want about Wal-Mart today, when Sam Walton was building this multi-national company, he was fanatical about client service. He was adamant that his leadership team was not only familiar with, but followed 11 Customer Service Commandments. We could all do well by adapting these concepts to our firms. Here they are (replaced “customers” with “clients” and “business” with “firm”):

1. Our clients are the most important people in our firm.
2. Clients are not dependent upon us; we are dependent upon them.
3. Clients are not interruptions of our work; they are the purpose of our work.
4. Clients do us a favor when they use us; we are not doing them a favor by serving them.
5. Clients are a part of our business; they are not outsiders.
6. Clients are not people with whom you argue or match wits.
7. Clients are people who bring us their wants, and it is our job to fill those wants.
8. Clients are not cold statistics, they are flesh and blood human beings with emotions and feelings like our own.
9. Clients are deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give them.
10. Clients are the people that make it possible to pay everyone’s salary.
11. Clients are the lifeblood of our firm.