A little over two years ago we moved into a new home in Lakewood Ranch Florida - near Sarasota. Bernadette and I were the second ones to move into the newest subdivision. Our neighbors across the street, Jack and Elizabeth, took honors at being the first to move in.

Jack, who's retired, is quiet and very analytical. He came over the other day and announced that he was putting his house up for sale. He told us he interviewed four realtors. He shared a brief story about each one. What he liked and what he didn't like.

He liked one in particular. His name was Phil. Jack said he was impressive in many ways. He came prepared. He looked and acted very professional and established rapport easily plus had other positive attributes. Jack said he emphasized personalized service, over and over again, and that made a good first impression.

After interviewing the four realtors Jack and Elizabeth were leaning toward giving the listing to Phil. As they were discussing their options, Jack had one more question he wanted to ask Phil. So he called Phil on Friday afternoon at 4:30 and left a message with his assistant, who was a key member of Phil's team.

Sixteen hours later, 8:30 AM on Saturday morning, Phil's assistant returned Jack's call, apologizing for taking this amount of time to return his call.

That's the story - here's the bottom line. Phil and his team did not get the listing, which had a potential commission of $90,000. The reason Jack told us, was that 16 hours to return a call did not measure up to his definition of personalized service. Remember, Jack is very analytical and pays attention to the details.

Little things mean everything and sometimes they can cost you a sale.

Another example. Last Thursday, I was on American Airlines flight #1328 from Miami to Philadelphia. I was lucky and got an upgrade to First Class. My seat was 6F. I noticed the flight attendant as lunch orders were being taken. She seemed friendly and attentive as she noted the individual lunch requests. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and her smile seemed genuine and contagious, as she moved from passenger to passenger.

My initial impression, from a distance, was First Class service in the First Class cabin. That however changed as she approached row 6. She asked my seat partner for his preference and then asked me for mine. She was chewing gum and I mean really chewing the gum. For me, the big distraction was I could see the little red wad of gum she was chewing on.

It's not a big thing to be sure. Sorry, I can't help that it bugged me, it just did. It was a dang little thing that just changed my first impression.

Little things mean everything, especially if you're in sales. Jack called Phil and told him why he didn't get the listing. How many times have you finished second to a competitor and convinced yourself the final decision was based purely on price? Seldom will you get a phone call explaining the real reasons why you weren't the chosen one.

Maybe it was just a little thing.

Little things mean everything and sometimes they can help you close a sale.

So, I got to thinking about little things last weekend between sales training programs I was doing for corporate clients. I must have gotten into a zone because when I was done writing I had a list of 75 little things you can do to increase your sales. This morning I recorded a CD with 75 little things you can do to increase your sales. The package is called, "75 Little Things You Can Do To Grow Your Business And Boost Your Income."

Most salespeople, and for the life of me I don't understand why, take a pass on anything that costs more than 10 bucks. I hope that's not how you think.

This dynamite NEW Info Product will . . . go here for the rest of the story! http://www.meisenheimer.com/products/75thingscd.htm

A lot of ideas (75) that won't break your piggy bank.

Jim Meisenheimer publishes The No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter, a fresh and high content newsletter dedicated to helping you grow your business and multiply your income.

Use this link to sign-up for Jim's F-R-E-E No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do." http://www.meisenheimer.com