What do You Deserve?

This week I have been talking about customer service and our expectations, and my own experiences. Today I want to share a lesson I learned as I evaluated my own behavior patterns when it comes to selecting vendors and their service levels.

Part of being a good customer begins with selecting the right partner. Let's face it. If you don't choose the right partner/vendor - you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Yet sometimes we pick a partner or vendor based on the wrong criteria. For example:

• In this new economy, we are all surrounded by a sense of scarcity, of lack. Sometimes we select a vendor or partner out of fear. A larger vendor will likely stay around, a cheaper vendor will be affordable if and when we have less money - the list of rationale goes on and on.

• When we're switching markets or focus, we may feel like the new kid on the block. That partner or vendor that comes along as an expert may feel like manna from heaven. They know what to do - obviously. They are known in the new market. So we trust them.

• Sometimes- we're feeling small. Business has been rough, we're doing something new, we're wondering if we know what to do. So we're grateful for any vendor or partner that comes along and pays attention to us, is willing to work with us. So we select them out of gratitude.

Any and all of the above were in play in my decisions that I discussed on Monday.

I was transitioning from being a successful well-known consultant to a new world as an author and speaker, I was worried about dollars (thanks to some new economy programming that I have since deleted) AND I was feeling small. I’m an expert in my field - but this was a new world. How could I be an expert in the big bad world of publishing?

And so - I worked with anyone who said they loved my stuff - who promised that they could help me. I did reference check on one other partner that I didn't mention on Monday - one who betrayed me in the worst possible ways. But overall - I made my selections on the wrong criteria.

I was grateful for anyone who wanted to be on my team in my new world.

What a crock. I belittled myself and my capabilities. I got stuck in BIG TIME GRAVITY - of a business and personal nature. And by the way - everything I said above can also be applied to our personal relationships. And yes, I admit it - I have battled the same pattern there. Luckily that area is clear now :)

So here's my lesson. I am worthy of the right partners - in life and in business.

I am ready to see the truth and be discerning, standing up for myself and my worth. I do not need to compromise my value just because I'm the new kid on the block - because in reality I'm NOT the new kid on the block. I'm a seasoned professional with two plus decades of experience. And it's time I started acting like it - expecting to have great people around me, not accepting any one of the "wolves" I wrote about last week into my world.

You deserve the same.

That's what I'm here to suggest. And to ask you a question.

Are you expecting the best for yourself? Or are you maybe settling for less - in business and in life? What can you learn?