We all need customers and some businesses need all the customers they can get. But, there will occasionally be customers that are a drain on your time, emotions and resources. Customers that disrupt your business, annoy your team and are reluctant to pay their bills – customers that deep inside you know you will never satisfy.

Tennis players know the importance of finding the sweet spot, a place on their racket where a combination of factors ensures the maximum speed of the ball for the effort expended. Yet it is surprising that few in business take the time to understand or capitalise on their company’s sweet spot.

Sometime around 350 B.C. the Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that people find it easier to remember things in threes. Over two millennia later it’s surprising how the ‘rule of three’ affects our everyday lives and businesses.

When it comes to selling there are those that believe it is all about a slick pitch and a winning personality, to push your product and close the sale by persistence and countering any objection along the way.

We have all spent time creating and sending emails that fail to get the response we wanted and in some cases no response at all. Asking ourselves, what went wrong? So, how can you avoid your emails falling into the abyss? Here’s a few tips to getting your emails noticed.

Running a business or going through life without a plan is like setting off on a journey to an unknown destination, without a map. Whilst you may eventually get there, you are highly likely to get lost along the way and waste a lot of time (and money) in the process.

We live in a world where we want everything now, where we never have to wait for anything. But we can’t have or accomplish everything now - we are limited by our time, talent and money. Something which highlights a fundamental tension in humans between seizing rewards in the present, and being patient for the rewards of the future.

In this highly competitive world, we prize success but hate it when mistakes are made and things go wrong. Nevertheless there is real value in using our mistakes to achieve ever-greater success. Because, if you do it right, embracing failure can become a launch pad for positive change.

Whether your marketing is on or offline, B2B or B2C, above or below the line, you cannot get away from the simple fact that ultimately ‘people deal with people’. Words have meaning but names have power.

Significant initiatives by big business may feature in the spotlight and reflect the ‘big stuff’ but small businesses are taking ‘little steps’ that make big differences too.

Success doesn’t occur in a vacuum. There are a broad range of factors that lead to it. Hard work, self-motivation and determination are always essential. Surrounding yourself with the right type of people is another that can have a profound effect and accelerate success.