In It’s Not About the Coffee Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks International, identifies Yes as the most powerful word in the world. “Yes is freeing and inspiring. It means permission. It means possibility. Saying yes makes you feel good.”

Saying No might initially be a self serving “rule” to achieve an illusion of efficiency, but it is self limiting and even mindless when viewed by your customers. It can also become a very insidious habit that may be driving your most valuable customers away.

“WE DON”T ACCEPT $100 BILLS!” It’s usually in caps with an exclamation point. So … you won’t accept legal tender, and you stick that sign in my face, all because it minimizes your risk of counterfeit currency … and you won’t spend the few bucks for the technology that would minimize your risk and accommodate my needs. Time to say yes.

“WE OPEN AT 8:00AM!” Is that customer banging on your door at 7:45 just some transient individual who happened by your store, or perhaps one of your most devoted clients who needs her double low fat mocha latte with room to go for an earlier than usual meeting? Say yes and open early.

There is gold in saying yes! Take a good look at all of your rules and the investment you have in saying no to your customers. I can almost guarantee you can increase your revenues by 20% or more, with the same traffic - just by looking for the opportunities to say yes.

Visit 1001 Ways to Wow Your Customers for more.