Let's see if you can relate to any of these three experiences:

1.  You are meeting someone in a coffee shop but the "background" music is so loud you have difficulty carrying on a conversation. You find yourself scooting closer than your comfort zone normally allows for just so you can hear the other person's words.  

•  Meanwhile, the employees are happily singing along.

2.  Walking into a store, you are immediately assaulted by the sound of the music crashing through the speakers. A friendly clerk stationed near the door says something to you but you have no idea what it was because you have immediately clapped your hands over your ears in agony.  

• When asked if the volume could be lowered just a bit, you are told "This is the way we like it in here!"

 3.  While attending a networking meeting, you note that the venue seems extraordinarily cold. As you look around at your fellow attendees, you realize you are not the only one feeling it; most are still wearing their coats in this indoor, supposedly heated space, and many are hunched over, arms wrapped around their own bodies, clearly uncomfortable with the temperature.

•  When a venue representative is asked if something can be done about the temperature, she responds "This is how we set it for the comfort of our customers later in the day. We tell people if they are cold, just wear a coat or jacket!" 

Does this strike a nerve with you at all? You are the customer, yet so often it seems that things are done for the convenience of the establishment of the staff.

The point of being in business is to draw customers in ... and then make them comfortable! What are patrons most likely to do in your establishment? Are you doing your very best to make this possible? Do your employees have the same understanding?

It's not about you, the business ... it's about them, the customers. And bringing them back again.