Of the many things that can help drive sales for your business, perhaps few could be more important than customer service. While your core products or services may get most of your attention during business planning, customer service deserves to be front and center in your operations, no matter what kind of business you run or what type of clients you serve. Quality customer service will influence the overall experience of your customers, directly impacting their satisfaction and retention rates.

Most of us think great marketing is all about closing the deal, but what if telling people they don’t have to buy is the real secret? Maybe you’ve experienced this too, that moment when someone shares an idea that feels so against your instincts, you want to reject it outright. That’s what happened when my friend, behavioral scientist Nancy Harhut, introduced me to her counterintuitive marketing strategies last year at SXSW.