Your relationships with your customers can be the most important factor to your success in business. More business is gained or lost as a result of a supplier’s relationship with the customer rather than as a result of their ability to provide a quality service or product. However, as in your dealings with other people in other aspects of your life, building a good relationship with your customers can take a long time to build and only a short time to break down. One incident can damage what you worked hard for a long time, possibly even years, to build. There are many different ways to build stronger working relationships with customers. However, there are no absolutes, no necessarily right or wrong ways, and no shortcuts. What might work effectively with one customer could be detrimental or even destructive to your relationship with another customer.