Don't get in a p_ _ _ ing contest with a skunk!

A few months ago, I had a customer who bought a dress for his sister. Not knowing whether or not it would fit her, I gave him one business day to return it for credit.

The deadline for return came and went. The day after the deadline, the customer attempted to return the item. When he wasn't allowed, he became belligerent. I wasn't there that day, but my employee explained the policy from which we don't deviate. (Note that the overwhelming majority of resale shops have no return policy.)

He was told he could call me on a day I was working, but he never did. One morning about two weeks later, I entered another store on my way to work. I was only in the store for a few seconds when a man approached me - he watched me get out of my car which has the store's name on it.

He demanded I tell him why I never returned any of the five (!) calls he made to me. (remember he never called when I was in the store, even though he had been told my schedule.) He was immune to my explanation that a policy is a policy. He said I needed to be flexible, to which I replied I was flexible in that instance - I normally don't allow any returns at all.

I finally just had to walk away from him as I felt he was getting a little too threatening. The last thing I heard him say was, "Don't worry, lady, what goes around comes around."

Situations like this make me have second thoughts about how I operate my business. But hindsight being 20/20, I'm so glad I didn't back down.

Can you think of an example when you stood your ground even after having second thoughts?

A "newbie" becomes a great networker ...and teaches a lesson to the rest of us.

I have the great honor of serving as a graduate assistant in a current Certified Networker(tm) course. (If you want to know how this course helped me make my business so much more successful and what it can do for your business, please let me know).

The group is small which allows every member of the class to get so much individual attention and assistance.

One student, Lisa Litalien, who is Manager of Corporate Travel for Central Travel, "got it" very soon in the process. After only a few classes (out of a 12-week course), Lisa attended a networking meeting of the Women's Entrepreneurial Network or WEN (a Toledo-area organization for women in business and women-friendly businesses - ask me about this, too).

Dave Bodner, a friend and fellow networker, told the group at our table the name of a person he wanted to meet to possibly do business with (let's call him "Mr. Y). Getting a personal introduction to a person you want to meet is the best way to begin to build a relationship with that person.

No one at our table knew the person he wanted to meet but we all wrote down the guy's name. But Lisa did much more than that. For the next day or two, she asked everyone she came in contact with if they knew "Mr. Y." Lo and behold, she found someone! She then arranged a meeting with Dave and Mr. Y - I don't know what will happen, but this networker sure learned a lesson that day. Lisa doesn't seem like so much of a newbie anymore, does she?

What's your best example of when you have been able to make a great connection happen between two other people?

What is your favorite type of book?

I love true crime books. I think The Boston Strangler was the first one I ever read, probably back in the early 70's. I was hooked.

Other than business books and an occasional crime fiction book (usually when my husband has just finished it and can't stop raving about it), I almost exclusively read true crime. My favorite author is Ann Rule and I've read all of hers.

I guess I am just fascinated by the dark side of the human soul. But I worry what this says about me. I've often said that if I'm ever suspected of committing a violent act, the cops would have a field day with my personal library and my public library record (I can't remember if they're allowed to see that or not.).

What is your favorite kind of reading and what do you think that says about you?

Giving too much information too soon

My oldest son and his wife have a 16-month old daughter, Emme. They recently signed up for a college credit course at a local community college (in Washington state). The little kids are all in one room while the adults are in another getting some sort of parenting education.

My daughter-in-law Jan was not thrilled with the adult supervision in the kids' room so she and several other mothers (and an occasional father) stayed with the tots.

I'm not expressing my personal opinion about this particular topic, but it was clear how Jan felt. She recently told me about a breast-feeding mother who quite frequently fed her baby during the one-hour session. "I don't know her. I don't even know her name. But I saw her boobs at least five times during one hour!"

So I thought about networking and how you learn in the Certified Networker course how to build relationship first before interacting with others in a certain way.

So the take-home lesson for me here was - get to know someone; develop a relationship with them first; and then you can show them your boobs all you want!

So what's your favorite 'too much info too soon' story?