The first lesson in business is' the customer is always right,' right? Well, maybe yes, and maybe no. Women entrepreneurs should instinctively know the answer since WE are the major consumer of all goods and most services, so all we have to do is look in the mirror.

Every day I hear from entrepreneurs, both male and female, that their customers are driving them crazy! Of course, it is never the biggest customer that has all the problems and issues. It is always the customer who takes advantage of your product and/or service at the lowest cost that drives you CRAZY!

So, if this scenario is so universal why isn't there a clear answer to the problem. BECAUSE the customer is always an individual that JUST wants your full attention. You, women entrepreneurs, know this, because, as I said YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER!

Let's look at some examples that I, as a business coach, have heard about from my clients and, as a consumer, experienced personally. As you read about the situation decide how you, the small business owner/customer satisfaction purveyor, would handle the customer's issues.

Scenario #1. You are the manager of the customer service department of the market dominant PC operating system and officer suite market (guess who?). The company automatically updates customer software via the internet. A recent update corrupts the files of your customers. Customers don't realize that the problem they are having is caused by an update to their software, but, they eventually figure it out. Customers begin calling for assistance to correct the problem. What would you do?

This is what they did. When the customer finally got him on the phone, he told the customer that it would cost $99 to fix the problem, but offered to do it for free. Also, he let the customer know that lucky for her he would not have to uninstall the software on the customer's computer, but just deleted the update. Finally, he sent an email that said, "Thank you for contacting the Answer Desk. We hope you had a great experience."

OK, women entrepreneurs, what would you do?

I would've said, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience this problem has caused you. I will make sure that I will not get off the phone with you until this problem is completely fixed to your satisfaction." I would send an email to the customer to assure them that my company would make sure this problem would not happen again in the future and in the event that it did, we would notify them immediately of the problem by email. And finally, I would say, "we stand behind our products and services and it is our commitment to count you as a satisfied customer."

As a consumer, how did that last paragraph sound to you? It makes me want to continue doing business with the person and the company that is willing to admit a mistake and do whatever it takes to take responsibility for rectifying it.

Scenario #2: You are the owner of a graphic design/web development firm. You have pitched a new account and won the opportunity to design and develop the logo and website for a startup. You have been asked to work directly with one of the partners of the new business. You've been given a budget and timeline for your work. Three months into the project, the CEO decides to step in and take over for the partner you have been working with. The CEO's taste is completely opposite from the partner you have been working with. You are asked to start over. What would you do?

This is what they did. The CEO of the design firm demanded a meeting with the CEO to let her know just how much time and money her indecision as to who was leading the team had caused. He intimidated her and made her feel inept as a CEO and accused her of wasting his precious time. He gave her an ultimatum - pay 30% more than the contracted price for the project or make only minor changes to what had been design to save the majority of the creative work done to date.

Now, it's your turn. Women entrepreneurs, what would you do?

I would've insisted from day one that the CEO (the person who signed my contract) be involved with the project. However, even with that plan in place I would immediately work with the CEO to create a logo and website that she was proud of. She is the customer and, as a business owner, it is my responsibility and goal to make sure my client is satisfied, no matter how frustrating getting to the end may be. As a savvy entrepreneur, I know that people are known to change their mind about everything. I would build this potential time problem into my budget. Finally, I would comfort the CEO and let her know that many clients find designing a startup website difficult and worry about making the right decisions and that my job was to make her feel comfortable with her decisions.

Do you get it? The customer is right because the customer is the paying client and (s)he may not always know exactly what (s)he wants, but (s)he has offered to pay YOU for it!

Therefore, be your customer's champion every chance you get. Most of the time, it really isn't about being right -- it is about being understood.

Take time to understand, appreciate and champion your client and (s)he will show her loyalty by referring you and keeping you on the payroll for as long as needed.