I enjoyed the article by Ben Stein on his ‘how to lose a deal’ list. Out of Ben’s top 22, my favourites:

3. You learn from talking far more than you learn from listening. Talk all you want, but don’t bother to pay attention to anything your customer says. He’s just a bore.

5. Don’t sweat the details or the small stuff, like year-to-year increases in rent or other charges. You’re way too important to worry about trivia, and let your customers know it.

18. Never do any research or any footwork about a client. You’re a cool, Ferris Bueller type of guy. You can always wing it. (This one personally drives me crazy. The MacKay 66!)