I'm sure you've thought about this question before during the middle of a conversation. You may or may not have said it out loud as well. Being believable is important when presenting to any group of people, but we aren't going to focus on you or your business venture being believable. We are going to focus on the believability of others in your circles of influence.

Influence is a key word, because it can be a positive or toxic. It is important to understand how those surrounding you impact you on a short-term and long-term basis.

As entrepreneurs and new business ventures we believe in our ideas so strongly we start avoiding naysayers (it's okay to admit). The issue is when you keep that mindset on an ongoing basis. You may directly or indirectly burn some bridges with that approach. The goal is understanding your bias and surrounding yourself with people you do trust.

When your customers talk to you, do you hear them or listen to them? There are subtle differences to look for between hearing and listening to your customers.

I will use a tongue-twister I came up with a while back as a great example.

Tai Chi, Chai Tea

The phrases when said quickly sound very familiar, but have very different meanings. If you are only hearing your customer you may incorrectly interpret what they say.

Are you ready for the ultimate one test quiz to find out if you are hearing or listening to your customers?

1. Are you tracking and taking action on feedback from your customer base?

If you answered, "No", do you understand why things are falling through the cracks? Hearing is a passive activity. You don't have to actively be paying attention to hear what someone is saying. This behavior can create several potential customer service related issues.

• Customers may think you are actively ignoring them, and that leads to customer frustration and potentially losing loyal customers. This could…