Things don’t always seem the same to your customers as they seem to you.

You might think, for instance, you just did something to serve the customer… and they might have an entirely different perception.

Case in point…

I recently enrolled a large number of students in an online training webinar series.

So far, so good.

At least I thought so…

Thinking I would best serve those students by getting the series underway as soon as possible, I scheduled the webinars immediately after enrollments were complete.

I felt good about this decision, because I would be delivering the material the students had paid for in a very timely fashion.

They wouldn’t have to wait.

I was somewhat surprised to receive an e-mail from a student who was upset with me… for not waiting longer to schedule the online classes!

This student criticized me as being “just like those other Internet marketers” who think only of themselves, and not of their students. What?! I thought I was thinking of my students!

I quickly got over my feelings of having been spat upon, and realized this was an opportunity for me to learn something. My perception of what’s happening can be completely opposite of my customer’s perception.

One of my primary responsibilities as a business owner is to be as aware of these differences as possible, and always working to close the gap between the two.

As my friends in the UK are well aware, it’s very important to “mind the gap”.