Secrets of the trade

If you can tell your customer something that he or she does not usually share with people, like family matters or personal issues, then they will know that you're not a fraud.

One thing you should never do is to predict death. The person dies, you are whacked. The person lives, you are a quack.

Make it a point to remind customers who ask if they will land the contract or get that job that they still have to work for it. Don't be stupid - if they sit and do nothing, don't expect the chance to drop from the sky.

This article was first published in The New Paper.