We're finding that the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who imagine themselves as an investor in their client's business. Rather than just thinking about how you're going to move inventory or sell your products, your first priority should be a shift to thinking of yourself as a partner in your client's company. What if you were an owner and had your hard-earned money buried in their business? How would you make them successful?

This morning I spoke to Bill Haack, whose company Zywave provides software for insurance brokers. I was a keynote at their conference for America's top brokers this past spring. "The transaction is important to what brokers do," Haack said. "But the intangibles--decision-making assistance and personal service--are what really differentiate the best companies."

Haack spent a large part of his business life as a broker, which is much of what inspired Zywave in the first place. "In a challenging market like this one, some players are discouraged and some opportunistic. But if you're a broker, nothing is better than competing against a demoralized broker. You don't find the opportunities in markets like these unless you have an attitude that allows you to find those opportunities."

The secret to success is to understand that the current economic tumult isn't about you: it's about your customer. Businesses that make their business a factor in their client's profitability are gaining more share today than at any other point in history.