“What’s this worth?” It’s the question at the heart of Antiques Roadshow. No matter how junky or strange the item, no matter how useless it appears, everyone’s hoping they’ve scored a prize worthy of a giant price tag or a spot in the Smithsonian. The real value of anything is in the mind of the buyer or customer. A visit to eBay tells you the same thing. A buyer recently bought a vintage needlepoint design first manufactured in the 1970s. She’d stitched one for a friend while in college but always regretted not making one to keep. The original price on “Siamese Cat in Wicker Chair” was about $8, but she happily bid four times that amount as soon as she spotted it online. “I had to have it,” she explained. “It’s as lovely as I remembered and brought back the happiness I felt when I first saw it years ago.”

If value is intangible, especially in business, the memory of value is even more elusive, but is the key to success. A returning customer recalls that he’s been treated well and values the ease of today’s transaction. In a crazy-busy world, the value of that reassurance beats any treasure on Antiques Roadshow. How do your customers rate their repeat experiences with your business?

A small business owner who’d had success selling online decided to expand, opening a real bricks-and-mortar shop. Yes, it’s the reverse of so many companies, but she missed the in-person connection of retail. Friends, colleagues and family all advised against it. “Your customers are all over the place, yet this would be a local store!” “Your online business will suffer if you’re busy doing sales in person.”

She plunged ahead with a small but bright storefront sandwiched between two offices. Her grand opening brought a huge crowd, virtually all out-of-towners. She’d invited her online customers for a special weekend of shopping and fun, and had issued invitations months earlier, even arranging for hotel and restaurant discounts, offering those merchants discount vouchers for her business in return.

The bustling crowd created a buzz and curious local shoppers stopped in, too. The shop was a go, a companion to her virtual store. Even when faced with predictions of negativity, she’d stayed true to her vision. With long-term prep and a touch of imagination, her perseverance paid off.

When a new idea for improving customer service draws thumbs down from those around you, can you try another angle? Then go for it! Your own instincts are the best map for staying the course.

The ultimate illustration of perseverance in action took place 31 years ago this month. At the Lake Placid Olympics, a youthful team of amateur hockey players, clad in red, white and blue, skillfully defeated the long-established “Big Red Machine,” the Soviet hockey power. The victory electrified the nation and left observers wondering how the Olympians did the impossible. No one could beat the Russians!

But they had, and not by luck or timing but sheer, repetitive effort. Their savvy coach worked the players so hard, their resentment and desire to “show him” helped them jell into a team. Pride pushed them to display ever-greater effort. Fine tuning their game plan, they didn’t consider the possibility of defeat because they were staying on point, building on each day’s efforts. After the thrill of beating the Soviet team, they remained focused, with a single opponent remaining between them and the gold medal. (Impress your friends by knowing this answer: After beating Russia, the US team beat Finland for the gold!) Their remarkable feat remains unmatched. Today, those former players still cite pure perseverance as the key to their success.

When your customer service efforts seem to be going nowhere, do you refocus like an Olympian on your goal of a better connection? It can be closer than you think.

Have you ever had an idea you know others would applaud if they’d just take time to embrace it? And when their reaction is less than supportive, do you continue to nurture the idea? It happened to a determined author who’d created a new, offbeat character. She’d enjoyed success featuring a traditional male protagonist but wanted to branch out and write about a different kind of heroine and tried out her creation in a short story.

“That was the story that killed so many magazines,” the author recalls. Every time she sold it to another publication, hopeful that her clever prose would finally appear, it didn’t. Magazines, struggling in a tough economy, dropped fiction pages or ceased publishing. Wondering if perhaps her character was a bit too outrageous, she kept trying. Eventually the story did run in a small magazine. It featured a tall, red-headed private detective who moonlights as a Boston cab driver, plays volleyball and blues guitar, and is in love with a mysterious businessman. Carlotta Carlyle, the offbeat P.I., may have been a tough sell, but she instantly appealed to readers and became the star of Linda Barnes’ ongoing series of mystery novels. Even when a thread of doubt crept in, the author trusted her instincts and stuck with her idea.

When you’re focused on customer service, does uncertainty change your course of action or are you dedicated to letting your own ideas shine?

We’ve all heard the mantra: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” How many of us apply it to customer service? It’s easy to write off a business situation as “not a good fit,” yet perseverance can pay. A woman who’d spent years as a sales rep in the medical community wanted to try selling advertising in a different field. A quilter, she knew her hobby’s suppliers and publications. She approached magazines but was told, “You’ve never sold ads before.” Treating them as new customers, she zeroed in on two publications. Her cold calls yielded no job offers, but she collected the direct phone numbers of the publishers she’d met.

Twice a week she placed friendly phone calls.”Remember me? I’m ready to sell for you,” she’d say, gently reminding them of her interest. “Eventually you’ll need an ad sales rep, and I really want that job.” It took three months of persistent reminders, but one publisher, impressed by her persistence, created an opening for her. By persevering, the saleswoman got what she wanted.

Sometimes you just have to try and keep trying. If a situation didn’t work, did you ask what would fix it? A healthy dose of perseverance can turn around a not-so-happy customer and keep the current ones smiling.

What kinds of things can you do to persevere in today’s marketplace?

Bright red envelopes and heart-shaped cards, cupcakes with pink frosting and “conversation hearts”-BE MINE! U’RE SWEET—remember Valentine’s Day in those grade school days? Getting lots funny or sentimental greetings from the big paper-covered box adorned with cupids was the most fun a winter’s day could bring.  And sometimes, giving, as in a lace-trimmed, handmade card for Mom, was just as cool.

We may have outgrown the teacher handing out cards and pridefully counting up how many we got, but come February 14, the Valentine’s Day spirit is still in play. This year, how will you remind customers to be your Valentine?

• Send a special email greeting with Valentine’s Day wishes, perhaps including a coupon or voucher to use later.
• Got a storefront or other display opportunity? Make the most of it, with hearts, flowers and an invitation to customers to stop by for a Valentine’s Day treat, hot cider, cookies or chocolates from a satiny heart-shaped box.
• Go old-fashioned and make the Post Office proud: Snail-mail vintage-look Valentine cards to customers, pledging traditional service with contemporary attention to detail.

Connecting with customers any day is good business. But on the day when hearts are open to happy reminders of childhood friendships sealed with a simple, comical card, your thoughtfulness will make the connection, and the customer service, a heartfelt one.

What kinds of things can you do in your business on Valentine’s Day to let your customers know you care?