I was talking with a friend the other day, and he was telling me how he felt that at work they kept doing the same things over and over again with similar, less-than-remarkable results. He said it was like "painting a white room white." While the new coat of white paint was fresher and cleaner than the one it replaced, nobody really noticed the difference except the ones who did the painting.

I think the same is true about the incremental changes many of us make in our business. We notice them, and over-value their worth to others even though they're not likely to realize we've made any changes at all.

Next time you contemplate a change in your business, ask yourself, "Will my clients (or co-workers) notice?" If the answer is no, perhaps you should concentrate your energies on changing something they will.