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I am so excited! I just got off the phone with Steve, the master's master of makeup and personal image. He's absolutely the best makeup artist in the world. If you don't believe me, then check out his list of very well-known, high profile celebrities! Anyway, Steve told me to check out his website so I did. The PR person in me was beyond delighted (and proud) to find my hubby and me featured on his "consultations" page. I was almost as excited as I am after landing a great feature or publicity opp for a client.

The first photo was taken when Steve was prepping me for a video shoot last fall. As a sponsor of the Orlando Business Journal's annual Golden 100 awards luncheon, I had to do a little "commercial" on film that was shown during the event. Suffice it to say that when your face shows up on two separate 60 foot screens in a ballroom of nearly 1,000 people, you definitely want Steve on your team! A little less eyeliner would probably have been good, too.

The other photos were taken in conjunction with Florida Trend magazine's article on power couples in Florida in which we were featured last month. We had a blast doing that photo shoot. Steve and my photographer, Michael Cairns, have worked together many times and Michael has been my photographer for years, so the shoot turned into a joking around, fun-loving afternoon among friends. Like Steve, Michael is one of the best in his industry. He, too, has a who's who list of celebrity clients. And he's usually booked months in advance. Yet when I called in a panic to tell him I needed photos done in the next 48 hours, he came through for me and made it happen, just like he always does.

That's why I do business with these guys. They understand the importance of client relationships. They go out of their way to help. And now Steve is generating more exposure for my business.

When you find someone like Steve or Michael, who are truly good at what they do and with whom you can really work well, do everything you can to cultivate, grow and maintain that relationship. Send them clients and referrals. Call periodically to make sure they're doing well and ask if there's anything you can do to help them. Invite them to meetings, events and social gatherings when you know people in the audience would be good prospects for them. Build the relationships. It makes business (and life) easier when you have friends and associates you know you can count on and even more enjoyable when they know they can count on you.

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