As a business owner, you love to share. Ideas, advice, referrals – they not only help your clients but can position you as an authority and valued resource. However some business owners share too much. Here are five topics that should never be shared with your customers – either because they don’t care or it’s none of their business.

1. Finances. Pleading poverty or flaunting wealth is a quick way to alienate customers. They’ll either think you’re about to go out of business or charging too much.
2. Internal processes. No one cares about your supplier’s erratic delivery schedule or the uncooperative landlord. Enough said.
3. Employee issues. Complaining about an employee to a customer will only make you look like the bad guy. If an employee screws up, just apologize to the customer, fix the problem, then deal with the employee later in private.
4. Market conditions. Everybody thinks they have it tough. So don’t’ expect much sympathy when you whine about interest rates or cheap imports.
5. Other customers. Every customer should feel like they’re your only customer. So don’t be sharing stories about who buys what and how they pay for it.

Marc Gordon is a marketing expert and professional speaker. Get more marketing tips on his website, marcgordon.ca and on his online show, marctv.net.