<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Phil, I apologize for the misunderstanding.  This is one of those situations where I can see now how you could understand something entirely different from what I intended.  In comparing my ethics with yours I had no intention of implying yours were lacking.  If I actually felt that way, I would have sent you a private email, not one for the whole list to read. Rather, I thought, and still think, that your approach may be superior to mine, which is causing me to do some deep thinking and soul-searching.  What appears to be critical was an attempt to explain how I arrived at my conclusions.  I thank you for what you shared in your response. I am a "people person," and I think a lot of my clients value that as much as my professional services.  But you outshine me on that, no question.  No, in all these years I have never asked a client to lunch or sent them flowers for any reason.  I do take time to talk with them, and they appreciate that. It never entered my mind whether you were an RPT or not, but since I must have said something somewhere that gave the wrong idea, I'm sorry for that, too.  I worked as an associate for many years.  I attempted to have ethical standards then as well as now. Again, please accept my humble apology. Regards, Clyde Phil Bondi wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Clyde, one more thing:Do you ask client, good clients, to join you for lunch..scheduling them appropriately so you can spend real time with them?I do, and they love it.I also deliver flowers to clients that I have heard that are sick..male AND female. I also do that for colleagues also that I have heard that are not feeling well.Do you feel that because I am NOT a RPT that I am not capable of maintainging high ethical standards?Yes Clyde, your 'highest ethical standards' line has rubbed me the wrong way this morning.I think I'll go now. -Phil Bondi(FL) phil@philbondi.com </blockquote> </html>