These situations can also lead to good clients, big jobs, long-term work. I don't want to shaft myself, but I do try not to leave the impression that I'm just another hostile nerd with the social skills of an adolescent werewolf. If people like the way I treated them, they sometimes come back with good jobs or refer me to other people. Simple things like patience, tact, and manners often score big with people who are "adults across the board": socially, culturally, professionally, and personally, especially when they're older. More than half of my clients are over 65.