(FORTUNE Small Business) – Hello. My name is Pat Croce. If you're like me, and your business requires you to travel frequently, then you too meet a variety of people and experience a wide spectrum of service standards along the way. From airline personnel to hotel staff, cabbies to waitresses, storeowners to casino operators, it amazes me to see the steep sliding scale of what businesses consider "good" or even "acceptable" service.

And it all starts and ends with hello and goodbye. Well, sometimes.

There is an old saying that I've always shared with my various staffs: If better is possible, then good is not enough. Just think of how many times you have answered the question, "How was 'it'?"--"it" being an accommodation or product or service or event--and your response was "Good, but...."

Sound familiar? It just so happens that the little "but" (Big Ugly Trouble) in your response is usually what keeps you from personally using or referring that business to your friends ever again. Conversely, it's the little things that make a big difference on the positive side of the ledger, especially when it comes to customer service.

One of my Ten Commandments of Service--which I have incorporated into every one of my business ventures--is to say hello ... and goodbye. That is, an enthusiastic hello and goodbye. Every person on staff greets each client or customer with a hearty hello and bids each goodbye with equal vigor. Think of it this way. As a small-business owner, one of the big edges you have over the Wal-Marts and Burger Kings of the world is that because you have fewer customers, you can know more of them by name, and greet them that way. So take advantage of it.

Sounds simple. Sounds Sesame Street-simple, in fact. But it must not be so simple when you consider the lack of greetings and goodbyes you get from the people who service your needs on a daily basis. It's probably not an exaggeration to say that sometimes they treat you like something stuck to the bottom of their shoe.

Which is exactly why a window-rattling and sincere "Hello!" delivered with a smile and direct eye contact is not only effective but will also help your business make money, and in this tough business environment that's nothing to scoff at. That one-two-three punch suggests you really care. It conveys to your client that, for once, he or she isn't just another number. Hello can be an attitude-reverser, a tone-maker, a stage-setter, and an image-creator. I love it every time a waiter, receptionist, ticket taker, counter person, or any service professional invests the energy to make me feel special during my buying experience. And their genuine goodbye always sets the stage for my return appearance.

I can state unequivocally that I have never entered my office--whether it was one of my Sports Physical Therapy centers or the hallways of the First Union Center--without shouting a hearty hello to everyone I met. I like to extend that same feeling that I get when I enter my home and feel the warmth of a friendly welcome from my wife, Diane.

I want my staff to feel good about my arrival. I want them to feel good about themselves. And I want them to extend that same enthusiastic attitude to all the customers and fans and peers they encounter. Each and every day. And every night!

During my five-year tenure (1996-2001) as president of the Sixers, I never missed an opportunity to invest at least half an hour on the arena's concourse on game night. I would greet the concessionaires in their food stands and the fans in their jubilant mood as they tipped the turnstiles prior to tip-off. I treated them as I would someone coming into my home, and their returned enthusiasm jump-started every evening at the First Union Center with a rush of energy.

When I arrived at the Sixers, many of the employees were disrespecting the fans by treating them like just another number; they never even looked up at them. It wasn't easy turning the staff around. I told those who didn't want to buy into the new culture that this was the time to leave, and I showed them to the elevator. But that was just the beginning. I would meet with my people every three weeks to reinforce my message. I would read them letters from fans who appreciated an usher's saying a hearty goodbye even after the Sixers lost a game. One employee who was skeptical asked, "What do I do if I say hello and someone gives me the finger?" I told him to lick his index finger and point it up into the air, signifying that that's one victory for us. After all, we kept our dignity.

A greeting won't work, however, if you're not sincere about it. A waiter who just mumbles, "Hello, my name is Randy. Are you ready to order?" is trying to sound as though he cares but is really just hurting himself.

I teach my employees that each person is a personal corporation with his own sales and marketing arm. If you show people that you care, if there's a hearty tone in your voice, they will care about you--and then watch your stock soar.

Goodbye!