No matter how important you think you are, do yourself a favor and treat your pro like an equal, says Thompson. "I've worked for all kinds of people," he adds, "and the ones I go back to know how to look across the table at you and not down at you." Lupberger still recalls a client who came by the work site a couple of times a week to share coffee and chitchat. Says this hardened pro, "I'm sure she got extra things done off the books.