This content is excerpted from an interview that OneCoach CEO John Assaraf conducted with business consultant Mitch Axelrod, author of The New Game of Business. A previous excerpt from this interview, about when to give your product away for free, is here.

The game of business has permanently changed, says Mitch Axelrod.  Here are some of his new rules:

Don’t fall in love with your products and services.  Of course, you have to like and believe in what you sell.  But when you become overly enamored of what you produce and sell, you can easily become blinded to what the marketplace actually wants.

Instead, shift your attention to the people who buy your product or service.  They will tell you what they want and need, and they will help you improve your products and services to better serve those needs. 

Ultimately, your customers determine your success in the marketplace.  Passion is good.  Enthusiasm is good.  But never fall in love with your product or service at the expense of your customer base.

Shift your mindset from “caveat emptor” to “caveat vendidor.”  In the old days, sellers had control of the marketplace.  The prevailing attitude was caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware.” 

Today, control of the marketplace has shifted to the buyer.  Consumers have more knowledge, information, insight and access than ever before.  In many cases, they have more resources than the companies selling them products and services. 

As the seller, you must constantly stay on top of what the marketplace wants, needs and is willing to pay for.  Misjudge the market and it can quickly pass you by.

Get in the transportation business.  Regardless of what product or service you sell, you are essentially in the transportation business.  How?  Because your primary purpose is to help people get from where they are to where they want to be.

Accepting this concept dramatically changes every interaction you have with prospects and customers.  It takes the focus off your products and services and puts it on the people who use them. 

In today’s game of business, the #1 question is: How can I help transport you from where you are to where you want to be?  The answer to that question is the billion-dollar secret.

Develop a new mission.  Most companies are too focused on their products, services and profits.  In the new game of business, your new mission is to put people ahead of products, services and profits. 

Start by recognizing that your products, services and profits are really a byproduct of serving and loving people.  This includes your employees as well as your prospects and customers.

When you put products and profits first, you become disengaged from the marketplace and your business suffers. When you put people first, the profits automatically follow.

OneCoach conducts weekly Expert Insight interviews on a variety of business-growth topics.  Click here to learn how you can join us on these highly informative calls.