Ever leave a tip? Sure you do. And most of the time, when you leave a tip, it’s based on the service or the quality that you perceive.

But tipping has changed. Everyone seems to have their hand out, asking — no, begging — for more money. If you go into a Starbucks, there’s the familiar plastic bin by the cash register that contains coins and a few bills. Sometimes it’s a jar. Sometimes it’s a fishbowl. But it’s ever present where you see a counter and some servers.

What the workers are really saying is, “My company doesn’t pay me enough, so I need to beg you for more.”

Now I know this seems a bit harsh. “Oh, those poor people slaving behind the counter.” But the bottom line is, the company that employs them is making huge profits while their front-line people starve. People on the front lines are always the lowest paid. I wish I understood it. But I don’t. No, I’m not a socialist, but I am a pragmatist.

That’s one way of looking at tipping. Let’s take a look at another way: Suppose EVERYBODY on the front lines of service had to EARN tips.

Ever go to an airport? Skycaps work for tips. I know this, and I tip liberally. The skycaps at the airport in Charlotte, N.C., my home airport, are the best in the United States. They’re friendly. They’re helpful. And they don’t have a jar out. They do the same excellent job, whether they’re tipped or not.

But suppose EVERYBODY in the airport had to work for tips. People at the ticket counter, the flight attendants and the people in baggage claim. Can you imagine if they had to work for tips? At the end of a day, they’d go home with no money, griping to their significant other about the lousy tippers at the airport. Never for one second thinking that maybe their lousy service and poor attitude contributed to their negligible income.

But wait! There’s more! Think of all the other rude front-line people in the world. How about the administrative people in a doctor’s office? Would you tip them? What about gatekeepers when you’re making a cold call? Would you tip them? I doubt it.

At the root of a tip you’ll find friendliness, helpfulness and service. But there’s a secret. In order to perform this, you have to have the desire to serve. And you have to display the pride that goes along with giving great service.

The point here is that service has nothing to do with the company. Service has everything to do with the people who work for the company.

Ever go to a hotel? The doorman is friendly because he works on tips. The bellman is friendly because he works on tips. So why doesn’t the front-desk clerk work on tips?

It’s interesting to note that many bellmen work at the same hotel for years, while front-desk positions turn over as much as 400 percent a year.

How do you serve? Could you earn tips?

Think about the last server you had in a restaurant. Think about how he or she should have served and compare that to your service. Here are 4.5 “tips to earn the tip.” (Even if it’s not in the form of money.)

1. Start with a smile. Smiles are contagious. People want to know you’re happy.

2. Engage in a friendly manner. Start with your name. Stop when it comes to your canned pitch.

3. Help others sincerely and without expectation. Your job is to serve. Do that with excellence, and all will be well.

4. Tell them how nice it was to serve them. Be sincere. That’s no problem if you’ve been sincere all along.

4.5. Thank them. The best way to end your encounter is to say, “Thanks for being my customer. Hope to see you again soon.”

If you serve as if you’re working for tips, your reward will be much more than financial. It will be personal fulfillment. That’s the tip you give yourself.

Sometimes the best tip you can give others isn’t money. For example, I often give a signed copy of my book to people I feel went above and beyond their duty. Your tip might be dried flowers from your garden, something that you made or a keepsake that costs a buck or two. A small gift is most often better than a monetary tip — because it’s from the heart.

The best tip of all that you can give to others is a kind word of thanks or a compliment. They love hearing it from customers, because they probably never hear it from their boss.

Got a great service tip? E-mail it to heather@gitomer.com. We’ll post them on the Gitomer Web site once they’re all collected. To view them, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter the word TIPS into the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.