I think it's half and half. At the pool hall I go to, the clientèle are older black men who play a good bit of one pocket and banks. These regulars, who don't know me too well personally but see me practice, think that I am a "straight-shootin' muthaf***a." The people who work there, and who I'm more friendly with, rank me more realistically.
Either way, it's good motivation to hear their opinions. If they think I'm good, I want to get better to meet their expectations. If they think I'm just okay, I want to get better to beat their expectations. Win-win.